Comments on: Tech Crunch Discovers New Virus In The Blogosphere http://www.onebyonemedia.com/tech-crunch-discovers-new-virus-in-the-blogosphere/ Connecting Businesses One By One Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:39:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: When Your Blog Gets Pitched, Pitch Back » Instigator Blog http://www.onebyonemedia.com/tech-crunch-discovers-new-virus-in-the-blogosphere/comment-page-1/#comment-52787 When Your Blog Gets Pitched, Pitch Back » Instigator Blog Fri, 17 Nov 2006 14:15:20 +0000 http://www.onebyonemedia.com/2006/11/10/tech-crunch-discovers-new-virus-in-the-blogosphere/#comment-52787 [...] With all the hoopla going on about companies like ReviewMe, it’s absolutely essential that you maintain the integrity of your blog and keep separate what you do for money and what you do voluntarily. TechCrunch calls pay-per-post stuff a virus, and while I think that’s harsh (and easy for an A-list blogger to say), I do think it’s important to maintain integrity and be open to what you’re doing for money (or not.) To-date I haven’t written any pay-per-post material, whatsoever. If I did, I’d tell you. [...] [...] With all the hoopla going on about companies like ReviewMe, it’s absolutely essential that you maintain the integrity of your blog and keep separate what you do for money and what you do voluntarily. TechCrunch calls pay-per-post stuff a virus, and while I think that’s harsh (and easy for an A-list blogger to say), I do think it’s important to maintain integrity and be open to what you’re doing for money (or not.) To-date I haven’t written any pay-per-post material, whatsoever. If I did, I’d tell you. [...]

]]> By: V-+a%S(p#E*rsT=`hE..]gra_Te[ http://www.onebyonemedia.com/tech-crunch-discovers-new-virus-in-the-blogosphere/comment-page-1/#comment-52564 V-+a%S(p#E*rsT=`hE..]gra_Te[ Sat, 11 Nov 2006 06:05:47 +0000 http://www.onebyonemedia.com/2006/11/10/tech-crunch-discovers-new-virus-in-the-blogosphere/#comment-52564 Paid enthusiast buzz agenting, aka blog whoring, is unethical, even with full disclosure and transparency. The web is a communications and networking model based on trust, credibility, passion, authenticity. The issues here are so simple. If you're at a party, let's say, and since they're all friends, you ask the entire group if anyone knows a good dentist. If a person raves about a dentist, you feel like you can trust his statements. But if you find out later that, though sincere and truthful, he had a two fold agenda--helping you and getting paid to hype the dentist--how would that make you feel? Can't we all see what is going on? It's the old outmoded dying model of Business As Usual, use the blogosphere as an advertising medium, exploit the blogosphere, leverage the trust that exists in the blogosphere, for greedy commercial gain. PayPerPost is evil, unethical, and marketing suicide. WOMMA is in the same boat. It's not transparency or sincerity that is the main principle here. It's hidden or blatant commercial agendas. By the time the stupid business chumps destroy the blogosphere with such pollution, we will have moved on to better venues for candid, trustworthy, altruistic conversations. Does a company want to promote product in the blogosphere? Then hype your expertise, give away free samples of something, help people solve problems. Soon, we will have to keep saying "I'm not paid in any manner to say this" whenever we compliment or criticize any product, author, music band, book, etc. What a drag. Paid enthusiast buzz agenting, aka blog whoring, is unethical, even with full disclosure and transparency.

The web is a communications and networking model based on trust, credibility, passion, authenticity.

The issues here are so simple. If you’re at a party, let’s say, and since they’re all friends, you ask the entire group if anyone knows a good dentist.

If a person raves about a dentist, you feel like you can trust his statements. But if you find out later that, though sincere and truthful, he had a two fold agenda–helping you and getting paid to hype the dentist–how would that make you feel?

Can’t we all see what is going on?

It’s the old outmoded dying model of Business As Usual, use the blogosphere as an advertising medium, exploit the blogosphere, leverage the trust that exists in the blogosphere, for greedy commercial gain.

PayPerPost is evil, unethical, and marketing suicide. WOMMA is in the same boat.

It’s not transparency or sincerity that is the main principle here. It’s hidden or blatant commercial agendas.

By the time the stupid business chumps destroy the blogosphere with such pollution, we will have moved on to better venues for candid, trustworthy, altruistic conversations.

Does a company want to promote product in the blogosphere?

Then hype your expertise, give away free samples of something, help people solve problems.

Soon, we will have to keep saying “I’m not paid in any manner to say this” whenever we compliment or criticize any product, author, music band, book, etc.

What a drag.

