It’s interesting how people independent of each other are part of a collective discussion on a certain topic. Today, I’ve seen a few posts and comments that deal with the influence of bloggers. Influence dealing with ads and companies like PayPerPost or SponsoredReviews, and biases a blogger may have.
First, here’s the round up:
Colin McKay/CanuckFlack in a comment
On Blogs, Advertising and a Crass Capitalist World (and at ToledoTalk.com)
SponsoredReviews: A New Assault on the Blogosphere’s Credibility (courtesy of Matt Sussman/FutonReport.net)
Since it’s more human nature to complain than it is to praise, I think people who blog have a negative reputation; more so from those who are not familiar with blogging.
Yeah, it may not be fair, but life’s not fair.
But, we all can do something about it. It is encumbent upon those who blog to be:
- Transparent: If you have a close association with or are being paid to post about a product, service, company, etc., let your readers know. It won’t hurt your credibility. It will, though, if you hide it and get caught.
- Honest: This is similar to being transparent. Be forthright and upfront. Don’t make up information to support your cause. The means rarely justify the end.
- Open to opposing opinions: You’re not always right. (I know I’m not.) Listening to others’ opinions doesn’t mean you’ll change your opinion. Be humble and have a thick skin.
- Thorough: Similar to being honest, if you are going to play citizen journalist, be an irate or happy customer, or call someone out, be sure you have your facts right. You don’t have to go to the ends of the earth, but be reasonably thorough. And, when you’re not thorough and make a mistake, fess up.
Blogging is still in its infancy. If it is to become more widespread, open for the general public to join and participate, and generally accepted, we must have credibility.
– Mike
