Selling out your blog, part two
In January I criticized garden bloggers who accept compensation in cash or goods in return for posting a favorable review of a product without disclosing (and this is key) that their post is, essentially, paid advertising. Seventy-six readers commented here on that post, and it stirred up a heated discussion that continued on other blogs. My post wasn’t the first on this issue, and it won’t be the last as marketers increasingly recognize the influence of bloggers on their target audience and reach out to them with appealing offers.
I stir the pot again because the Wall Street Journal has just reported on this topic in their print edition (Thursday, April 23); it can be read online at WSJ.com. The article adds the news that “[t]he Internet is becoming so rife with paid blogging that the Federal Trade Commission, which guards against false advertisements, is examining whether it should police bloggers….[T]he FTC is proposing that bloggers, and online marketers and companies that compensate them, be held liable for misleading claims. A decision from the commission is expected this summer.”
I’ll leave that to others to discuss, but I found the article interesting because it confirms what the blogosphere has already been discussing for some time and it reopens the question of blogging ethics. Let me be clear about my position because a few readers misunderstood me last time. I have no problem with a blogger accepting advertising for pay or goods so long as they make clear what is paid advertising and what is not. I also recognize that the slope is slippery, and as a way of keeping my own blog on the up-and-up and letting readers (and marketers) know my policy, I wrote a disclosure policy, which can be found in my sidebar.
When I wrote it last February, I had already been in the practice of keeping review copies of books, which, having once worked in publishing, seemed like standard practice to me. Since then I’ve been asked to review a more-expensive product, an edger, which was sent to me for free, and to trial plants for a well-known grower; I agreed to both and plan to be scrupulously clear in my reviews (not yet written) about what I received for free. But more important, I know I must be completely honest, and I strive to be.
Do freebies influence reviewers? No doubt. I don’t claim to be Consumer Reports, however. I just want to be true about things I read or use in the garden and always say so if a freebie is involved. It’s the least, and the best, I can do.
All material © 2006-2009 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Good for you, Pam! Well said. The popularity of blogging has so quickly gained ground that ethics practices, sadly, has likely not kept up with the pace of things. You have my respect.
Brenda
The slope is slippery, alright!
Hi Pam, well said. You set the bar for ethics as far as I am concerned. Many bloggers seem to get free stuff to write about, I am not one of them. That is fine though I am always curious as to what criteria the companies are looking for when they want their products reviewed. Print versus internet is getting to be interesting.
Frances
Interesting article. I can’t believe the chutzpah of some of these people. Good thing it is aimed more at the mommy bloggers than at garden bloggers, but the concerns are valid for us.
I’m new at blogging and I don’t know the rules. Some blogs are so overwhelming that it’s hard to see what’s actually going on. Yet, many of those blogs have many, many followers!!!!!! I’m into floral still life photography and now I’m just trying to post my own floral still life images and comments on how I did the image. I would like to have paid advertising, but then it spoils the look of the blogger’s actual page. I would love to have ideas of how my images look, but I don’t want to resort to paid advertisements! Today I posted a still life image I did of some of my blue morning glories at http://photographyhints.blogspot.com
Thanks for posting the link to the article – I found it interesting.
Being new to blogging, I thought it was all about connecting with people with similar interests. But I guess greed can seep into the most benign environments when the potential for personal gain is worked into the equation.
Sounds a lot like Wall Street ethics have made it into the livingrooms of the average joe blogger.
It’s refreshing to know there are still some who still believe in personal integrity!
Frances, I just got my first offer to get something for free for myself or as a contest prize in exchange for a review (which they would thoughtfully provide me if desired). I have no idea why they chose me, I don’t think my blog is particularly well known. I have since seen this company on other blogs, so clearly I wasn’t the only one contacted. While I’m not opposed to others doing this, it just seems like too much effort.
I agree with Pam, transparency is key. While I don’t do any of this stuff on my blog, I’m close to launching a new website that will provide information on water conservation, sustainable gardening, etc. to western gardeners, and I do plan to advertise on it as well as explore other options to generate revenue. I want to be up front about this, but also don’t want disclaimers all over everything. I think your disclosure policy is a great idea.
On another note, just came over from GGW. Congrats on your win!
I have never gotten any freebies to review either.
If I did I would do my best to review it honestly.
I also like to let fellow bloggers know if I buy something and it is good or bad. Like they say a picture is worth a thousand words. So basically by taking a picture of plants I purchased most people can get the general idea if it was a good deal or not.
The stuff I get for free is really free from a recycle center, freecycle or roadside pick up(-: I’m a junker at heart(-:
Good morning Pam, interesting dilemma. Since I am still relatively new to blogging I haven’t had offers to review or assess something. I guess the initial offer is kind of fun, (they want ME to give MY opinion!!) I suppose as readers we need to know who is writing and to check more than one place before making any purchase on the say-so from a blog. Full disclosure — as yours — sure helps. Good to keep this kind of conversation open.
Very interesting thoughts from everyone. It seems to me, it is a decision that we, as bloggers, are going to have to make with increasing frequency. I, for one, feel frustration at the constant barrage of commercial ads, and have made the decision to have a blog free from it.
I’m not saying I would turn down a free edger if offered one, but to me blogging is about seeing what other people are doing in their gardens. I’m always looking for new ideas. I’m also uncertain about some of the decisions Jamie and I make in the garden and I enjoy getting feedback from other gardeners that we are headed in the right direction. You are never too old to learn, PLUS who doesn’t like to be told they have done a wonderful job on a project they just completed. I’ve listed my sisters’ sites because I want to help them be successful in their ventures; otherwise I find the adds distracting and more times than not the flash adds contain hidden malicious programs.
It’s a pleasure to visit a well-organized blog about gardening that is devoted to the gardener’s own work. Advertising must pay, or people wouldn’t put such distractions on their blogs.
What do I know? I garden for personal satisfaction. I don’t have a need to be connected, or fashionable, or whatever it is people are seeking.
What worries me even more are the comments that send you to (possibly infected) sites. I usually delete those comments pretty fast, but last week I had one up for a few days. It’s not as friendly a place as it might be any more. I’ll probably turn on monitoring soon.
I hadn’t heard about the FTC’s actions. Conceptually it’s appealing, but as all the off-shore casinos and credit card scams have shown, it’s hard to police motivated law-evaders. Maybe garden bloggers would be less likely to head for Barbados for protection if it meant leaving their precious garden.