What do you want from a blog? [no names please]

frogstar

Rosemary agree it's not a game, my bad choice of word.

But to answer the main question. Yes I would like to see honestly in a review. To do this I do believe it should be transparent if a post is sponsored whether this is free merchandise or a paid post. It should be clear.

I do also agree that for me, whether rightly or wrongly, the larger a blogger becomes the less likely I'll trust their review if it's not clear it is sponsored. That's why I think many people seem to trust the smaller bloggers with full time jobs as its most likely a hobby and not a career (which is quite a new thing)

dashdoll

onthemitch wrote: »

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.

Rosemary I really enjoy your work and serious props for coming on here but I think you've hit the nail on the head. This is where most people take exception. You may not see this as a promotion but if I had to bet, 99% of your readers would.

frogstar

onthemitch wrote: »

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.

But it is a promotion!

It would be different if you said my friend has this fab coat from xyz.... if you needed a coat this would be great.

You said you didn't need the coat so you could still have supported the brand without asking for a freebie. It doesn't matter that it doesn't cost the brand much. You have taken payment in kind.

LYDIABANK

There are a lot of bloggers out there, to the point where it is overwhelming. For me, there is not one single blogger out there where I have said "wow I really like this blogger" Rosemary McCabe is probably the closest I've came to this. I don't want to see what bloggers got free in the post, it's boring and it's clear they are doing it to be sound to the person who sent it, which is fair enough I guess. I think bloggers need to be more true to themselves and not give in to posting unnecessary things like a picture of their meal or videos of their dogs sleeping, not sure what kind of a picture they are trying to paint of themselves. When I'm reading a blog I want to read true stories, stories with substance. Some life stories thrown in for good measure. There is too much emphasis on the beauty element. I'm sure their whole lives don't revolve around products. I like reading about upcoming events , conferences, cool places to visit etc. I could go on !

Michellenman

Just wanted to quickly say thanks for coming on Rosemary & dudara (and any other bloggers posting!). It's interesting to get opinions from both sides

Michellenman

LYDIABANK wrote: »

There are a lot of bloggers out there, to the point where it is overwhelming. For me, there is not one single blogger out there where I have said "wow I really like this blogger" Rosemary McCabe is probably the closest I've came to this. I don't want to see what bloggers got free in the post, it's boring and it's clear they are doing it to be sound to the person who sent it, which is fair enough I guess. I think bloggers need to be more true to themselves and not give in to posting unnecessary things like a picture of their meal or videos of their dogs sleeping, not sure what kind of a picture they are trying to paint of themselves. When I'm reading a blog I want to read true stories, stories with substance. Some life stories thrown in for good measure. There is too much emphasis on the beauty element. I'm sure their whole lives don't revolve around products. I like reading about upcoming events , conferences, cool places to visit etc. I could go on !

But then surely don't follow those people? Readers should gravitate towards blogs with content they have interest in, they shouldn't dictate what the blogger posts about? Maybe I've picked you up wrongly but It's unfair to expect people to share aspects of their lives they may not want to. If someone only posts about beauty products then they're most likely a beauty blogger. If you prefer those 'lifestyle' posts then find someone who does them?

on_my_oe

In my opinion bloggers hope to make an income from their blogs, whether it's an income to replace a salary or pocket money. To do this they need to build a profile, which you admit Rosemary that you have spent time in doing... But to retain the audience you need to gain and keep their trust. Bloggers write about businesses, products, services, etc that they have tried or experienced and the information the blogger shares influences their readers, and therefore potential customers of a product, service or brand. Readers may purchase products and services based on bloggers recommendation and reviews, so bloggers have a responsibility to disclose the true nature if their relationship. It's also an opportunity for bloggers to cement the connection between themselves and their readers - surely you want your readers to trust that you have their best interests in mind, to increase your reach and confirm your reputation. A position of trust has got to be a great marketing tool?

LYDIABANK

The post asked "what do you want to see in a blog" so I'm answering that! Don't expect to be challenged on that. I have obviously followed numerous bloggers to see if I like them. And if I don't, then I don't follow them!

LYDIABANK

LYDIABANK wrote: »

The post asked "what do you want to see in a blog" so I'm answering that! Don't expect to be challenged on that. I have obviously followed numerous bloggers to see if I like them. And if I don't, then I don't follow them!

