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What do you want from a blog? [no names please]
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05-03-2016 10:30am#1Can I ask: I'd love to know what people *would* like to see from blogs they enjoy. I know there are blogs out there that we all read and like – and others that we kind of joyfully hate-read – but what is it that keeps you coming back?
For me, I'd prioritise good writing, a knowledge of the topic at hand, decent blog layout (can't stand centre alignment, for example!) and pics. And then you get into the nuances of personality: I've definitely been turned off people because I think they're full of themselves etc.
And in terms of sponsored posts, how would we like to see it done? Do we want each post that's paid for to say "sponsored post" in the headline, or is it enough to add a line at the end?
As a blogger myself (rosemarymaccabe.com – I tried changing my username on here to be transparent but it doesn't seem to be an option), I'd love to know what people really *do* want to see, rather than what they don't want.4
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onthemitch wrote: »Can I ask: I'd love to know what people *would* like to see from blogs they enjoy. I know there are blogs out there that we all read and like – and others that we kind of joyfully hate-read – but what is it that
And in terms of sponsored posts, how would we like to see it done? Do we want each post that's paid for to say "sponsored post" in the headline, or is it enough to add a line at the end?
As a blogger myself (rosemarymaccabe.com – I tried changing my username on here to be transparent but it doesn't seem to be an option), I'd love to know what people really *do* want to see, rather than what they don't want.
Well for me personally what I like in a blog ( including snapchat, facebook, instagram posts) is:
If you have been paid, say it at the very start of the post, like eg Rimmel has paid me to review their new lipstick and let you know what I think of it. I would definitely like to see that at the start of a post, not the end.
If you have been given something for free, a hotel stay, new jeans, beauty treatment, I'd like bloggers to say it at the start of a post. Because some of those things cost a lot of money so even if you hadn't been paid, I think getting things for free in exchange for review/promotion should be explicitly stated.
If you have been given something free to review then please give an honest review. If you are simply promoting something, then say its just a paid promotion.
To give an example of what I don't like is for example a blogger being given hundreds of euros worth of free clothes and to then simply showing each item of clothing, telling everyone how amazing they and where they are stocked while repeatedly saying they have not been paid to say that. You have been paid in merchandise and that is simply a paid promotion.
In that situation I would definitely much rather a blogger maybe try on the clothes with other pieces, give outfit ideas and compare the quality with other brands while being transparent she or he got them for free.
I really enjoy bloggers giving recommendations of hair salons, beauty treatments etc. I think now I (and possibly lots of others) are copping on when these reviews appear to be sponsored or not... not everything can be 100% amazing! I'd be much more inclined to go to a salon where I seen what I know to be an honest blogger say "well they offered me free treatment, it was good, not as good as this salon but is 50 Euro cheaper and really good for the price"
(Sorry for the essay)0 -
I think Dryballs said it all. I'd rather it was explicitly stated at the beginning of the post how you obtained the product / service. I find myself becoming more and more cynical of reviews because I often feel it should be relabelled 'advertorial' or 'paid advertising feature'. As Dryballs says, if you got the product / service free, you're receiving a gift in kind.
I hate centre justified text, and personally prefer justified text. Also some bloggers are less familiar with the spellcheck function than they should be. If a post is full of spelling and grammar errors, and reads as though a dimwit reality 'star' wrote it, I won't come back. There's nothing wrong with a conversational tone, it's the airhead persona that grates on my nerves.
Images should have some forethought and composition - there are plenty of hints and tips on creating decent photos. I'm not great with photoshop myself but even cropping and filters help. If you do use other people's images, credit them, and if you use shutterstock etc, purchase the licence - I hate looking at a blog and seeing all those grey watermarked images because someone was too cheap to pay for the license.0 -
I don't believe any blogger should use any photoshop or editing apps when showing what's on their face. It's misleading and dishonest. They are thinking more about themselves and how they look then showing the product to their readers. I want to see how the product looks on, good or bad. I don't care if they have a spot or slight imperfections, they need to get over themselves. The face smoothing apps are ridiculous. All I see is blur.0
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All we want is honesty. Whether that is about being sent a product in turn for a mention on snapchat or if they recieved payment for the mention. Also taking other people's pictures and passing them off as your own is pathetic and dishonest. Saw this earlier when a "blogger" posted a pic of herself and her fiancee on the gym when actually she just robbed another person's pic and chopped the heads off. There was about six comments saying "wow your body is fab" but the blogger only intervened to say it wasn't her when one commenter pointed out that she robbed the image. So if nobody pointed out that it was robbed she would have happily lapped up the compliments and not set the facts straight. So pathetic it's actually quite hilarious.0
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All we want is honesty. Whether that is about being sent a product in turn for a mention on snapchat or if they recieved payment for the mention. Also taking other people's pictures and passing them off as your own is pathetic and dishonest. Saw this earlier when a "blogger" posted a pic of herself and her fiancee on the gym when actually she just robbed another person's pic and chopped the heads off. There was about six comments saying "wow your body is fab" but the blogger only intervened to say it wasn't her when one commenter pointed out that she robbed the image. So if nobody pointed out that it was robbed she would have happily lapped up the compliments and not set the facts straight. So pathetic it's actually quite hilarious.
