A Peculiar Blog

There’s a trend that’s been going around for quite a while now and while I’ve managed to go for several days (sometimes even weeks) without seeing a really glaring example of it. Then today I read this post on ‘Read/Write Web’.

It starts out reasonably enough talking about a change coming at a blog advertising company changing it’s name. In the very first sentence however call it a “very controversial service” and maybe I’m just too practical for my own good, but I don’t see blog advertising services as being all that controversial at all. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the ONLY reason there is any controversy at all is that some bloggers have decided that everybody in the blogging world should follow their own personal standards.

I have to agree with What’s An “A-List” Blogger?. I don’t like the idea at all that these holier than thou personalities come out of the woodworks and say that because I might accept payment for a post about some advertiser’s product or service this makes my blog somehow “impure”? That’s total and complete garbage. My blog is my blog an I have no problem accepting payment to link to something like Jaeger Le Coultre watch or to either review or simply discuss somebody’s service or product.

I am still the one doing the writing. *I* decide what is said on this blog. If get paid to provide a link or talk about something then that doesn’t make me anybody’s shill because I’m still writing MY opinions and thoughts.

As for what Read/Write Web said about disclosure, I have a site-wide disclosure that covers my policies blog-wide. I choose not to disclose on an individual post basis unless the advertiser specifically wants it because, just like too many Adsense blocks or banner ads, it detracts from the main point of this blog which is whatever I choose to write about.

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