I started blogging because of my overwhelming thoughts and introverted personality. I've always had a love affair with the written words. It's very therapeutic and calming for me. Fast forward to this day, I never thought I'd be able to reach a wider audience, gain friends in the process and even earn from doing what I love. Such a dream if you'd ask me. And I'm letting you know this because I have an appeal to my fellow bloggers.
An Appeal to My Fellow Bloggers
While getting paid doing what you love is a bonus, it is not right to accept offers from cheapskates and frauds.
I don't mean people starting on their business who can't afford to pay the standard advertising fee. I actually love helping budding entrepreneurs by working around their budgets. I am a dreamer. It feels good to be helping another dreamer.
I'm talking about brands who ask you to write about their products and services for less than $10; asking you to add a lot of links and images, and even has the gall to tell you to give them a 5-star rating and review without receiving any product.
How can you give a high rating or a good review to something you haven't seen or used?
GIFSec
I've had offers like this. They first ask you nicely to help give their brands a good image.
"Can you please feature us in your blog? Write a review for us and include the (5 to 6) links below. $5 for one article. Also, please leave a good review on our website."
"Can you please give us a 5-star rating on (insert reputable review sites' names here) and give us a good review? You don't have to write the review yourself. We will provide it for you. Just create an account with your email and we will send you the review. Just copy and paste. We will pay you a dollar for each review."
A dollar.
A dollar in exchange for a fake review.
A dollar in exchange for a lie.
A dollar and a girl searching for a prom dress or a mom searching for a house item for her family would believe that lie and buy purchase.
Spending their hard-earned savings on an item I'm supposed to claim is "sooo good I highly recommend it" which in truth I haven't even seen.
I myself as a consumer and someone who shops online checks reviews on Trust Pilot and other reputable websites before buying. I check out forums regarding the product I'm going to spend my hard-earned money on---regardless of the price.
Why would I make a review about something I've never used? What would be my basis?
Don't they get what the review site is for?
A dollar in exchange for my word of honor.
What are we, my fellow bloggers, if our words are nothing but false advertisements and paid lies?
I myself as a consumer and someone who shops online checks reviews on Trust Pilot and other reputable websites before buying. I check out forums regarding the product I'm going to spend my hard-earned money on---regardless of the price.
Why would I make a review about something I've never used? What would be my basis?
Don't they get what the review site is for?
A dollar in exchange for my word of honor.
What are we, my fellow bloggers, if our words are nothing but false advertisements and paid lies?
Words are what we've got. Words are our weapon, our bread and butter, our lifeline, our connection to the world.
What happens if those very words are not our own anymore and they were made up by someone who wants to manipulate people for profit? What does that make us?
And I was left wondering, what if someone grabbed it and agreed?
When I finally got an offer to write something in exchange for money, I wouldn't lie to you I was excited beyond words.
Imagine just doing what you love and someone offering you money for it. That's like the sweet spot between purpose and passion.
I'm thankful that my first offer was reasonable enough for a first timer. And the offers after that. It is inevitable though to receive fishy offers along the way.
Sometimes they pretend to be guest bloggers trying to get exposure. They will use a fake photo.
I have a soft spot in my heart for bloggers. I'd love to help as many and as much as I can especially those who are still starting. So I would agree. Only to receive a draft that is full of promotion about their products or services. And if I point that out, they will keep on begging and bugging me in the emails.
I ask nicely: "Please understand the business side of blogging. As much as I want to help you, this is promotional and it is clearly stated in my guest blogging terms that this is not allowed. I can give you a discount if you want. Gotta keep my page running. Thanks for understanding."
And still get a reply saying "I understand but please can you just publish this?"
Wut?
If you understand, you will definitely not ask me to do it.
I am being respectful and I do hope to get the same respect and understanding in return.
As bloggers, we want our page to be appealing to our target audience. We want to give people a good experience when they visit our site.
We spend hours planning, writing, proof-reading, searching for and editing images, and trying to perfect our posts.
I ask nicely: "Please understand the business side of blogging. As much as I want to help you, this is promotional and it is clearly stated in my guest blogging terms that this is not allowed. I can give you a discount if you want. Gotta keep my page running. Thanks for understanding."
And still get a reply saying "I understand but please can you just publish this?"
