It all started, for me anyway, with an innocent tweet from someone stating that they were giving out a link that people were looking for. So, naturally I figure if others are interested, I might be too. So, I went to Queen Of Spain ’s blog.
I started reading because first of all, the word carpet bagging means so many different things to so many people. So, I needed to read the rest to understand. So, I was like, wow, ok, I had no clue that anything was going on behind the scenes with the bloggers who…
a)started as simple mom bloggers
b) have been fortunate enough to make money from their work (I mean, most folks get paid to work, right?)
c) that it’s not understood that sometimes the payment isn’t in the form of dollars and
d) sometimes bloggers can share what they get (I have received a product to review and one to giveaway and simply given them both away telling the one who got the ones my kids read or looked at that it wasn’t brand spanking new.)
Breaking those down real quick before I go on..
a) I can send you back as far as 2001 when I wrote and it was on-line journaling or diary writing – I made $25 for that entire year for 3 to 5 posts a week for a year – $25. Are you jealous yet?
b)I make enough money from writing paid advertisements on two blogs that I barely even own up to having. That money pays my hosting fees and allows my family some wiggle room. We basically live paycheck to paycheck and save what money I make for the circus, the zoo, or vacations if we can hold out long enough.
On a side note, before I go further, I think this is one of the things that got this whole conversation started in the first place. But, notice, I do not put reviews or paid ads in my regular feed here. I have a Reviews page that you can see and when I post a review I usually post a little bit on the front page and give you the link –it then becomes your choice to go read it or not. Also, I mentioned I have 2 blogs that I use for paid advertisements. I do not pick the advertisements, I do not pick the products, they are assigned to me. I do not have to write about these products and say I like them or I dislike them. I write about them much like a newspaper journalist would write about an event or a company. It’s information about companies and products and links to them. Not necessarily whether I like them or not because most of the times I don’t know.
Oh crap, it’s getting long – many of you may have read a newspaper article that I was quoted in for saying, “The ads didn’t have to be written in marketing jargon. Reason included the information about the product the advertiser required, including a link to the product’s Web site, and filled up the rest of her word quota with her own comments.â€
Read carefully now, that’s on those 2 sites only. I use those particular sites along with a lot of celebrity gossip and it works for me. It pays a bill. Please don’t get that confused with the products that are on my Review page here or in my giveaways.
And, to be perfectly honest, if someone were just starting out, that’s what I tell them to do. Do not mess up your followers, your friends, the people who trust your opinion by putting up posts that are clutter to most folks. I hated to use that word but that’s what it is. Leave your personal blogs or niche’ blogs for doing what they do. And, if a particular product fits better than one site than another, then go with it. No big deal.
c) Sometimes I am paid in forms other than dollar bills. For instance, some company’s give out gift cards to big sites or stores. Iâ€m hesitant to even use brand names here but I will Amazon and Wal-mart but there are many many others.
d) I have 5 blogs with a company that handles all the ad issues and site design and such and I simply write and I get a portion of the ad money. I do sometimes giveaway stuff on those sites (and lately I’ve done too much pimping products over there and that is about to stop), but those are all niche’ blogs and I only put extra advertisement there if it fits with the blog niche’.
e) And, sometimes I am given the opportunity to giveaway an item on my blog. Now, here’s where this got sticky for me when I was reading the post I mentioned above and then later on Mom Dot . I have given away a few nice things. But as far as receiving the same products that I give away..that rarely happens. I mean, I was part of a group that gave away a set of jewelry from Peachbutt Designs that cost a pretty penny and I did not get a set of those. I have given away all kinds of little things that I wouldn’t even want myself because they simply aren’t needed or wanted by my family. So, with that said, let me continue on……just know that I don’t get everything you see me giving away and when I do, I always say it. No, I do not put a disclosure at the bottom of the post that says, “hey I got one tooâ€, I usually say, “I was lucky enough to get an X from company Y and now I get to give one to person Zâ€.   And, I have a site wide disclosure up there in the top in those tabs.
So, crap I didn’t want this to be this long, but the others are too so, heck, I can’t help myself. So, moving forward. I want to highlight something Mom Dot said “The point being….why do we care what someone else thinks about what we do with our blog.â€
And, we all know the answer to this. I cared back in 2001 when I had no control over anything but the content I put in the box. Someone else handled all the ads (and yea, ads, they were there, always have been – do you think this world turns for free?). So, back to caring, sorry for the rampage there….We care because we are people and we want to be liked because that’s just what human beings do.
That said. It goes back to the old old old and even old me saying, “If your buddies all jump off of a bridge are you going to jump too?†because if you blog the way you want to, and you do the things you want to and you many $25 a year doing it, then good for you. And not one person has to do it that way just because you did.
And, if you are fortunate enough to get bigger prizes, well doggone it, have fun. And, you know what, tell people about it because….it’s advertising…wait….didn’t we discuss this already…yea it’s advertising, it makes the world go round. If you had paid for something you would tell people about it, right?
Let’s take an example here:
JessicaKnows has a car to drive for a year courtesy of Ford. The Flex I believe. Now, she had 2 choices.
1. Go to car dealer, pick out a car (maybe even a Ford Flex), pay what seems like an enormous amount of money for it (all cars are expensive, I have no idea how much that one costs) and she could drive it home. She could drive it every where she went and talk to every one that asked about it. Guess what not only is she advertising the freakin’ car for them, she paid them to let her do it…does that man any sense in the flippin’ world?
2. Compared to, go get a car that’s been offered to you to drive for a year. Drive it every where, be seen in it and answer people’s questions about it. And, so now you are advertising for them and it didn’t cost you a penny.
Humpf, what logic? I’m telling you, if you chose #1, you need to move on from here now because you obviously have a rat in your brain. How much crazier does it get?
Now I’m not sure if I remember why I started this and that makes as good of a place as any to stop because…..because I want to and that’s all that matters. My blog, my space, my words, my thoughts (albeit gone), mine mine mine mine. And, if someone out there wants to send me a prize or a gift or some money or a trip after reading this lame crappy post, well doggone it, I’ll help them get it here.
So, I’m with Mom Dot here, call it like you see it and if you step in dog poop, guess what? You got shit on your shoes just like everyone else.