Can't believe somebody actually did that, what is the point even? Passing another pic off as herself, Nuts !! Wonder who it was.
Agree with you, honesty is vital to gain trust and respect and longevity I think0 -
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All we want is honesty. Whether that is about being sent a product in turn for a mention on snapchat or if they recieved payment for the mention. Also taking other people's pictures and passing them off as your own is pathetic and dishonest. Saw this earlier when a "blogger" posted a pic of herself and her fiancee on the gym when actually she just robbed another person's pic and chopped the heads off. There was about six comments saying "wow your body is fab" but the blogger only intervened to say it wasn't her when one commenter pointed out that she robbed the image. So if nobody pointed out that it was robbed she would have happily lapped up the compliments and not set the facts straight. So pathetic it's actually quite hilarious.
I know a few new, 'jumping on the blogging bandwagon' bloggers who constantly steal pics. This type of laziness plus awful writing style irritates me. You aren't a blogger, you aren't even making an effort, you're just jumping at the chance of being part of the cash cow that is blogger advertising.0 -
Hi all,
Following some discussion around the topic of blogger threads, we're going to move all general discussions around blogging ethics and transparency to the Blogs / Wikis / Social Media forum.
Please note that the general Ts&Cs of Boards continue to apply. No personal comments about specific bloggers will be allowed. Keep this discussion clean.
dudara
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Ok, I'm going to take off my Admin hat now, and post as a blogger. I have written a Food & Drink blog now for approx 8 years (I think). The blog started out as a mix of everything (books, films, food etc) but after a while, I figured out what I really wanted to write about.
I want to be open and transparent about my blogging work, as some posters seemed to feel that it was influencing my Admin approach. In fact, I agree with many posters in their calls for honesty around blogging. However, it's sometimes hard to separate fair debate from emotion. I'm hoping that we can have a good discussion now.
As a result of blogging I've met many food & drink producers, chefs, restaurant owners, passionate fans and of course, other bloggers. It's been a very interesting mix of experiences. I've gotten more and more interested in what I do, and I frequently use work & personal travel as a chance to learn more, so that my knowledge base for blogging is constantly growing. Last year I signed up for, and passed, the WSET Level 2 qualification in wine, so that I would know more, and hence write better, about wine.
Once you start to get known in PR circles, invitations and offers will start to come your way. I do accept invitations to events that interest me, as well as samples, but I don't accept any payment or products in return for a blog post. I work on the principle that PR agencies are sending it to me of their own volition. I've also learned that the world of PR can be quite fickle. If you can't attend a few events, or you're quiet for a while, you fall off the lists. So expect nothing.
Every review on my blog is funded from my own pocket. Accepting goods with the expectation of a reciprocal blog post doesn't sit well with me. I simply prefer to not have any obligations.
I try to write a good blog, in a clean, simple layout with good pictures. I try to put substance into my posts and I try (though not always) to blog once a week. I use Instagram for more bite-like updates.
I'd love to hear more from other bloggers, and readers of blogs.0 -
The invites and products I understand, and often where the invites occur it's obvious ("Recently I attended the launch of xxx...." Etc). It's the blatant bandwagoning that annoys me. I use bloglovin to track the blogs I read, it's easy as I can skim down the list of recent posts by the blogs and if it catches my eye, I bring up the post; this morning there were three posts by different blogs, one straight after the other, about a particular brand of make up brushes... Call me cynical but I doubt it's a coincidence yet not one of the bloggers mentioned how they received the brushes. All of the posts were very positive... If it happens again, I'll stop following the blogs as I want transparency.
I wouldn't mind if they said "I received this brushes as part of promotional activity. Blah, blah, blah. They're good for xxx, they're bad for xxx, I think they're good / bad value for these reasons".
