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Re: Wednesday, October 18, 2006
For starters, thank you for your very warm endorsement of my blog and my photography. I really do appreciate it. I do agree that relationships are the heart of blogging, and that's why I started and why I'll continue. I also understand the underlying foundations of the negative reactions to the PPP model, and it's not my intention to leverage the relationship factor for a few bucks. On the other hand, if advertising is going to be a part of a blog, I actually feel like this is a more productive way to approach it, PROVIDED that there is disclosure and some thought and honesty put into what choices are made with regard to what is written and how it is written. When all is said and done, I think it would be cool if some of the bloggers out there who have something worth saying and experience with the topic or product were writing about it, first because they believe in it and second, because they're paid to actually sit in front of the keyboard and write. I wrote a post tonight about a new site that I truly think is of benefit to consumers. I wouldn't have known about it if I hadn't seen the PPP opportunity, and after 2 hours of playtime on it I had a lot to say. If I'd written that post after just reading a PR release or without any foundation of knowledge under it, it would've been nothing more than an SEO opportunity, as you point out. But I did write it with the reader (not the advertiser) in mind, so that if someone new lands on my blog after a search they will come away with two things: tips for making informed benefit decisions from a professional with 25+ years in the business; and a cool new site to get solid information to help with those decisions. I see that as win-win. (I actually would've written that post whether or not PPP was involved -- I was that impressed with the info there, and that's one of my primary criteria for opting for a PPP opportunity). Do I wish I'd been writing it for Techcrunch? Sure! But I don't see an email box full of offers right now, so I'll take what I can if it means getting that slick new lens a little bit sooner. After the lens is purchased, anything else will be donated to the marching band to help fund their uniform and instrument purchases, another win-win. Thanks again for all the kind words, DnW PS. In re-reading your post I do have one clarification. No one tells me what to say or how to say it, including PPP. The "post review" that I think you're referring to is standard on the posts, but the review isn't for content. It is to be sure that the post is on a blog that isn't a splog, that the blogger isn't spamming multiple PPP in a row, etc. The review is a structural review, not a content review. I don't take any PPP opps that specify what I should say or how it should be said, and I don't think there's many that do anymore, actually.
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