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There is an appealing conversation in the blogosphere. The discussion centers on using bloggers to push harvest and getting compensated in return. Should bloggers accept monetary payment or any form of remuneration for writing about certain harvest, air force or events on their blogs?
Issues and Views
Now that blogging is spreading like wildfire, depiction large crowds of audience, business advertisers, sponsors and the like are one in advocating it as an effectual means of advertising – getting a company’s message out. It is now everyday fix to see advertising on personal blogs. Leading companies like Microsoft, Nokia, and General Motors have even joined the “blogwagon’. Top management executives like Sun Microsystems head Jonathan Schwartz and Intel chief Paul Otellini now blog. It is a fact that word from a trusted source holds much water to consumers. Word of mouth is undoubtedly the most effectual form of advertising. Marketing people place a lot of weight into pursuing free publicity. Aware of the massive growth of blogs and the increasing clout and its being a trusted medium, it isn’t surprising that bloggers are being used to promote harvest, air force or events. Blogs have the ability to publicize information instantly to a widespread audience.
Everyday, more companies are paying bloggers in cash or in kind for promotional spaces on their blogs be it in the form of outright sponsorship or product reviews. Most bloggers keen to keep their blogs financially sustainable openly accept sponsorship and carry ads on their blogs.
A problem now looms. Blogging has no established code of ethics regarding bloggers accepting compensation for blog coverage. The immediate issue bloggers will have to address is whether bloggers can accept payment in any form for writing about specific topics. If yes, a subsequent issue is disclosure and transparency. Certain events have brought these issues into focus. These events have sparked engaging discussions and varied views on the appropriateness of all these going ons in the blogosphere.
Marqui, a Vancouver company that sells communication management air force for automating websites announced its experimental program – paying bloggers to mention the company in their blogs. The aim is to increase brand awareness among the powerful members of the software developer community. Marqui signed up 20 bloggers. Under the program, bloggers are mandated to show Marqui icon and mention Marqui in their blog posts at least once a week. They are free to write anything positive or negative. They are at liberty to blog openly about Marqui harvest or pursue a different approach. In return, they will be paid $800 a month. In-depth details of the program rules together with an FAQ section are posted online in Marqui’s own blog. According to Stephen King, Marqui CEO, the program has been a success. Company mentions on Google skyrocketed. Marqui has been swamped with reader feedbacks on its harvest. Conversely, the program has drawn many criticisms.
Rob Greenlee of WebTalkRadio commented that it is unnatural to reckon that a paid blogger would post negative comments about a sponsor. Stowe Boyd, head of Corante’s weblog network threatened that the Marqui program will turn the blogosphere into a graffiti-laden slum where the readers won’t be able to distinguish if a blog posting is genuine or a paid message. In his response, King defended that if a reader comes across a blog and sees the part that is sponsored, certainly there will be disbelief. But, bloggers tell their relationship with Marqui, write both positive and negative comments without dread of any deletion from Marqui. A further blogger feels that the Marqui program just needs some fine-tuning. Disclosure of payment arrangement between Marqui and participating blogger should be mandatory. Contracts of bloggers should not be renewed based on positive write-ups they provided or whether they are amenable to writing product reviews, be it propitious or unfavorable.
Newsweek revealed that 100 influential members of the tech community, Silicon Valley, were periodically offered harvest or air force in return for word of mouth endorsements (or not). BzzAgent, a Boston company enlisted volunteers to call up bookstores to generate buzz for a particular book, feigning ignorance. A recent service called Pay Per Post patterned after pay per click business model pays a blogger a commission for each completed (clicked) post that promotes the advertiser’s product or service. All these different situations point to a need for some ethical standards bloggers should adhere to. Some basic guidelines have to be set.
Blog Ethics and Standards
Bloggers are known to be non-conformists. This distinct characteristic distinguishes them from the rest in the online world. They are typically beholden to no one. They are defiant in the face of authority. Bloggers comment and spread information according to their own unconventional standards. On the divergent, it is also this frankness that may jeopardize their integrity and thus their value.
At present there are no certain ethical standards that lay down a blogger’s responsibilities and provide a clear code of conduct that will ensure his integrity. Bloggers have no definitive code of ethics but there are some general principles that are usually held. Transparency is the hallmark of blogging. It is one of the weblog’s distinct characteristic and greatest strength. A blogger should be transparent with regards to his events, motives and financial considerations. Since blogging is a trusted medium, it is to every blogger’s advantage to tell conflicts of interest (monetary or otherwise) when appropriate. A blogger who is given free access to a service he is reviewing or receives a product for review should tell said fact. Subsequently, there is an implicit understanding that the blogger will be objective and trustworthy. Anyhow, a company should not expect a positive review just because the product was provided for free. It will not do the company any excellent if a reviewer just sings praises. If there is a problem with the product, the company would surely like to be informed to make the necessary improvements. Readers will be properly informed and form their own judgments. A blogger should in all instances maintain independence and integrity. Lost trust is extremely hard to regain, in some instances, never regained. A very vital tenet that any blogger knows by heart is to publish as fact only that which he strongly believes is right. He should be open about his sources, biases and events.
In a nutshell, using bloggers to push harvest may be acceptable to some, but others may frown on it. As for bloggers, it is a topic of choice. A blogger may be open to accepting payments to help build buzz for a product on his blog or not. If he does choose to accept compensation, transparency and disclosure are of utmost importance. His reputation is stake.