I'm very much at the stage now that unless I can get a sample, I'm unlikely to buy it. I can't trust beauty editors and I struggle to find trustworthy bloggers. I cleaned out my make up boxes a month ago and I was disgusted at what I've brought which hasn't been used/ finished. I don't think I would be exaggerating by saying there would easy have been €1,000+ and it made me feel ill. That's a rent or mortgage payment!! My only exception to the rule going forward is under €15 and/or Korean skincare...0 -
Well for me personally what I like in a blog ( including snapchat, facebook, instagram posts) is:
If you have been paid, say it at the very start of the post, like eg Rimmel has paid me to review their new lipstick and let you know what I think of it. I would definitely like to see that at the start of a post, not the end.
If you have been given something for free, a hotel stay, new jeans, beauty treatment, I'd like bloggers to say it at the start of a post. Because some of those things cost a lot of money so even if you hadn't been paid, I think getting things for free in exchange for review/promotion should be explicitly stated.
If you have been given something free to review then please give an honest review. If you are simply promoting something, then say its just a paid promotion.
To give an example of what I don't like is for example a blogger being given hundreds of euros worth of free clothes and to then simply showing each item of clothing, telling everyone how amazing they and where they are stocked while repeatedly saying they have not been paid to say that. You have been paid in merchandise and that is simply a paid promotion.
In that situation I would definitely much rather a blogger maybe try on the clothes with other pieces, give outfit ideas and compare the quality with other brands while being transparent she or he got them for free.
I really enjoy bloggers giving recommendations of hair salons, beauty treatments etc. I think now I (and possibly lots of others) are copping on when these reviews appear to be sponsored or not... not everything can be 100% amazing! I'd be much more inclined to go to a salon where I seen what I know to be an honest blogger say "well they offered me free treatment, it was good, not as good as this salon but is 50 Euro cheaper and really good for the price"
(Sorry for the essay)
Totally get what you're saying about honesty and transparency, but from my POV (as a blogger), I think disclosing every single thing you get sent is unnecessary. It's not that I have an issue saying I got something for free, I feel like it just gets tiresome – and I feel a bit like, by saying, "I was invited for a free treatment at X salon", people assume I'm just going to be super nice about it (which isn't true).
I guess my main issues about *this* type of disclosure are twofold: firstly, magazines don't do it. As someone who's worked in a magazine, in a newspaper, and alone as a blogger / freelance journalist, the amount of stuff that (most) bloggers receive is absolutely miniscule in comparison to what magazine editors receive, and never state or disclose.
Secondly, freebies are not – no matter their value – equivalent to payment. I get sent, for example, a lot of hair products. I'm hugely grateful for them; I love using them; it means I don't need to spend €5 on shampoo every time I run out. Sometimes I snap about them, sometimes I don't (I rarely blog about hair as it's just not my topic) – but I do know that, when I wake up on a Monday morning, have a meeting across town and have no money in my bank account, I can't use those hair products to pay for my bus / Luas ticket. Does that make sense? Free items are great, but without real, actual money, they can not be considered the same as, or even close to, a wage / fee.
Oh ALSO: as a blogger, I would never *ever* guarantee coverage, in the form of a review, blog post, Instagram post, in exchange for product. The only exceptions: when I was offered Great Lengths hair extensions, free of charge, and the installation was done for free. But only after the offer was made did I say, I promise to tweet / Instagram about them. (If they'd been ****e, I probably wouldn't have.) The other exception is when I'll reach out to a PR I know to ask for something (usually something embarrassingly wanky like a restaurant reservation or hotel room, if I've left things too last-minute); if I'm asking for a favour, I'll often offer to cover it on social media in return.
I don't think that bloggers should guarantee coverage in exchange for product, not because I think it's dishonest but because I think it's dumb. As a blogger, at least if you're full-time, your bread and butter is the money you make from your blog. If a brand approaches me and wants guaranteed coverage, there's a fee involved with that – and it's only something I'll consider if I genuinely like the brand and would use their products anyway.
I hope that all makes sense (bit long-winded, apols...)0 -
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... this morning there were three posts by different blogs, one straight after the other, about a particular brand of make up brushes... Call me cynical but I doubt it's a coincidence yet not one of the bloggers mentioned how they received the brushes. All of the posts were very positive... If it happens again, I'll stop following the blogs as I want transparency.
