The blogging community in Ireland - has it been damaged by the sheer amount of freebi

Ray37

I'm feeling lately that the word 'blogger' is becoming interchangeable with 'advertiser'. Is it just me, or has the blogging community suffered due to a select few big names who still call themselves bloggers, but don't actually blog? Like, snapping PR boxes and sharing sponsored pics on Insta doesnt make you a blogger, yet it's all I seem to see these days? Have a few of the big names 'damaged' the industry with their reputation for non disclosure, and constant ads? Will we see a return to the old days where blogs were written with honest opinions, and not just in exchange for sponsorship? Please note, I am NOT trying to drag everyone that blogs, I am just stating what I've seen from the top 4/5 big names in beauty blogging.... Do you think they way they've carried on makes it harder for smaller names to get attention, and to promote their blogs that may be less biased than those with sponsorships?

Cria

Ray37 wrote: »

I'm feeling lately that the word 'blogger' is becoming interchangeable with 'advertiser'. Is it just me, or has the blogging community suffered due to a select few big names who still call themselves bloggers, but don't actually blog? Like, snapping PR boxes and sharing sponsored pics on Insta doesnt make you a blogger, yet it's all I seem to see these days? Have a few of the big names 'damaged' the industry with their reputation for non disclosure, and constant ads? Will we see a return to the old days where blogs were written with honest opinions, and not just in exchange for sponsorship? Please note, I am NOT trying to drag everyone that blogs, I am just stating what I've seen from the top 4/5 big names in beauty blogging.... Do you think they way they've carried on makes it harder for smaller names to get attention, and to promote their blogs that may be less biased than those with sponsorships?

I do as someone who has followed blogs long before snapchat I followed grace when she first started YouTube videos the make up fairy when she was just a blogger and many others and the difference between then and now you could tell how much they loved what they were doing and the genuine interest in the products they tried out ..
The smaller more honest bloggers have definitely been damaged because of the behaviour of the bigger ones

baby and crumble

I'll be honest, I know nothing about the beauty bloggers, and I think it's unfair to tar all Irish bloggers with the same "make up" brush, tbh. There's a lot more to the blogging/vlogging/ social media community in Ireland than female beauty blogging.

Ray37

I agree with that, I did mention in the last line that I was referring mostly to beauty as the top 4/5 all do the same kind of content, which I think makes it harder for newer bloggers to get attention, never mind the fact that those ladies have quite the reputation for non disclosure of sponsorship etc.

njs030

In terms of make up blogging, did anyone see the haul muf got yesterday?
Yes I'm appallingly jealous!!!
She got the entire new too faced sweet peach range, a massive box from cloud 10, and a company that she kept saying was sold out everywhere and no other blogger was sent!
Can't remember what else.
She's good for going through each item and saying what it is but I do cringe a little when she flings them in a pile...she never actually reviews them though does she, just puts them on and says 'this is what I used today'? Or have I missed tutorials somewhere?

I'd say the smaller bloggers would love even half of one of those boxes!

Ray37

I actually thought she was fibbing and had bought that gear herself..... She hasn't been sent much recently and I've seen people mention it, since she moved to the UK she's getting a lot less, so I was half wondering did she buy it herself...

idunno78

I actually messaged her to ask her to do a proper review on the fenty foundation! Will be interesting to see if she does more then a this is nice I wore it today! Because she hasn't done a proper blog post in a long time. Beauty I should say she had done one or 2 travel blogs!!

I think bloggers just use Snapchat for their blogging! Show th stuff they get maybe use it once and that's that! Unless it's sponsored then it's shown numerous times!

Ray37

I betya we never hear about it again!

njs030

idunno78 wrote: »

I actually messaged her to ask her to do a proper review on the fenty foundation! Will be interesting to see if she does more then a this is nice I wore it today! Because she hasn't done a proper blog post in a long time. Beauty I should say she had done one or 2 travel blogs!!