That was my reply to michelemann

Michellenman

LYDIABANK wrote: »

That was my reply to michelemann

Thanks for clarifying. I was more questioning the last sentence about there being 'too much emphasis on beauty' - that's what I was trying to respond to, sorry for the confusion! You said you're sure their whole lives don't revolve around beauty but there should be no reason a blogger HAS to throw in some life stories. If their blog is a beauty or fashion blog but a reader prefers lifestyle and travel posts then it's unfair to expect anything other than beauty/fashion.

I think onthemitch said it very well before that it's like tapping someone's phone and then giving out about having to listen to their conversations (paraphrased that!). If a reader has no interest in the content, simply dont follow.

Again, sorry if I've picked you up wrongly

on_my_oe

I've been and had a look at the US Free Trade Commission's policies on blogging (yes different country and different size of market, but very keen on transparency.. Especially when celebs are earning 50k for tweeting about hair extensions). Their advice is simple: If you receive a free sample of a product or service in exchange for providing an endorsement or review, you must be upfront and explicitly honest about the arrangement, even on space-constrained screens and social media platforms. This applies to travel (flights, hotels, attractions etc), fashion and beauty (make up, services, clothing) or anything else - meals, cars, tickets etc

doireannod

onthemitch wrote: »

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.

If you didn't have the money to spend on the coat i.e you couldn't afford the coat, why did you promote it to your readers? Do you think your readers are in a higher earning bracket than you and have more surplus income than you?

onthemitch

doireannod wrote: »

If you didn't have the money to spend on the coat i.e you couldn't afford the coat, why did you promote it to your readers? Do you think your readers are in a higher earning bracket than you and have more surplus income than you?

I feel like we are about to have a ridiculous back and forth argument, where you try your damnedest to make me out to be a total dickhead, and I try to defend myself, and tbh my Sundays are too precious.

I make no assumptions about my followers' earnings – maybe next year when I start charging €1,500 per Instagram post, I'll commission some research and get back to you.

doireannod

onthemitch wrote: »

I feel like we are about to have a ridiculous back and forth argument, where you try your damnedest to make me out to be a total dickhead, and I try to defend myself, and tbh my Sundays are too precious.

I make no assumptions about my followers' earnings – maybe next year when I start charging €1,500 per Instagram post, I'll commission some research and get back to you.

well I just think it's a further example of how dishonest some bloggers can be and they promote a lifestyle that not even they themselves can afford. It would be like if my dad bought me a Valentino bag and I went to work and told everyone it's great and they should all get one. It's deceitful, dishonest and distasteful in my opinion

onthemitch

doireannod wrote: »

well I just think it's a further example of how dishonest some bloggers can be and they promote a lifestyle that not even they themselves can afford. It would be like if my dad bought me a Valentino bag and I went to work and told everyone it's great and they should all get one. It's deceitful, dishonest and distasteful in my opinion

I think it would be more like if your dad bought you a Valentino bag and you went to work and said, "isn't this bag gorgeous?" I've never told anyone to buy anything – and I even asked the brand for a 10% discount code for followers.

Also, this is a total aside, but I should clarify that in general, I can afford to buy a €130 coat. I didn't have the money at that point or, if I did, a raincoat wasn't high on my list of financial priorities, but that's not really anyone's business anyway.

Am I wrong in thinking that you're just going to come back at each and every one of my responses with a different way in which I'm deceitful, dishonest and distasteful? Because you haven't even addressed my earlier point that the work that goes into my social media isn't just the 10 minutes it takes to post a picture.

anothernight

onthemitch wrote: »

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.

Thing is, not all blogs are businesses. For many people, blogging is a hobby from which they intend to make no money, or only enough money to cover the costs.

I'm not going to get into the issue of whether a review is trustworthy, but I do like to know when I'm being exposed to an advertisement. If I'm reading a review on a magazine I know the person definitely got paid to write it, because that's their job. If I read a blogger's review though, depending on the blog I will either take it the same way I would take a review from a friend (or TripAdvisor), or I will assume they've essentially written an ad. Some people who review things on their blogs do so only when they've tried a product and genuinely loved it, and in that case all their reviews might be positive. And yet other bloggers will give a positive review to everything because they're getting paid for it. It's usually obvious which is which, but I think it's rather dishonest to not mention payments (including in kind).