Activity like you mention bothers me also, but for a different reason. I put effort into writing my blog and having a (hopefully) unique viewpoint. I don't want to tweet /Instagram / blog the same thing as other bloggers because it does nothing to make my content stand out. I've refused to do stuff with PR agencies in the past as they were spamming groups of bloggers with the same material.0 -
onthemitch wrote: »I think disclosing every single thing you get sent is unnecessary. It's not that I have an issue saying I got something for free, I feel like it just gets tiresome – and I feel a bit like, by saying, "I was invited for a free treatment at X salon", people assume I'm just going to be super nice about it (which isn't true).
I understand why you may think that, but in return it just makes me as a reader more distrustful. If you purchase something and rave about it, it carries more weight to me. Rightly or wrongly I assume if you purchase something and it's crap, you'll tell your readers to prevent them for making the same mistake. If you rave about something that's been given to you, I'll be worried that you are just protecting your line of supply (eg the PR as your 'dealer').
And perhaps that's something that needs to be more clearly marked within publication too. In the US, NZ and Oz tv shows need to clearly indicate where product placement takes place eg if a brand of cola or a mobile phone is prominent, there's a watermark at the bottom of the screen. There is a magazine which escapes me but I notice that every month they run a feature called 'On location...' And they wax lyrical on whatever 5 star hotel has hosted the fashion team that issue. It's unlikely I could afford the rates of the hotel but it does put me off the location...onthemitch wrote: »I guess my main issues about *this* type of disclosure are twofold: firstly, magazines don't do it. As someone who's worked in a magazine, in a newspaper, and alone as a blogger / freelance journalist, the amount of stuff that (most) bloggers receive is absolutely miniscule in comparison to what magazine editors receive, and never state or disclose.
No, they're not cold hard cash (although there are plenty of blogs that charge placement fees too!), but if you don't need to spend €5 on your shampoo, it's more likely to be in your bank account. Think about it... I spend about €100-€200-ish on beauty and hygiene... That's foundation, eye shadows, lipsticks, mascara so, moisturisers, eye creme, serums, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body cremes, hairdressers, face masks and probably who knows what. I would be delighted if I got any of that for free. I don't begrudge anyone making a living or even some pocket money from their hobby, but you cannot claim there isn't any benefit to you for it.onthemitch wrote: »Secondly, freebies are not – no matter their value – equivalent to payment. I get sent, for example, a lot of hair products. I'm hugely grateful for them; I love using them; it means I don't need to spend €5 on shampoo every time I run out. Sometimes I snap about them, sometimes I don't (I rarely blog about hair as it's just not my topic) – but I do know that, when I wake up on a Monday morning, have a meeting across town and have no money in my bank account, I can't use those hair products to pay for my bus / Luas ticket. Does that make sense? Free items are great, but without real, actual money, they can not be considered the same as, or even close to, a wage / fee.
And again, that's where I think there should be transparency... If I see an ad for a hotel room in a newspaper, I know it's there because they paid for a full page or quarter page spread:0; if it's on your Instagram and it's a freebie, then it should be revealed. I write reviews of hotels that I visit on tripadvisor- if I got a free room, I'd mention it. I'm blatantly honest about which ones I like and which ones I don't, because I paid the bill, and so I'm not answerable to a PR or hotel manager. I'm not saying it shouldn't be done, but there needs to be honesty.onthemitch wrote: »The other exception is when I'll reach out to a PR I know to ask for something (usually something embarrassingly wanky like a restaurant reservation or hotel room, if I've left things too last-minute); if I'm asking for a favour, I'll often offer to cover it on social media in return.0 -
onthemitch wrote: »The other exception is when I'll reach out to a PR I know to ask for something (usually something embarrassingly wanky like a restaurant reservation or hotel room, if I've left things too last-minute); if I'm asking for a favour, I'll often offer to cover it on social media in return
As a matter of interest, and I ask this a general query, not necessarily pointedly at you, when the above happens must it be a positive review or is the agreement only to have, say, 2 instgrams and a Facebook post stating where you are? Or do you have you to say what a wonderful place it is, such a big room, wax lyrical about the luxury etc?0 -
onthemitch wrote: »Totally get what you're saying about honesty and transparency, but from my POV (as a blogger), I think disclosing every single thing you get sent is unnecessary. It's not that I have an issue saying I got something for free, I feel like it just gets tiresome – and I feel a bit like, by saying, "I was invited for a free treatment at X salon", people assume I'm just going to be super nice about it (which isn't true).
I guess my main issues about *this* type of disclosure are twofold: firstly, magazines don't do it. As someone who's worked in a magazine, in a newspaper, and alone as a blogger / freelance journalist, the amount of stuff that (most) bloggers receive is absolutely miniscule in comparison to what magazine editors receive, and never state or disclose.