I think bloggers just use Snapchat for their blogging! Show th stuff they get maybe use it once and that's that! Unless it's sponsored then it's shown numerous times!

Fenty that was it!!

Sure she's gone to Disney land now so I can't see it getting mentioned again sadly.

dudara

To get back to the original topic, yes I do think that the actions of a few "bloggers" (and I use the term loosely as they are really social media industries) have damaged the reputation of bloggers in general.

But even if you step away from the big names, there are plenty of smaller names out there who shamelessly ask businesses for freebies in return for coverage etc. That behaviour doesn't do blogging much good either.

The growth of the beauty / lifestyle / inspirational blogger has completely overshadowed a lot of other types of bloggers who are now being tarred with the same brush. Lots of entrants into this category are doing it as a step to being famous, but are not putting much effort into figuring how how to actually make it work

Ray37

Dudara you are dead right, I've noticed a lot of smaller names copying the shameless behaviour of hinting for freebies too. It's absolutely a step to getting famous for many, and I think a lof of people are going into it with that intention. It's kind of like the new reality star, famous for being famous thing for some of them I think.

heyjude88

In regards to beauty "bloggers" - most of the main ones don't even blog anymore at all. And if they do, its only just outfit posts that are full of affiliated links. So boring.

qxtasybe1nwfh2

heyjude88 wrote: »

In regards to beauty "bloggers" - most of the main ones don't even blog anymore at all. And if they do, its only just outfit posts that are full of affiliated links. So boring.

Yeah they are definitely not bloggers. They have turned into the definition of Influencers.

endacl

'Community'? Seriously?

Terri26

I'm getting really irritated by the amount of people (especially on Instagram) saying they are bloggers simply because they put up a photo of the outfit they are wearing, mention where pieces were bought and stick in the odd hashtag that might say #fashionblogger. You're not a blogger unless you blog! I'm being told though that's how blogging is done!
#forumblogger

miamee

dudara wrote: »

To get back to the original topic, yes I do think that the actions of a few "bloggers" (and I use the term loosely as they are really social media industries) have damaged the reputation of bloggers in general.

But even if you step away from the big names, there are plenty of smaller names out there who shamelessly ask businesses for freebies in return for coverage etc. That behaviour doesn't do blogging much good either.

The growth of the beauty / lifestyle / inspirational blogger has completely overshadowed a lot of other types of bloggers who are now being tarred with the same brush. Lots of entrants into this category are doing it as a step to being famous, but are not putting much effort into figuring how how to actually make it work

In relation to the bit in bold, I spotted someone retweeting this recently. So glad that they are being called out rather than indulged, the absolute cheek of them. For those who haven't heard of it, Campagne is a Michelin star restaurant in Kilkenny:

https://twitter.com/campagnekilkenn/status/910099638891499520

dudara

We've been discussing that very email a lot lately in our Facebook blogger group.

Thanks to my blogging, I know a lot of restaurateurs and chefs and unfortunately, this is all way too common. I've heard stories on the QT over the years that would make you cringe. But apparently, there is a cohort of bloggers out there who see nothing wrong with it. There are a few Irish blogs that I read occasionally where I see the blogger reviewing a spot that I know was offering free meals. And there's no mention of disclosure.

In a way, there's nothing really wrong with a free meal in return for coverage AS LONG as it's disclosed. Then it's just a commercial transaction. It simply shows that content on your blog can be bought and that the blogger don't have independence.

ratmouse

miamee wrote: »

In relation to the bit in bold, I spotted someone retweeting this recently. So glad that they are being called out rather than indulged, the absolute cheek of them. For those who haven't heard of it, Campagne is a Michelin star restaurant in Kilkenny:

https://twitter.com/campagnekilkenn/status/910099638891499520

Did they say who asked for the free meal?

miamee

ratmouse wrote: »

Did they say who asked for the free meal?

No they decided not to divulge the name of the person. Not into naming and shaming, they said