I would be very much in favour of an official requirement to disclose, in the beginning of the post, whether any payments have been made. Google mentions when a result is an ad. Why not blogs? A paid blog review is essentially an infomercial, even when the content of the review might be the honest opinion of the reviewer (and this isn't always the case).
Maybe I'm just not used to it because I don't read beauty or fashion blogs, but I don't like it when people try to sell me stuff without letting me know that this is what they're trying to do. And yes, if a blogger agrees to write a review because they received payment (cash or in kind), they've entered a business relationship where the goal is to sell stuff to the readers.

I'll happily click on affiliate links when they are disclosed, if I'm interested in the contents. You think I'll find this link useful, and you'd like my support in return? Great! But if it's not disclosed, i.e., if you're tricking me into giving you money, well... Let's just say I like honesty.


Disclosure: I keep a blog as a hobby, although due to the nature of the blog I'd rather not try to make it into a business even though I could achieve this quite easily. I'm friends with the majority of other bloggers in the niche, certainly the biggest players. None of them use blogging as a business. Not all blogging niches are like the beauty/lifestyle/food blog niches.

XxMCRxBabyxX

Rosemary, I'm actually disappointed to read your comments here as your blog is one of the few that I'm a fan of. In relation to your raincoats story, if at the beginning of your posts about them you had been upfront and said something along the lines of "I saw these coats by this small company and thought that they looked great so asked them to send me out a sample" then I would have appreciated the honesty and actually probably thought more of your review for it.

Also, I'm the one who mentioned snapchat before. I never said that I had a problem with listening to the conversations, some can be enjoyable, it's the cut outs during them which can be hard to follow and so frustrating, as I'm sure that they would be for you too.

EDIT: I don't think that anyone is looking for some giant warning saying "THIS PRODUCT WAS RECEIVED FOR FREE" but there's no harm b in just mentioning that "so and so sent this to me to give a try"

doireannod

onthemitch wrote: »

I think it would be more like if your dad bought you a Valentino bag and you went to work and said, "isn't this bag gorgeous?" I've never told anyone to buy anything – and I even asked the brand for a 10% discount code for followers.

Also, this is a total aside, but I should clarify that in general, I can afford to buy a €130 coat. I didn't have the money at that point or, if I did, a raincoat wasn't high on my list of financial priorities, but that's not really anyone's business anyway.

Am I wrong in thinking that you're just going to come back at each and every one of my responses with a different way in which I'm deceitful, dishonest and distasteful? Because you haven't even addressed my earlier point that the work that goes into my social media isn't just the 10 minutes it takes to post a picture.

I didn't reply to that comment because I think it's ridiculous. I'd pay a wedding band no problem as they bring something that I can't to the table. Can I play music? No I can't. Can I pose in a coat and post it to Instagram? Yes I can. So my point still holds; I do not believe that taking photos for social media counts as hard work. It's usually an adjunct to people's jobs/businesses/brands/lives. Blogging takes extra time and I do see the value in it. But posting photos to social media is not time consuming. You you made out as though you were working hard to take a few pics of yourself in a coat.

You mention above that you didn't tell anyone to buy the coat? But you were trying to promote an Irish brand? Promoting means you're trying to enhance their sales i.e getting people to buy the product.

Furthermore, if it irks you that I didn't reply to one of your comments, I'll take this opportunity to highlight that you didn't reply to one of mine. See previous comment re: paying for luas ticket comment.

onthemitch

XxMCRxBabyxX wrote: »

Rosemary, I'm actually disappointed to read your comments here as your blog is one of the few that I'm a fan of. In relation to your raincoats story, if at the beginning of your posts about them you had been upfront and said something along the lines of "I saw these coats by this small company and thought that they looked great so asked them to send me out a sample" then I would have appreciated the honesty and actually probably thought more of your review for it.

Also, I'm the one who mentioned snapchat before. I never said that I had a problem with listening to the conversations, some can be enjoyable, it's the cut outs during them which can be hard to follow and so frustrating, as I'm sure that they would be for you too.

