Would You Accept Payment for Blogging Or Spreading Postive Comments about a Product?

[Bathsheba]

I was listening to a discussion on a BBC radio program last night that was high-lighting a new development in our digital world: Large multi-national companies paying bloggers to promote their products.

This worries me... especially if the pay-for-positive-comments is not disclosed.

Apparently the movie making industry is doing this... paying mum and dad bloggers to write positive reviews about the movies they have taken their kids to see. It seems that they have discovered that the opinion we share as parents can have a huge influence on consumers. I guess BB is a part of this trend (not the paying, just the opinion sharing). I have discovered many a fine product from reading threads in here.

I just want to say, for the record, that I DON'T believe bloggers or mums and dads should be paid to endorse a product. Our opinions do matter BUT we are not and never should claim to be experts in our fields. Once the people we are talking to get wind that payment has been made then all credibility flies out the window too.

What do people think?

[Bumperstump Cummerbund]

Would I accept money to write a positive review? - No.

Would I accept money to review a product/movie? - Yes.

My blog has nowhere near enough followers for this to even be an issue for me, but as far as I'm concerned, I would never lie about a product for the sake of a payday. I'm more than happy to endorse/advertise products I'm happy with, and if I get money/free product by doing that, even better! But it wouldn't change the way I reviewed the initial product/movie

[Bathsheba]

Oh and if you would accept payment would you choose to disclose that you had been paid?


Just speaking for myself if i knew that a person had been paid i wouldn't "rate" it as much as an unpaid opinion... i couldn't help but be sceptical.

[Lulu]

That's how alot of bloggers make money - endorsing products. In fact there are alot of bloggers being taken advantage of and not being paid decent rates and expected to do all sorts of stuff. Which some of them do without realising cos they are just trying to make some spare cash from home.

and just for the record I'd never flog someone elses stuff on my blog - I think people get jack of it, especially when they will flog anything.....

I'd expect to be paid to review a movie or something, but you would get MY opinion!

[Bathsheba]

They (the companies involved) only pay for good reviews though...

ETA: it's different if an entity is paying for advertising because the traffic level on your blog is high though. I'm talking about specific payment for positive comments about a product.

[Bumperstump Cummerbund]

They (the companies involved) only pay for good reviews though...

But does that necessarily change the product? Fair enough they pay for it - they pay for advertising, whether its TV ads, magazine ads or Mummy reviews. I think the difference if whether or not you respect/trust the blogger to have written a fair review, as opposed to a good review based on the reward.

[Bumperstump Cummerbund]

To be honest and upfront, yes I would say that I had been paid. But I don't tend to be sceptical when it comes to other Mummy Bloggers endorsing products and getting goodies. I suppose that they may be the ones that initially get me to try a product, but it's my choice to continue to buy it, so it doesn't really matter whether they're paid or not, and whether that affects their reviews. DTMS?