Blog as Tupperware party
Remember years ago, when the Marqui people paid me to just mention their service once a week? Man, that was good eatin'. The checks, drawn on a Canadian bank, weren't super-easy to cash, but there was a way.
Since then, the "pay-to-blog" pipeline has dried up. I have splendid advertisers, whose generosity helps defray the cost of this blog, but nobody offering to sneak me a case of this or that, or some dead Presidents, just to say something nice about the goods and services they peddle.
Apparently other bloggers are more fortunate than I, and are cashing in nicely by offering "reviews" of stuff in exchange for payola from the makers and sellers of said stuff. This article in yesterday's Times sheds some light on the practice, and notes that the Federal Trade Commission is planning to start regulating that kind of blogging under its truth-in-advertising rules.
Oh, dear. I don't want to be regulated. I just want a case of Eberle red wine every now and then, a free pass on everything Clear and DirecTV sell, a grand here and there for a positive review of the latest smart phone, and a week a year to collect my thoughts on life in the fast lane in Las Vegas. Is that so much to ask?
| Posted at 1:21 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (5)
The Oregonian ought to be paying you for leads.
If you start hawking Sham-Wows or bragging about innovation at the Port of Portland I'll make BlueOregon my homepage.
Because propaganda is more heartfelt when Kari writes it.
Posted by Mister Tee | July 14, 2009 5:43 AM
What about those of us who have no problems with sending you free stuff with no expectation of blogging compensation? What do we do then?
Posted by Texas Triffid Ranch | July 14, 2009 7:29 AM
I've written car magazine articles for years and free stuff is standard practice in the business. Getting the parts for free really is the only practical way for the system to work. The pay from the article often wouldn't cover the cost of the parts so if the parts weren't free then the writer would lose money on each article.
There is of course a conflict of interest but I don't know of any way to avoid it. If I'm provided with parts that don't work I usually just return them and don't mention them. Sometimes I'll damn them with very faint praise while the good parts get the praise laid on extra thick. The readers have to learn the code.
On a somewhat related note, I just finished up my first book. The book project was a lot higher profile project than any magazine article so the part flow stepped up.
Now, how about the income tax implications of those free parts? Ignore them? Declare them at full retail price? How about wholesale price? Or maybe a mfg cost since that is what the mfg writes them off at?
Posted by andy | July 14, 2009 8:40 AM
An iPhone application I wrote went on sale just before the Fourth of July and I sent out codes for free downloads out to reviewers. Last week I got back an email from one site that offered "expedited reviews" for $100. No guarantee of a good review, mind you, but if you didn't like the review they'd pull it. I'm fairly certain they're not doing that to the large application developers.
And yeah, a certain amount of stuff is standard for reviewers. As a book reviewer, you get lots of unsolicited material, and most of that's just going to get sold to Powell's or somewhere else. It's one of the perks of the job. But you've got to have some standards.
Posted by darrelplant | July 14, 2009 9:00 AM
This sad little story broke on 22 June; I read about it here: http://www.openmarket.org/2009/06/22/ftc-to-monitor-bloggers-for-undisclosed-compensation/
The common practice of posting a graphical ad or a link to an online retailer — and getting commissions for any sales from it — would be enough to trigger oversight.
Obviously, this includes use of AdSense or similar widgets to help defray the costs associated with running a blog.
Interestingly, the feds remain silent thus far on the question of whether or not costs incurred in the course of running a blog can be deducted from the proceeds derived from any ad revenue.
Now, that said, I've always wondered whether the ads on your blog generate sufficient return to defray in any significant manner the costs that you incur in maintaining your blog, Jack. Speaking from my own experience, I'm going to guess that they don't.
Posted by Max | July 14, 2009 10:04 AM