Fair point – and I think, following this conversation, that I will do that from now on. (It'll be rare, because I don't post that often, and even less frequently about free items!)

Although tbh your disappointment, er, disappoints me! I'm one of three bloggers actually engaging in this conversation and being totally upfront, and I'm not even close to one of the big earners!

scarbouro

I think with all the main bloggers now, everything is so repetitive. Every day, they unveil the post they received that morning. The same products being sent to each one of them. It gets extremely boring so I usually end up unfollowing and try find some new people to follow . Some of them take more time than others when showing off and explaining the product and go into more detail. Others just scan over them. I'm sure companies have copped on who is better at doing it by now. Hard to trust reviews from bloggers like this. Knowing deep down that the product will be thrown in a drawer with the rest of the free merchandise they get sent.

Snapchat- not sure if I like it or loath it when it comes to bloggers. Some seem to think it's a platform to moan on a daily basis how hard their life is and everything going on in it. I know they're only human but we don't want to log on to see them ranting about someone who hurt their feelings on social media or how little sleep they got ect. We're all in the same boat!

I don't like bloggers who can't take criticism and I have unfollowed many of them because of it. I don't agree with anyone being nasty or hurtful to anyone online but there does be followers who get attacked / blocked, comments deleted by certain bloggers if they question something or don't agree with what they have put up on their social media pages. They only ever want to be told how great they are and massage their egos even more. They seem to get caught out regularly by their followers when telling lies and the post gets deleted quickly, hoping not to receive anymore back lash from it! Then the "hate brigade" get on board and they are like a pack of wolves because the person is apparently "jealous" since they don't agree with what the particular blogger said! Some of them carry on like teenagers.

qxtasybe1nwfh2

At the end of the day, receiving a product for review/posts is a payment in kind... Whether you like it, don't like it, review it or not, it still counts a payment. It's not cash in hand but it's still a payment. It should be disclosed, would love some stricter guidelines/laws in relation to this.

Some bloggers I follow do mention if they have been sent something and it doesn't make me think different of their review because I then trust them.

When it's not mentioned, I'm always thinking, is what this blogger is saying is true, is it not? And then after that I don't even think about the product.

Also I don't like when the bloggers get so defensive, there's no need for it, referring to people as "haters". Don't get me wrong, I would never make mean comments and think it's totally unnecessary but some bloggers act the same as these "haters".

I watched some makeup tutorials from a blogger from New Jersey last night and she apologised for her previous video as people had been giving out about her echo and that her makeup was bad/muddy. She was so sweet, she said that she just moved into a new place and was not set up properly, the lighting was bad. She came off as genuine instead of bitchy. I didn't even feel like her previous video was bad!

retro:electro

Wow. Very disappointed in Rosemary. I actually had her down as one of the ones who rose above the bs and she even called out other bloggers before for their apparent dishonesty. Will be unfollowing.

on_my_oe

onthemitch wrote: »

Although tbh your disappointment, er, disappoints me! I'm one of three bloggers actually engaging in this conversation and being totally upfront, and I'm not even close to one of the big earners!

I appreciate that you are one of the few bloggers engaging on the topic but it doesn't seem like the feedback you are getting is being understood or taken on board.

Perhaps it would make for a good feature in Stellar - why bloggers feel the need to hide how they receive the products and services they review, and equally why they want to make a living from social media but want to be disingenuous about how their earnings Coke about.

qxtasybe1nwfh2

Also watched a video by a Canadian blogger who spoke about sponsored posts, payments etc from companies and how it works for bloggers... It was very interesting and now whenever I see bloggers offering a personalised code for a percent off a product, I am suspicious.

Am I allowed to post a YouTube link here? (If people are interested?)

dudara

I think blogging has changed a lot since I started. Instagram and Snapchat are really powerful channels now. And the culture of celebrity and the selfie has also gotten stronger. So it's not surprising in a way that blogging has evolved to reflect that. As a public, we endorse this type of self-seeking behaviour, so why are we surprised when we get it?

As I've been reading this thread, I've been asking myself "Why do I blog?" I could say that it's because I like food, I want to share good spots, but I think part of it is that I just want my opinion to be heard. So in a weird way, I'm not very different

XxMCRxBabyxX

Axl Hundreds Feather wrote: »

Also watched a video by a Canadian blogger who spoke about sponsored posts, payments etc from companies and how it works for bloggers... It was very interesting and now whenever I see bloggers offering a personalised code for a percent off a product, I am suspicious.