Secondly, freebies are not – no matter their value – equivalent to payment. I get sent, for example, a lot of hair products. I'm hugely grateful for them; I love using them; it means I don't need to spend €5 on shampoo every time I run out. Sometimes I snap about them, sometimes I don't (I rarely blog about hair as it's just not my topic) – but I do know that, when I wake up on a Monday morning, have a meeting across town and have no money in my bank account, I can't use those hair products to pay for my bus / Luas ticket. Does that make sense? Free items are great, but without real, actual money, they can not be considered the same as, or even close to, a wage / fee.
Oh ALSO: as a blogger, I would never *ever* guarantee coverage, in the form of a review, blog post, Instagram post, in exchange for product. The only exceptions: when I was offered Great Lengths hair extensions, free of charge, and the installation was done for free. But only after the offer was made did I say, I promise to tweet / Instagram about them. (If they'd been ****e, I probably wouldn't have.) The other exception is when I'll reach out to a PR I know to ask for something (usually something embarrassingly wanky like a restaurant reservation or hotel room, if I've left things too last-minute); if I'm asking for a favour, I'll often offer to cover it on social media in return.
I don't think that bloggers should guarantee coverage in exchange for product, not because I think it's dishonest but because I think it's dumb. As a blogger, at least if you're full-time, your bread and butter is the money you make from your blog. If a brand approaches me and wants guaranteed coverage, there's a fee involved with that – and it's only something I'll consider if I genuinely like the brand and would use their products anyway.
I hope that all makes sense (bit long-winded, apols...)
If you don't have to pay out €5 for shampoo then the money will stay in your bank account and can be used to pay for your Luas ticket. That's the crux of it. That's why we (readers) perceive it as payment. We pay for those products. You don't; you should disclose that.0 -
Michellenman wrote: »As a matter of interest, and I ask this a general query, not necessarily pointedly at you, when the above happens must it be a positive review or is the agreement only to have, say, 2 instgrams and a Facebook post stating where you are? Or do you have you to say what a wonderful place it is, such a big room, wax lyrical about the luxury etc?
I have never, EVER been given specifics. I think that in the UK and US (although I don't have direct experience), brands are more savvy about online agreements – so they'll say, for example, "can you put up a pic of our pool and mention that it's the only 50m in the county". But whenever this has happened with me, they haven't said a word – it's usually me being specific. So I'll say, "I'll put up two Instagram posts" – and they're usually something I find pretty like the view, or something that I think will get engagement, or of the food... and it'll be something I definitely liked. So, say, I wouldn't put up a pic of the spa if I thought the spa was rubbish.
There is one other example: a friend of mine had bought a raincoat from a new Irish brand selling raincoats online. It was gorgeous, and I was really surprised that I hadn't heard of them – so I approached them asking if they'd like to send me one, and I could post on my Instagram, Facebook etc about it. They got back saying they had sent a few out to Irish bloggers, but had got very unsatisfactory "results", in that the bloggers in question had maybe put up one post (I have no idea who the blogger was / were), so that while they'd love to work with me, they were wondering what exactly I had in mind.
So I got back to them saying exactly what I'd do, in a very clear list: I think it was something like two Instagram posts, five tweets, a mention in one blog post and two mentions on Snapchat. In that case, I was happy to guarantee because I'd seen the product, knew it was gorgeous and I wanted to support an Irish brand, too. (In case you're about to say the raincoat itself was payment, it wasn't; if I were to do that amount of work for a brand, and charge them for it, it would be cost them about 10 of those coats.)
So like I said I've never been given boxes to tick from the brand, it's always gone the other way around.0 -
onthemitch wrote: »I have never, EVER been given specifics. I think that in the UK and US (although I don't have direct experience), brands are more savvy about online agreements – so they'll say, for example, "can you put up a pic of our pool and mention that it's the only 50m in the county". But whenever this has happened with me, they haven't said a word – it's usually me being specific. So I'll say, "I'll put up two Instagram posts" – and they're usually something I find pretty like the view, or something that I think will get engagement, or of the food... and it'll be something I definitely liked. So, say, I wouldn't put up a pic of the spa if I thought the spa was rubbish.
There is one other example: a friend of mine had bought a raincoat from a new Irish brand selling raincoats online. It was gorgeous, and I was really surprised that I hadn't heard of them – so I approached them asking if they'd like to send me one, and I could post on my Instagram, Facebook etc about it. They got back saying they had sent a few out to Irish bloggers, but had got very unsatisfactory "results", in that the bloggers in question had maybe put up one post (I have no idea who the blogger was / were), so that while they'd love to work with me, they were wondering what exactly I had in mind.