Wut?
Giphy
If you understand, you will definitely not ask me to do it.
I am being respectful and I do hope to get the same respect and understanding in return.
As bloggers, we want our page to be appealing to our target audience. We want to give people a good experience when they visit our site.
We spend hours planning, writing, proof-reading, searching for and editing images, and trying to perfect our posts.
Somehow blogging transcends from being just a hobby to an extension of our lives. It is our online presence. It is who we are.
Giphy
I pay for my .com.
I pay for my internet, electric bills and I bought my own laptop. I have to find a way to pay for my expenses. And I am so glad I get to do that from my blog---into which I'm spending these expenses on in the first place.
An appeal to my fellow bloggers, spot the fraud and don't do business with them.
It will be good if all bloggers unite and not work with cheapskates and manipulators.
Don't give an awesome review of a product you haven't seen or used.
Don't allow someone to shortchange you.
Don't work with people who don't value and respect what you do.
We are not just ranters or ramblers. We are not a waste of space or bandwidth.
Bloggers are influencers. People actually read and consider our opinions. We are the media; we report, we share, we inform, we promote. Dare I say it, we touch and change lives.
Fellow bloggers, I know you're smart. I know you're not mainly doing this for money. I know because your passion comes first. That's why I'm a blogger too.
I appeal to you my fellow bloggers:
Let us all say 'no' to frauds and fakes. Let us refuse and decline cheap offers especially those asking us to make false claims.
We are better than that.
Our words, the time and effort we spend writing them is worth more than just a dollar.
What we do matters. For we are bloggers.
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11 comments
Very interesting read, wow, I should be careful trusting reviews they could be fake.
ReplyDeleteHi, Lux!
ReplyDeleteYour post brings to light a problem that has become so widespread that it is hard to fathom. More than ever before, you cannot trust comments, tweets or consumer reviews of products, services, movies, music or anything else, because there's a good chance that some of them are maliciously planted by people with an agenda. I understand and support your desire to make money from your blog. Unfortunately being bombarded with spam requests for free promotion and false reviews is an inevitable part of that arrangement. You need to pick and choose wisely lest you lose credibility with readers. Work with companies you know and people you trust. Render honest reviews and just say no to those who pester you to lie for them.
Enjoy your weekend, dear friend Lux!
For sure, our online presence is an extension of who we are. Absolutely, we want everything that appears under our names to best represent what we believe is important.
ReplyDeleteAmen.
I like the line "Bloggers are influencers".
ReplyDeleteWell, sometimes accepting offers that are demeaning are considered for more traffic exposure but then, if we understand very well our place we can turn down very regularly the bad ones knowing that the best offers in life awaits us.
Hardwork is part of blogging, so getting good rewards for it is very important.
Thanks for this post
Anyone "offering" me something because I'm a blogger or wrote a review on a book, is actually requesting a favor from me. I let them know I don't work that way: Buy and review my books. Then, maybe, we'll talk. But not likely. I only have time for my writer/blogger friends. If they want me to lie, even worse. Shame on them.
ReplyDeleteBe well, Lux.
I applaud your principles.
ReplyDeleteI’ve found online reviews are not always helpful, and now that I learned how they create fake reviews, I find them even less reliable. Good for people like you who would say no to fraud!
ReplyDeleteLux, you've shed some light on a problem that many of us have dealt with. It's why I activated "comment moderation" on my blogs. I don't make money on my poems and silly essays --I'm retired and make the same amount whether I do anything or not. To me, that equates to freedom, freedom to enjoy the company of good minds, like yours.
ReplyDeleteWow! Bloggers tales but true stories,hah hah
ReplyDeleteThis was such an important post and I'm impressed that you were honest in bringing this up to the blogging fraternity.
ReplyDeleteI tried making few attempts to accept review posts, but I was always afraid of losing my readers. I equally had the desire to make some money from blogging, but I dropped the idea and said to myself," even if it takes ages for me to establish myself as a "good" blogger and a writer, I will stick to my theme/subjects I like writing about- in my blog.
Thank you for this awesome important post.
Epsita | www.thepositivewindow.com
Bloggers must maintain this level of integrity at all times. It's what we are and who we are, and so our identity online should not be compromised.
ReplyDelete