Well it’s the morning after and I have to decide if I can still live with myself.
Yesterday, of course, I dipped my toes in the (murky?) waters of paid reviews with Review: Search Engine Marketing Glossary. Today I see that my review has been accepted and I’ll be paid $30.
A buck a minute isn’t too bad – it sure beats Google AdWords – but how do I feel about writing a post for money?
Short answer: I’m not sure yet. It definitely feels different … frankly, it feels a little frightening. Am I OK with this? Is it right?
I don’t think paid reviews are unethical when there’s full disclosure. I think the ambivalence that I’m feeling rises from the fact that my blog, my space, my stake in the cyber-sand, which I have only used so far for personal and professional thinking out loud, now has a commercial feel to it – more than what you’d get from AdWords or banner ads.
I’ll have to think this one through a little more …
. . .
. . .
Some other thoughts:
- Why I won’t use Pay-per-post
- Can someone tell me why?
- Hugh McLeod’s “pimped” wine (read the comments, that’s where the gems are)
- ReviewMe Launches (a paid review of the paid review service!)
- A Better PayPerPost (TechCrunch’s review)
- ReviewMe: Too Good for Deep Jive Interests (a good blog that inexplicably was rejected by ReviewMe)
- Get Paid to Review Product
- ReviewMe to pay bloggers (check the rates of various sites about midway through this article – interesting!)
Hi there John,
I am a co-sinner. I wrote two reviews for ReviewMe soon after it launched, in much the same experimental attitude as you. For, yeah, a buck a minute. (worth 0.5 bucks in the UK). The transparency aspect made me feel it would be OK.
I ended up feeling it wasn’t OK and wishing I hadn’t done it. I won’t delete the posts, because that wouldn’t be transparent and also, you know, I did take the $60.
I’m not white-as-white about blogging or abhor anyone who wishes to profit by it. It’s more that I think people come to my blog to see what *I* am interested in and whether *I* have something to say. When I know I have deviated from that agenda, then I know I have done wrong by my readers. Ultimately, that good readership (if I am good enough) will translate into sponsorship, leads and job offers.
You SEO Glossary review was fine and honest. But would I normally expect to find that on your site? No. Is it the sort of thing I come to your site for? No.
I don’t really mind if you continue, and I won’t unsubscribe or anything as a result, but it’s not really you, if you know what I mean.
*Your* SEO glossary, d’uh.