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As A Blogger, What’s Your Price?

As A Blogger, What’s Your Price?

Over at the Silicon Alley Insider, Dan Fromer is sending out a general question: “Who wants a free hotel room in San Francisco during a wireless conference in exchange for listening to a business brief by a NYC-based mobile company?”

Which, of course, prompted me to start wondering what *your* price was as a blogger.

Marketing and advertising professionals recognize the power of blogging to communicate in all kinds of areas — and furthermore, recognize the power of some bloggers to promote real and honest dialogue about a given product or service. Some select bloggers, in particular, are media powerhouses in their own right, able to trigger massive amount of buzz.

And on the other hand, I think that its one thing to blog as part of a larger business, which is able to send you out to “cover” events, conferences, and the like; to have the benefit of a (small) per diem, and the ability to submit receipts to get reimbursed.

But what about the independent blogger? Because I think that most of us are not part of large media organizations with budgets to spend on, nor massively successful whose profits can easily cover the cost of

a) flying across the country / ocean

b) the price of a hotel

c) the cost of the conference

… not including other miscellaneous costs — like you know, eating.

I guess the main ethical dilemma is that by abstaining from any swag / goodies / free stuff, you’ll be able to maintain impartiality 100% of the time. Apparently that’s good reporters do, after all.

Furthermore, blogging is often regarded as a conduit for real emotions and real opinion unfettered by the usual marketing doublespeak.

So what’s a blogger to do?

Because — if you’d like to reduce the dilemma even further — its that bloggers are held in high regard by business and marketing folks, but many bloggers make such meager earnings to begin with. Temptation for fairly common “gifts” that would make many a jaded reporter’s eyes roll, might in fact, have a tremendous impact with bloggers.

I can tell you what one set of bloggers *have* done.

Earlier this past May, the Wall Street Journal had a fascinating write up on how the producers of a television show called “The New Adventures of Old Christine” decided to spend some marketing dollars. Rather than spend it all on the usual traditional areas, that actually allocated a sum to communicate with a segment of bloggers that some would call “mommy bloggers” (perhaps there are some in the audience right now).

It goes on to report that the producers of the show *flew* all of them to California for a taping, where they not only got to see how the show got put together, but also meet the cast of the show — in addition to some freebies to take home.

Now, far be it for *me* to criticize what another blogger does, but do you think that this experience — this overwhelmingly positive, “cool”, and paid-for experience — could change what a blogger *actually* says on their blog about the product in question (the television show?)

It might. In fact, it actually did, as the article reveals that in a thank-you email sent to the producers, one of the bloggers was happy to change what she wrote if the producers were unhappy.

I’m not sure there’s a real easy answer to this scenario, or the original one above.

And I think that the answer lies in the discrepancy between how important blogger are perceived to be, and what many of them actually take home at the end of the day. It might be a monetary sum, but for others, its a return that’s measured in different ways, whether it be public recognition, validation, or merely access in a particular industry that they’re blogging in.

The problem, as I mentioned above, is that the sum is very humble indeed.

Now, the marketing and PR folks might say that they spent no more than the bare minimum for what they would *usually* do for a “traditional” press junket.

But clearly that’s far and above what many bloggers have experienced (or have yet to experience).

Again, I’m not sure what the real answer here is, but I imagine a great deal of it has to do with two things.

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1. disclosure: that you were given something in exchange for, or as a reason to write a post

2. audience: how much trust they have in you

3. nature of the freebie: is it a $1 pen, a $100 lobster lunch, or a $500 room at the Four Seasons?

Ultimately, I think all of these things will work together to either build, or take away, from your reputation — in either small or large amounts. And that’s really all that’s at stake.

For example, I think if you’re comfortable throwing away your reputation and integrity, you’d probably be happy taking as much as possible for re-writing press releases. On the other hand, if you’re large enough, your audience will probably notice and won’t be so forgiving.