So I got back to them saying exactly what I'd do, in a very clear list: I think it was something like two Instagram posts, five tweets, a mention in one blog post and two mentions on Snapchat. In that case, I was happy to guarantee because I'd seen the product, knew it was gorgeous and I wanted to support an Irish brand, too. (In case you're about to say the raincoat itself was payment, it wasn't; if I were to do that amount of work for a brand, and charge them for it, it would be cost them about 10 of those coats.)
So like I said I've never been given boxes to tick from the brand, it's always gone the other way around.
OK I remember your posts on said raincoat. I never thought for a second that it was a paid or freebie post by you. I genuinely thought it was something you bought that you were very happy with. I take reviews with a pinch of salt in anyway but will definitely be more careful now as it seems everything is actually advertising rather than genuine reviews.
TBH getting fed up with bloggers on snapchat now in anyway. I don't read many blogs but would watch snapchat. It is the same day in and day out. Same press events and products.0 -
Bloggers need to actually blog and not just snap!
Maybe it's just that Dublin is a small city but it gets beyond monotonous seeing the same things on peoples snap chat after one of X has blatantly landed on everyone's doorstep that morning.
Today alone 4 of the "digital influencers" (cannot stand that term) have all gone to the same place for a mothers day brunch and it's so jading watching the same snaps and pictures of the menu.
Bloggers need to actually blog or don't call yourself a blogger otherwise.0 -
OK I remember your posts on said raincoat. I never thought for a second that it was a paid or freebie post by you. I genuinely thought it was something you bought that you were very happy with. I take reviews with a pinch of salt in anyway but will definitely be more careful now as it seems everything is actually advertising rather than genuine reviews.
TBH getting fed up with bloggers on snapchat now in anyway. I don't read many blogs but would watch snapchat. It is the same day in and day out. Same press events and products.
But don't you get my point: I'd seen the raincoat and loved it, I thought of a way to promote the brand because it was a product that I genuinely liked. If I'd had the money at the time, I would have bought one. If anything, I was giving them the freebie – not the other way around. Do you really think it cost them more to send me one coat than it did for me to put that much time and effort into posting about them?
It feels like you're essentially saying that the only time you will trust a blogger's review or recommendation is when they actually come out of it worse off than they went in; when they've paid for the privilege of sharing their experience with their audience.0 -
OK I remember your posts on said raincoat. I never thought for a second that it was a paid or freebie post by you. I genuinely thought it was something you bought that you were very happy with. I take reviews with a pinch of salt in anyway but will definitely be more careful now as it seems everything is actually advertising rather than genuine reviews.
TBH getting fed up with bloggers on snapchat now in anyway. I don't read many blogs but would watch snapchat. It is the same day in and day out. Same press events and products.
But don't you get my point: I'd seen the raincoat and loved it, I thought of a way to promote the brand because it was a product that I genuinely liked. If I'd had the money at the time, I would have bought one. If anything, I was giving them the freebie – not the other way around. Do you really think it cost them more to send me one coat than it did for me to put that much time and effort into posting about them?
It feels like you're essentially saying that the only time you will trust a blogger's review or recommendation is when they actually come out of it worse off than they went in; when they've paid for the privilege of sharing their experience with their audience.
EDIT: what is a genuine review? If you read a film reviewer, said reviewer has not paid for the film. In a restaurant review, said reviewer has not paid for his/her meal. A hotel review? Journalist has not paid.
It feels as if people want only to read blogs from people with full-time jobs, who then spend three hours every evening blogging for free – giving their content, for free, to people who want to read it, and spending their money on creating that content. Blogging is the only thing in the world that I can think of where people want to consume your product, for free, and get annoyed if you try to find another way to get paid for it.0 -
I actually don't think that's what she's saying, I think what's clear is where you are using a product or service that you haven't paid for, you should be explicit in saying you haven't forked over your hard earned cash.
You can earn money from blogging, but you should state that it's been paid for (in cold hard cash or benefit in kind). There's also banner advertising and referral links that can earn you money.
I think I've seen postings today on Instagram where you mentioned where you went for lunch and that came across as though you benefitted from a free lunch.. That's fine and acceptable to me - so long as I can feel transparency, it's ok0 -
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Fair play for coming onto this thread by the way onthemitch.
