Thoughts on Sponsored Blogs

In an effort to better monetize my websites, and hone my craft, I've been researching different ways to be paid for writing & blogging. There have been a wide variety of scams, biz ops, and shady operations that have come up in my search. There have been promising ideas, as well.

In a recent search for "Sponsored Blogs," I came across a post by someone who was claiming that posting a sponsored review was "selling out to tha man," and compromising the integrity of the blog, the blogger, and the entire bloggiverse, as well. Is that always the case? I think not.

While I have come across blogs who feature a different biz op or affiliate feature on each page... and THAT is the entire blog; I have also browsed blogs that have useful information, seasoned by the occasional sponsor, advertisement or sponsored post. And a few advertisement free blogs with poorly written content are out there too.

That's the thing with blogs, though. They're blogs (as opposed to newspapers, magazines & other media.) Owned by the blogger. The very heart of the blogging craze is that everyone has an opinion. And so they write it out for the world... or nobody... to see.




I was thinking last night about "integrity" and "money." How much of the former can you have with the latter involved? Some say not much. I say money is merely an "enhancing drug" it wont change your core, but will accentuate what kind of person you already are.

If you have integrity, and with said integrity go after money - that's not a sin. We all have to live, and eat, and put a roof over our heads or find a bridge to live under.

So what, then, about sponsored blogs, sponsored posts, and sponsored reviews? Well, like the internet, there are going to be slimy individuals out there not caring if they're accurate or honest. But also like the internet there will be folks who will give an unbiased review, their educated opinion, and maybe even some well cited fact.

It's like secret shopping, that's a little less secret. Or like pitching amazon books on your homepage.

So how does one trust the content of a blog, website, etc, that pays or gets paid for it's content? The same way you trust your neighbor's opinion. Take what you read, and use it as inspiration for your own research.