On the other hand, the other end of the spectrum is to never take any gifts / swag / freebies so as to always honor your own sense of personal integrity. Your audience will love you for it, but it may diminish your own opportunities to actually go and see things, experience things, or even just try things for the benefit of your blog. And your blog might suffer for that.

So, where do you all fit in, and what would you do?

Would you be happy taking a hotel room?

… Would that change what you ultimately write about the sponsor?

… Could you write something critical?

… Would you be worried that you’d get a negative reputation and never be offered any complementary stuff again?

This is an issue that deserves to be talked about, I think, because as blogging continues to mature — but the actual gains for many bloggers aren’t catching up with its perceived power — this is going to be one pickle that many of us will probably encounter sooner rather than later.

View Comments (9)
  • Personally, I’d be woo’d over airfare and a free hotel room. To me, that’d be to be compensated above and beyond my skillset.

    But I’d refuse to be paid for the skill of blogging. I still consider blogging a hobby, and to be paid for such would kill the fun that blogging currently is for me.

    To be paid for one’s blogging is to put value on one’s skill and worth. What true blogger really wants that? I’d rather be paid for what I provide to the community, and that would ideally be indefinite and indefinable.

    In ideal terms, I am worth nothing. I cannot be bought, and I am loyal to no one blog based on income. But to those who will accept me as I am, I am faithful and will provide the best I can, because I am not influenced by dollars. I am influenced by what I hope readers are most interested in.

  • I believe that as long as there is full disclosure there shouldn’t be a problem. However, everyone is different so you have to figure out what your readers would feel about it, if you think you would lose readers because you took some swag then don’t take it.

  • I work part-time with a local English daily, and I don’t take any freebies unless the item is included in the press kit (such as a notebook, pen, probably a T-shirt or a cap).

    And I do not consider it a “bribe” if I had to be flown over to some faraway place, or given a hotel room or a hostel, because I regard it as part and parcel of the job.

    But I would never put those “freebies” or promises of “a complimentary hotel room or SPA or massage” before my own judgement. Sometimes we need to let them know that there are still people (reporters/bloggers) who cannot be bought by money.

  • It hardly matters to me what sort of accommodation I’m provided if I’m not making any money. I’m not crazy about spending a few days in a hotel just because it’s being provided for free. I’d rather make money during that time, even money by doing my regular blogging. It’s not that I’m obsessed with money, it’s just that, I don’t do things just because they don’t cost anything. As a writer/blogger I respect my time.

  • Ronald,

    Congratulations on maintaining such steadfast integrity. I don’t know if many (or any) bloggers also find themselves in your shoes to disdain *any* kind of compensation for their efforts though.

  • Amrit,

    I guess the scenario is that you’re going to the conference *anyway*, so therefore, would you like to save on the cost of the hotel room.

    What then?

    Cheers
    tony.

  • pelf,

    Glad to hear that your judgement means that much to you. As for your thoughts that accepting a flight out is part of the job — well, that might be, but according to at least one journalist I know in Toronto, accepting flight and accomodation here would be verboten.

    [presumably it would be picked up your employer]

    Cheers
    tony.

  • Michael,

    I guess that’s exactly what I was getting at by “is disclosure a blanket cover”. But you’re right — at the end of the day its how your readers perception of you changes … or, in fact, does not.

    Question: would *your* readers change their opinion of you if a company paid for your hotel room — followed by a post on that company or their product?

    Cheers
    tony.

  • @Tony: Well, it makes sense to me that if you’re inviting me cover an event at your place, and your place is so far that I’d have to fly over, you don’t expect me to fork out the air tickets myself, do you?

    But of course, it would be best if all these arrangements are made in such that all parties involved are agreeable to it (instead of doing it behind somebody’s back, LOL).

    One more thing, if you can’t afford to fly somebody in from somewhere far away, why don’t you just invite somebody who lives in the same town as you are? Saves cost, no? :)

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