I think at the moment Ireland seems to be at total saturation point with bloggers/snap chatters. It's a small place and I don't think it can be sustained long term having basically snap chat as a career when the majority are showing similar content/going to the same events and reviewing the same products.0 -
onthemitch wrote: »But don't you get my point: I'd seen the raincoat and loved it, I thought of a way to promote the brand because it was a product that I genuinely liked. If I'd had the money at the time, I would have bought one. If anything, I was giving them the freebie – not the other way around. Do you really think it cost them more to send me one coat than it did for me to put that much time and effort into posting about them?
It feels like you're essentially saying that the only time you will trust a blogger's review or recommendation is when they actually come out of it worse off than they went in; when they've paid for the privilege of sharing their experience with their audience.
If I'm totally honest it sounds as if you saw an opportunity to be cheeky and ask for a freebie. Of course that's the game you are in but it's not a case of the person being worse off.
How could you be worse off by buying said raincoat because you liked and needed it? You would still be promoting the Irish brand. But had you been upfront at the start of your post on coat (I don't fully remember if you were so cold be wrong) then there is no issue of ambiguity.
But in fairness to you and other bloggers this is your living but I think now I agree that such posts should be labelled as sponsored. I was on the fence previously0 -
I take reviews with a pinch of salt in anyway but will definitely be more careful now as it seems everything is actually advertising rather than genuine reviews.
This feels to me like what's being said is: I will only really trust a review where the blogger involved has paid for the product / service themselves.
This is (a small) part of the reason why I don't feel like it's necessary to disclose freebies; aside from the fact that it's not mandatory (ASAI guidelines state you need to disclose paid or sponsored posts), it turns readers off. Then you're left with a situation where people really only want to read about things you're paying to experience. So why bother blogging if it ends up costing you money?
Blogging IS a business now, whether we like it or not; I'd like to think I could end up blogging full-time in an honest way with a certain level of pride in my work and in my ethics, but I have no interest in blogging / vlogging if it's going to cost me money in the long run.0 -
Rosemary - did you at any stage mention that you had received the raincoat in return for promotion? I know you are a full-time writer, so you have to place a value on your time (and trust me, from a professional perspective, I do understand that). But it doesn't sit comfortably with me that there was no disclaimer around your promotion of the coat. Especially because it was promotion, rather than a critique.0
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onthemitch wrote: »But don't you get my point: I'd seen the raincoat and loved it, I thought of a way to promote the brand because it was a product that I genuinely liked. If I'd had the money at the time, I would have bought one. If anything, I was giving them the freebie – not the other way around. Do you really think it cost them more to send me one coat than it did for me to put that much time and effort into posting about them?
It feels like you're essentially saying that the only time you will trust a blogger's review or recommendation is when they actually come out of it worse off than they went in; when they've paid for the privilege of sharing their experience with their audience.
EDIT: what is a genuine review? If you read a film reviewer, said reviewer has not paid for the film. In a restaurant review, said reviewer has not paid for his/her meal. A hotel review? Journalist has not paid.
It feels as if people want only to read blogs from people with full-time jobs, who then spend three hours every evening blogging for free – giving their content, for free, to people who want to read it, and spending their money on creating that content. Blogging is the only thing in the world that I can think of where people want to consume your product, for free, and get annoyed if you try to find another way to get paid for it.
You've lost all sense of reality if you've given a lot of time by posting a few images to social media. I have a full time job and often work >80 hours a week and I still post to social media. You think that posting pics in return for the coat means you've somehow earned it/worked for it? If you believe this we might as well shop the discussion right now as you're on a different planet.0 -
If I'm totally honest it sounds as if you saw an opportunity to be cheeky and ask for a freebie. Of course that's the game you are in but it's not a case of the person being worse off.
How could you be worse off by buying said raincoat because you liked and needed it? You would still be promoting the Irish brand. But had you been upfront at the start of your post on coat (I don't fully remember if you were so cold be wrong) then there is no issue of ambiguity.
But in fairness to you and other bloggers this is your living but I think now I agree that such posts should be labelled as sponsored. I was on the fence previously
It's not a "game" I'm in, to be clear; this is (a part of) my career.
I didn't need the raincoat; I have plenty of coats. I saw an opportunity to promote an Irish brand, first and foremost – and that's me being totally honest. I've put enough out here now that I'd hope you can believe me when I say that! (I don't see all that many other bloggers being this transparent, and maybe they're the right ones after all...)
I didn't have the money to spend on the coat – the only reason I would have been buying it would have been to support an Irish brand and give them (free) publicity. Which would have been incredibly stupid of me.