]]> By: Paid Placement Without Full Disclosure Is Unethical http://www.onebyonemedia.com/tech-crunch-discovers-new-virus-in-the-blogosphere/comment-page-1/#comment-52553 Paid Placement Without Full Disclosure Is Unethical Fri, 10 Nov 2006 21:00:32 +0000 http://www.onebyonemedia.com/2006/11/10/tech-crunch-discovers-new-virus-in-the-blogosphere/#comment-52553 [...] Jim Skyped me about his recent post about the Pay-per-post model that is starting to be ratcheted up by companies like Pay Per Post, Loudcloud and Creamaid: Is pay-per-post [without disclosure] a “black hat” business model?  Some would say that it is but they are among the purists in the blogosphere.  The blogger capitalists that I speak to say that it is a great model that should be a money maker for bloggers all over and that companies should take advantage of the phenomena while they can. [...] [...] Jim Skyped me about his recent post about the Pay-per-post model that is starting to be ratcheted up by companies like Pay Per Post, Loudcloud and Creamaid: Is pay-per-post [without disclosure] a “black hat” business model?  Some would say that it is but they are among the purists in the blogosphere.  The blogger capitalists that I speak to say that it is a great model that should be a money maker for bloggers all over and that companies should take advantage of the phenomena while they can. [...]

]]> By: B.L. Ochman http://www.onebyonemedia.com/tech-crunch-discovers-new-virus-in-the-blogosphere/comment-page-1/#comment-52551 B.L. Ochman Fri, 10 Nov 2006 19:47:04 +0000 http://www.onebyonemedia.com/2006/11/10/tech-crunch-discovers-new-virus-in-the-blogosphere/#comment-52551 I like the TechCrunch model because the blogger identifies the post as an ad, and is not required to write a positive review to get paid. Any model that doesn't require disclosure that the writer is paid is just flogging, and as the recent Wal-mart/Edelman kerkuffle showed us, it's unethical, sleezy and ultimately, unacceptable. I run advertising on my blog. So obviously I have no problem with bloggers making money. In fact I think bloggers who don't want to make money are missing the boat big-time. But I believe in separation of ads and editorial before I can consider any source credible. I like the TechCrunch model because the blogger identifies the post as an ad, and is not required to write a positive review to get paid. Any model that doesn’t require disclosure that the writer is paid is just flogging, and as the recent Wal-mart/Edelman kerkuffle showed us, it’s unethical, sleezy and ultimately, unacceptable.

I run advertising on my blog. So obviously I have no problem with bloggers making money. In fact I think bloggers who don’t want to make money are missing the boat big-time. But I believe in separation of ads and editorial before I can consider any source credible.

]]> By: Ben Yoskovitz http://www.onebyonemedia.com/tech-crunch-discovers-new-virus-in-the-blogosphere/comment-page-1/#comment-52550 Ben Yoskovitz Fri, 10 Nov 2006 19:15:29 +0000 http://www.onebyonemedia.com/2006/11/10/tech-crunch-discovers-new-virus-in-the-blogosphere/#comment-52550 At the end of the day I really don't think we can thumb our noses at people who are paid to write reviews. Realistically I doubt it will become a huge business; because the bulk of people that will be interested will have less-than-popular blogs and advertisers won't see a big ROI. If they tell us it's a paid post, and they're given the freedom to be honest, then it's up to the audience to judge the value and validity of the review. Just like we have to do with X-leaning News Television Station or X-leaning Blog or whatever. It's easy for very popular blog owners to say "this is a virus" but they get paid plenty to post ads on their site, which in effect shows them promoting X product or service whether they think it's of value or not. In the end this sort of thing self-regulates. If a blogger writes a ton of crappy reviews (paid for or not) no one is going to read them and that blogger's reputation will be tarnished, and their blog will be useless. If a blogger writes great reviews, paid or not, then people will listen. At the end of the day I really don’t think we can thumb our noses at people who are paid to write reviews. Realistically I doubt it will become a huge business; because the bulk of people that will be interested will have less-than-popular blogs and advertisers won’t see a big ROI.

If they tell us it’s a paid post, and they’re given the freedom to be honest, then it’s up to the audience to judge the value and validity of the review. Just like we have to do with X-leaning News Television Station or X-leaning Blog or whatever.

It’s easy for very popular blog owners to say “this is a virus” but they get paid plenty to post ads on their site, which in effect shows them promoting X product or service whether they think it’s of value or not.

In the end this sort of thing self-regulates. If a blogger writes a ton of crappy reviews (paid for or not) no one is going to read them and that blogger’s reputation will be tarnished, and their blog will be useless. If a blogger writes great reviews, paid or not, then people will listen.

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