Lately, there's been a lot of talk about the controversy over "mommy bloggers" accepting payment or goods from companies.* If the coverage hasn't gotten to you, try the Newsweek piece, or the NPR piece. Off and on, I've wondered if we should host some advertising on this blog. After all, we put energy into the blog -- wouldn't it be nice to get just a little bit of cash out of it?
I've resisted the idea of advertising because I don't want people to buy anything they don't need. And advertising is about getting all of us to buy things they don't need. I'd rather than we all bought a little less.
But after reading a bit about bloggers getting swag and dollars for product reviews and other types of sponsored blogging, I realize there's another reason not to host any advertising. I love to read blogs by regular people who just want to get their thoughts out into the world. What's great about the internet is the possibility of ordinary people finding an audience for what we want to say and being able to bypass corporations, advertising, and marketing while doing it. And if those are blogs that I love to read, I guess they are also the kind of blog that I would love to write. A blog that comes out of a passion. A blog where you aren't going to be able to read three posts a week because we don't have time to write that many since we both work to earn our living rather than blogging to earn a living. So thanks for reading, thanks for writing your own blogs, and please don't buy anything you don't really need even if a blogger says it's great.
* Note: Please accept my apology for using the term "mommy blogger." It drives me crazy how everything on the internet having to do with parenting has the word mommy in it. What's wrong with the term "parent blogger?"
I've resisted the idea of advertising because I don't want people to buy anything they don't need. And advertising is about getting all of us to buy things they don't need. I'd rather than we all bought a little less.
But after reading a bit about bloggers getting swag and dollars for product reviews and other types of sponsored blogging, I realize there's another reason not to host any advertising. I love to read blogs by regular people who just want to get their thoughts out into the world. What's great about the internet is the possibility of ordinary people finding an audience for what we want to say and being able to bypass corporations, advertising, and marketing while doing it. And if those are blogs that I love to read, I guess they are also the kind of blog that I would love to write. A blog that comes out of a passion. A blog where you aren't going to be able to read three posts a week because we don't have time to write that many since we both work to earn our living rather than blogging to earn a living. So thanks for reading, thanks for writing your own blogs, and please don't buy anything you don't really need even if a blogger says it's great.
* Note: Please accept my apology for using the term "mommy blogger." It drives me crazy how everything on the internet having to do with parenting has the word mommy in it. What's wrong with the term "parent blogger?"
2 comments:
I've made the same decision with my blog. I know people who make quite a bit of money by accepting advertisements and reviewing products, and sometimes it makes me wonder whether I am being stupid by not doing it. But then again, doing so would make it a very different blog.
PS if you think 'Mommy' this and that is annoying when your a female parent, you cna imagine how i feel as a male parent!
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