OK now how did that make you feel? at Sparkplug 9 >> bizhack

OK now how did that make you feel?

15Dec06

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!)

Tags: reviewme, paid content, paid reviews, google, adwords, john koetsier

Filed under: blogging, business2.0, google, marketing2.0, personal, social media, web2.0 |

2 Responses to “OK now how did that make you feel?”

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1 Ian Delaney on Dec 15th, 2006 said:

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.
2 Ian Delaney on Dec 15th, 2006 said:

*Your* SEO glossary, d’uh.