Am I allowed to post a YouTube link here? (If people are interested?)

If you can't post it could you please PM it to me?

frogstar

One thing I don't want with snapchat bloggers - stop with those filters! The ones like rainbow puke or turning into a dog... they are just annoying!!

For the fitness bloggers, I'd like to see more of the actual workouts completed as I'm trying myself to get back into the gym. One blogger posted this week what she did in the gym and I thought great! But it was just a list of the names eg bicep curls, shoulder press etc... a big long list that meant nothing to me. Would have liked to have seen a sample of each

SB_Part2

anna080 wrote: »

Wow. Very disappointed in Rosemary. I actually had her down as one of the ones who rose above the bs and she even called out other bloggers before for their apparent dishonesty. Will be unfollowing.

Why? She's been nothing but honest here. No other "big" blogger would dare come here and engage in a conversation like this. Rosemary doesn't block people who criticise her either. If you post ANYTHING that can be perceived as negative on the others pages you'll be blocked (and your friends and family will be blocked to).

I don't need to know that a snapchat of a hotel room has been given for free, it's pretty obvious and I'm of the opinion that it doesn't pay the bills. Sure it means they don't have to spend money on them but I look at it this way:

I get a load of free things in work. Mainly food (porridge, cereal, fruit and the odd dinner or lunch if I've a deadline and have to work late) and clothes (promotional tshirts) but that doesn't mean I can bring them home and put them on my kid or feed my kid with them so I see them as perks. A lot of jobs have perks.

I do however like knowing if a blogger has been paid to promote something. Like, for example, a blogger staying in a hotel who's been given the room for free AND money to say that. That I feel is dishonest if it's not disclosed.

retro:electro

SB_Part2 wrote: »

Why? She's been nothing but honest here. No other "big" blogger would dare come here and engage in a conversation like this. Rosemary doesn't block people who criticise her either. If you post ANYTHING that can be perceived as negative on the others pages you'll be blocked (and your friends and family will be blocked to).

I don't need to know that a snapchat of a hotel room has been given for free, it's pretty obvious and I'm of the opinion that it doesn't pay the bills. Sure it means they don't have to spend money on them but I look at it this way:

I get a load of free things in work. Mainly food (porridge, cereal, fruit and the odd dinner or lunch if I've a deadline and have to work late) and clothes (promotional tshirts) but that doesn't mean I can bring them home and put them on my kid or feed my kid with them so I see them as perks. A lot of jobs have perks.

I do however like knowing if a blogger has been paid to promote something. Like, for example, a blogger staying in a hotel who's been given the room for free AND money to say that. That I feel is dishonest if it's not disclosed.

Mainly because she has previously publically called out other bloggers for their apparent lack of transparency and she has stated on here before that she will always be honest and disclose when something is given to her in turn for a mention. Now she seems to be retracting all of that. Not only did she contact the company for a freebie, but she apparently did this in order to "promote an Irish business", despite the fact she hasn't actually promoted it at all or disclosed the fact she was given it for free.

SB_Part2

anna080 wrote: »

Mainly because she has previously publically called out other bloggers for their apparent lack of transparency and she has stated on here before that she will always be honest and disclose when something is given to her in turn for a mention. Now she seems to be retracting all of that. Not only did she contact the company for a freebie, but she apparently did this in order to "promote an Irish business", despite the fact she hasn't actually promoted it at all or disclosed the fact she was given it for free.

But she did promote it. She snap chatted about it and had some Instagram posts. Do you realise how much something like this would have helped that company?

If she hadn't promoted it people wouldn't have remembered it.

I think there's a huge difference between just being sent something and actively seeking out a company because you think the product is good and want to promote it. It cost them a coat. How many coats do you think they sold from Rosemary posting about it?

How many bloggers RAVED about the Pippa Palette? Do you think they asked for them because they wanted to promote it because it's a great product? Not a hope. They were sent it for free. It's an absolute piece of junk but that didn't stop them posting about it.

How many times have you been burned by bloggers recommending something that turned out to be crap? It's happened me more times than I'm willing to admit.