You may have heard about the piece in last week’s BusinessWeek titled “Blogola: The FTC Takes On Paid Posts.” In this article, the magazine used the term “blogola” to describe the act of a blogger receiving compensation in exchange for blogging about a product or service.
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?
Thank you for this. For me, it’s ALL about the relationships. My initial reason for even TRYING OUT that Ergo was because of the amount of emails I’d get about that particular carrier from my readers interested in knowing my thoughts. I am really glad I listened, too, because it’s now one of my favorites and I wear it all the time. Will I have to link to the company every time I post a picture of me using it ? I hope not. I just want to blog and just live my life and let things land where they fall.
Steph
I wrote a blurb on my blog yesterday about the power of mom to mom marketing. I have no problem with it if disclosure is involved. Like the babywearing mama (babywearer powers ACTIVATE! fellow wearer here), I think reviews of products are critical to her blog’s mission. Another blog I follow ( https://safebeauty.blogspot.com/ ) the mission of her blog is also in line with product reviews.
The problem I PERSONALLY have with mommy bloggers who are also testers for products is when their site is so inundated with PR and marketing reviews, buttons, blinkies and other fanfare that the point of their blog is lost. The art of their writing, the wit they share, and the entertainement value of reading a blog that you should be able to relate to, being another mom, is overshadowed by commercialism. If I have to dig for your true content, I’m not going to try for long.
LizzB, This is exactly my thoughts on the subject too:
“The art of their writing, the wit they share, and the entertainement value of reading a blog that you should be able to relate to, being another mom, is overshadowed by commercialism.”
I thought the online mom community was just that – community. That means (to me) sharing honest opinions, thoughts and advice. Now I feel that the mom community is just one big infomercial.
Steph – you are welcome! I know where you are coming from and I will continue to support you!
LizzB and Trisha- Thank you both for commenting.
Here are my thoughts: Many websites feature product reviews. Many website owners and bloggers make money through affiliate marketing. This is where a blogger / site owner uses a special link to earn commission on the sale of products. Big name companies such as Amazon, Target, Home Depot and more have affiliate programs.
There are a lot of people out there writing great reviews on products they never tried – in hopes of earning a commission through their affiliate link. To me, that is much shadier than a blogger writing a review of a product they were sent to try out.
Again- the reputable bloggers will tell you when they are reviewing something they have rec’d. And, believe me, they will tell you the truth. These bloggers are making their money with their blogs.
If they say that a product is fantastic, and their readers try it out and hate it, they’re probably going to get a lot of complaints and lose their readers. There goes their job. Why would they risk losing their readers for a payout on one product from one company?
They wouldn’t. That doesn’t make sense at all.
Instead, these women are going to tell their readers the truth! That’s how you build relationships. In many cases, these women seek out relationships with brands they are already familiar with and enjoy because they know that they can feel good about endorsing the product.
Bloggers are not the only people receiving free merchandise. Have you ever flipped through a newspaper or magazine and read the book reviews, movie reviews or album reviews? The person writing it did not pay to see the movie, read the book or listen to the album.
Magazines are known for their “clothing closets” and “beauty closets” which are full of clothing, accessories, cosmetics, and other products that are sent to them in hopes their writers will review the product or feature it somehow.
I don’t see anything wrong with any of this.
If I were going to read a review and base my buying decision on that review, the person writing it had better have first hand knowledge of the product.
Yes – there are some shady people out there. But you have to remember that people can recognize that from a mile away. If someone’s blog screams “Big Phony Cheeseball’ they are not going to have much of an audience.
The bloggers who actually give a damn about what they do care about their reputations and will work extra hard to offer the best content they can. That’s how they make money. They’re not going to screw up their reputation for one free product.
Infomercial. Yes. Good analogy.
I don’t see a problem with the company/blogger relationship as long as there is intergrity on both sides, like you said. I like real people reviews. I seek them out sometimes as a momsumer. But dang! Some of these sites need an area or page within their site to put sponsorships, reviews and other company branded type things. Some women are able to integrate all of it this cleanly and smoothly and good for them! Others, well, they should rethink some things, as it looks like the Sunday Paper barfed all over their blog. Then again, they have hundreds of readers to my 30 or so….so what do I know 😉
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Chrissy, I appreciate your level-headed, thoughtful approach to this…I saw a recent discussion on this subject get ugly very quickly, then it became hard to read through all the venom.
This is a very interesting topic to me — and I’m not even a blogger! I enjoy reading blogs and learning, that is why I want true authenticity in the blogs I read. But, ultimately, it is up to ME to determine who is trustworthy, not the FTC.
I am a capitalist, and if you can make money through blogging, tweeting, etc., more power to you! Just do it with integrity!
This blog expresses the conundrum I see with sponsored blogging:
https://www.mizzinformation.com/2009/05/why-sponsored-posts-and-authenticity.html
Thanks again, Chrissy, for a great post!
Every blogger I know, myself included, who ever receives some sort of sample product will write an HONEST review about it. Not necessarily glowing, but honest. And most bloggers I know of usually mention something somewhere on their site that basically says as much, and that they won’t do pay-per-post type posts. I’ve received some pretty cool stuff because of my site, and I’ve generally given everything a good review, but I’ve also been approached by various PR people who offered to send me stuff without looking very closely at what my site is about. I think I was once offered a Slanket for review! And just a few days ago a publicist offered to send me a copy of some new novel to review. I graciously decline offers like those because I know the products don’t fit into the scope of what I write about, free stuff or not. I think generally, most bloggers try to do the same.
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