Let your blogging conscience be your guide….

I’ve put this up as an ‘Audio Blog’ too – rather than read – you can listen! Click here.

From reading some of my posts, you might think I don’t really like bloggers – that is largely true. There are a lot of bellends in blogging – but, lurking among the bile and bullshit are some lovely folk. Some I’d regard as friends, some I follow on Twitter. Others it could be ‘oh yeah – I met them once – they seemed nice’. There is some awesome out there.

The problem is – money.

As a blogger and their blog grows, as do the opportunities and the money on offer for them. You get paid for creating content and that’s pretty cool – especially if your blog is your primary income. You become ‘noticed’ and it gets to the point when more an more opportunities fall at you. It’s an awesome feeling, companies want to invest their time, products and money in you. Internally you’re all “Fuck -‘Brand X’ want to work with ME?!”

Thing is though, you shouldn’t be surprised.

A lot of bloggers have poured love, sweat and tears into their little corners of the internet. It takes time to build a following, an audience, a readership. You’ve got a captive audience with a regular percentage keen to read what you’ve written. These brands know this, it’s a relatively cheap way to engage with thousands of people. We can get more ‘bang per buck’ than ‘standard’ advertising. Plus, it’s targeted well – I know my readership is mostly made up of parents, largely Mums. Most parent blogs will be in a similar boat. Your blog in theory is worth more than anyone paying you could afford.

But – you know, a hundred quid is good – isn’t it?

The thing is, when you get these opportunities in a steady flow, you’re not really writing posts – you’re writing adverts. Your endorsement of a product could sway someone to spend money on something you’ve been paid to be nice about. This why if I get something to ‘review’ – I’m honest about it. I reviewed an attraction recently, tickets are £25 a pop if you don’t book beforehand. A family could easily spunk a hundred quid on going there. I wasn’t overly impressed, and I made it clear in my write-up. If I’d lied and said it was great, and some poor folks wasted money on my recommendation – I’d feel horrible.

I sent that review to the PR, and didn’t get a response. So – obviously, not what they wanted, however, I wasn’t going to lie.

If you’re being paid for something to review, don’t bullshit – you might not be paying for something, but some poor sod might be.

I think the problem is, there are a LOT of opportunities for the better writers, those who craft their words. I’m not talking about those cunts who get views because they have 10 competitions running at once. Those decent bloggers who can take a photograph, who don’t rely on copy and paste – they get the goods. Which is great, because, fuck me, they earn it.

However. When you’re taking these opportunities, and getting paid for it. The foundations of your blog, the stuff you started it for – get lost in the ‘noise’. Why would you sit bashing out 500 words about how you feel, or how cool your kids are, when someone is happy to give you money for less words about something banal. I’ve found myself on the brink of this site turning into a page of ‘advertiblogs’ so many times. But I drag myself back, ignore emails of offers of ‘stuff’ and sit and bash out stuff like this. Realistically, not many people will read it. It won’t fly on Google – but it’s me, saying my feelings and thoughts. I’m just another monkey, shouting into the internet.

I care about those crazy bloggers I follow and interact with – I want to know about them, their failures and fortunes. I don’t care if they think Iceland is the best, or they have ‘5 things i MUST buy at Christmas’. It’s easy to go with the money, and the stuff – so very easy – but – try not to.

Bloggers – I want to hear about YOU – not another message in association with your sponsor. Let your blogging conscience be your guide….