I haven't yet done a sponsored post on my blog or, in fact, any of my social media channels – I did one competition post a few weeks back, but otherwise I haven't done anything sponsored. If I did, I would label it as such – but I don't have to. (The ASAI guidelines are just guidelines, which will never be enforced because there is no enforcing body.) But what I would consider sponsored would be something where a brand has paid me for said coverage – not where they've sent me something that, ultimately, costs them very little.0 -
I think the ASAI needs to clarify what constitutes payment, and perhaps they should Revenues lead eg products and services are a benefit in kind.
You may think that potential readers are being harsh by saying they expect bloggers to state what they have been paid for or received for free/ discount. Equally potential readers could perceive any unwillingness of bloggers to state what they have been paid for or received for free/ discount to be deceitful by omission. You may be honest in your reviews, but other bloggers might not. The only way to ensure transparency is by applying the same standards across the board0 -
onthemitch wrote: »I have never, EVER been given specifics. I think that in the UK and US (although I don't have direct experience), brands are more savvy about online agreements – so they'll say, for example, "can you put up a pic of our pool and mention that it's the only 50m in the county". But whenever this has happened with me, they haven't said a word – it's usually me being specific. So I'll say, "I'll put up two Instagram posts" – and they're usually something I find pretty like the view, or something that I think will get engagement, or of the food... and it'll be something I definitely liked. So, say, I wouldn't put up a pic of the spa if I thought the spa was rubbish.
There is one other example: a friend of mine had bought a raincoat from a new Irish brand selling raincoats online. It was gorgeous, and I was really surprised that I hadn't heard of them – so I approached them asking if they'd like to send me one, and I could post on my Instagram, Facebook etc about it. They got back saying they had sent a few out to Irish bloggers, but had got very unsatisfactory "results", in that the bloggers in question had maybe put up one post (I have no idea who the blogger was / were), so that while they'd love to work with me, they were wondering what exactly I had in mind.
So I got back to them saying exactly what I'd do, in a very clear list: I think it was something like two Instagram posts, five tweets, a mention in one blog post and two mentions on Snapchat. In that case, I was happy to guarantee because I'd seen the product, knew it was gorgeous and I wanted to support an Irish brand, too. (In case you're about to say the raincoat itself was payment, it wasn't; if I were to do that amount of work for a brand, and charge them for it, it would be cost them about 10 of those coats.)
So like I said I've never been given boxes to tick from the brand, it's always gone the other way around.
I actually remember the raincoat!i cant remember if you disclosed that it was a freebie or not but in my opinion, seeing as it's basically advertising, transactions like that should be disclosed. Especially considering that both yourself and the company knew it was going to be a positive review. I understand PR people are in the habit of sending out bunches of random goods to bloggers. It's then up to that individual if they review or feature it they can give an opinion on whether it was good/bad/ value for money etc. When you reach out to a company for a specific product, knowing you're going to love it and they know the same, and agree that you'll post it to 20,000 people on Instagram x number of times then it really is advertising and should be labelled as such.0 -
Rosemary - did you at any stage mention that you had received the raincoat in return for promotion? I know you are a full-time writer, so you have to place a value on your time (and trust me, from a professional perspective, I do understand that). But it doesn't sit comfortably with me that there was no disclaimer around your promotion of the coat. Especially because it was promotion, rather than a critique.
I didn't. I still probably wouldn't – it's not a sponsored post, it was me reaching out and going, "would you like to send me your product so that I can post about it". I didn't consider it a promotion tbh, and still don't.0 -
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doireannod wrote: »You've lost all sense of reality if you've given a lot of time by posting a few images to social media. I have a full time job and often work >80 hours a week and I still post to social media. You think that posting pics in return for the coat means you've somehow earned it/worked for it? If you believe this we might as well shop the discussion right now as you're on a different planet.
You're not alone in thinking that posting on social media is nothing / really easy / ridiculous – but I have a big social media following, and I have put massive amounts of time and effort into building that up. It's not a case that I spend five minutes putting up an Instagram post and consider that a great strain on my resources; it includes the time in the background that I've spent promoting it, and myself, attempting to increase my profile, reaching out to brands and readers alike. I include the money I spend posting competition prizes; the money I've spent promoting my Facebook page; the money I've spent on my blog theme and having a logo designed.
It's like asking a band to play at a wedding and offering them €20 an hour. Their time isn't any more valuable than yours, but what you're paying for is reputation and years of practice.0
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