This term makes reference to “payola” which is where radio stations receive bribes from record companies in order to give airtime to a certain song. That is, of course, illegal. The listeners don’t know they are listening to a song that has been “bought.” Using a play on that term is implying that blog readers are being misled by bloggers. The FTC will be imposing new guidelines about companies compensating bloggers to make sure that their audiences are not being misled (you can bet I have some thoughts on this – but first, I’m going to give you the facts).

The article focused on two well-known bloggers, Jessica Smith of Jessica Knows and Stephanie Precourt of Adventures In Babywearing. I am familiar with both women, as I follow them on Twitter and have  guest taught a session of Smith’s “Rock Your Blog” class.

The article implies that Smith and Precourt are somehow hiding the fact that they receive compensation from their blogs. There is nothing further from the truth! The piece is pretty stuck on how Precourt received the Ergo baby carrier to try out and the glowing review she gave it. Well, if you read her review, it starts out with her saying she received it from the company to try out. She isn’t hiding anything.

Smith is well known among  bloggers as being very successful. We all know she is making money with her blog. She teaches others how to monetize their blog. She is very forthright with it. If someone is reading her blog and the message isn’t clear to them, that person either has a problem seeing words or they are suffering from a reading comprehension disorder. Either way, it’s their problem, not Smith’s.

Gwen Bell interviewed Precourt in this Mom It Forward post and several fantastic points were brought up, including the fact that celebrities are paid to be seen in certain brands of clothing. Does anyone really think that these people went out and bought those dresses? Obviously, the designer is giving the dress to the star so that the celebrity will be photographed in it. Do you feel manipulated by this? Do you feel that your choices of fashion are being misguided because Reese Witherspoon wore one designer over another? Should the celebrities start disclosing this information as they are walking down the red carpet?

Both women feel that bloggers should disclose when they are receiving compensation. This is a practice that reputable bloggers do take part in. Both women have posted their views on this article on their blogs. You can read Smith’s post here and Precourt’s post here.

I do understand where the FTC is coming from. Technology has changed the way we send and receive information. People are drifting away from newspapers and magazines and are now reading Blogs and Twitter feeds. I’m glad that the FTC is concerned that people are not being misled…. but I also think the BusinessWeek article is a little ridiculous.

I find it curious that they chose to focus on two well-known Mommy Bloggers. I wonder if traditional media is a tad bit upset that they are not receiving as many ad dollars as they once were. I wonder if they will try to take this anger out on the people who are now stand-outs of new media.

One thing that companies are realizing is that bloggers can reach an audience in a way that is unprecedented by any magazine or newspaper. A blogger makes a connection with their audience. People read blogs and develop a relationship with the blogger.

The FTC needs to remember that this relationship is important to the blogger, too.

I live in an online world. I know a lot of bloggers. I think that many of them will agree with me when I say that we are humbled and amazed every day by our readers. When we started our blogs and websites, we may have dreamed about making money with them. But did we really know if we could? No.

In most cases, these blogs were started on a wish and a prayer. They were outlets that we used to connect to other people. And lo and behold, people started reading them. And then more people. And sooner or later, that turned into an audience. An audience that looks to us for advice, for a sense of community, and for a sense of belonging.

The women bloggers that I know, the women I consider my peers and contemporaries, the women I look up to, would never take their readers for granted.

Yes – for some of us, blogging is our business. But we do have morals and ethics, and anyone who challenges that has obviously not taken the time to read these blogs or follow our community.

These women found a way to earn a living using their skills and talents. I think that they should be commended, not criticized.

Now, what do you think?