All this online chatter about blogging ethics and ‘integrity’ has gotten a little silly.
I kept waiting for SOMEONE to stand up and scream YOU ARE KIDDING RIGHT?
Guess I will have to be the one.
A blog is not different than any other publication. And should not be held to any different standards, ethics or INTEGRITY than any other publication.
If you click the button, you will see my policy for reviews, give-aways and a small mention of advertising. (I shouldn’t have to have a policy page at all. But because of the chatter and the implication bloggers are lacking in ‘integrity’ I caved felt compelled.)
But here are my thoughts in a nutshell:
Magazines (nearly ALL of them) regularly feature products and services (no buy THIS lipstick! Or THIS bracelet is a MUST HAVE this season!) and no where in these publications do they tell the reader that they received the product FOR FREE. Sometimes multiples (one to test, one to photograph and one just cuz) and they don’t mention how they were taken out to dinner by the product makers ‘just to review details of the product’ either. And if you think for one minute that the content of large magazines is not conscious of not offending their paid advertisers, you would be wrong.
But guess what…
The magazine publishing industry is not feeling guilty about this.
No one is questioning their integrity.
No one is asking them to sign ethical statements to justify their ‘integrity’.
And their readers actually PAY for their magazines.
Reading a blog is FREE.
No one is getting ripped off or cheated in the blogging world.
So let’s all take a deep breath…and know that we don’t need to proclaim our integrity to have integrity.
Don’t feel guilty about doing reviews.
Don’t feel guilty about taking free trips, using free products or attending parties in exchange for a review. Your blog is YOUR BLOG. It does NOT belong to a large blogging organization (you know the one that wanted to make you feel guilty in the first place but highlighting this pledge at their conference) and last time I checked we are not members in a Blogging Union (although I suspect the creation of one is not far off).
That said, I find it ironic that the creation of the ‘Integrity’ pledge was actually born out of a need to make bloggers MORE attractive to advertisers and corporations. It was a way to add a ‘quality stamp’ of approval ala USDA Beef. I appreciate the efforts of these fellow writers to try and give credibility to bloggers, but they missed the mark entirely. What they should have done is hold workshops to teach bloggers to empower them NOT to feel GULITY promoting products on their blogs.
That most certainly would have attracted far more corporate interest.
Besides.
I already LIVE with INTEGRITY.
Where is the badge for that?
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What is going on in the blogosphere as of late? It’s like everyone decided to go back to their junior high personaes. If you don’t like what someone is doing, DON’T READ THEM. trashing them, or criticizing them, or creating an entire blog with nothing but anger is just so petty, and it makes me wonder why I want to be a part of this community at all…
I’ve read so little on-line lately that I didn’t realize this was a hot topic. Thanks for shedding light, Marcy! I was approached yesterday to review a product (which has happened only about twice ever) so I now have a clearer picture. :)
Wait, what? Is this really an issue? Where the heck have I been??
Sigh.
I’m going back to bed until March.
Shade and Sweetwater,
K
Well I agree 100%. I’m sure you’re shocked.
I personally think that if you are endorsing a product and are being paid and/or receiving the product for free, then do you have a responsibility to disclose this to your readers. The almighty Dooce discloses this information so what’s wrong with disclosing your relationships? It really doesn’t reduce the value of your evaluation and reviews as I assume you would not endorse a product or service that you did not believe in…just my two cents :)
Thanks Chris for your 2 cents! :)
First off I hold none my standards to the ‘Dooce’ level. I am not a fan.
And I will disagree…Heather often endorses products/businesses that ’sponsor’ her that she doesn’t mention their involvement. (I.e.. Ikea) in each post. Oh she may have said something once before…but not every post. And that is her personal choice and hey, that is okay. But my point is…YOU DON’T HAVE TO.
And if you don’t mention it? Then you are still a good person. A good blogger. And should not be guilt ridden about it…..
How does a blog review differ from say Glamour Magazine “Hot products for Fall” ?
Love to know how you see them differently…..could be interesting perspective I haven’t thought of…
Hear hear! I’m right there with ya. Every bit. I gotta say I’m just about over some parts of the blogging community. Some serious SAHM self-righteous bullshit among other things…. and the integrity thing has gotten out of control… love ya girl!
Yep. I live with integrity, too. I feel like I’m being lumped in with some others just because I haven’t taken a pledge. No one has said it, but I feel it nonetheless.
Gah. This is so stupid. (Not you, this situation.)
Amen! I am so with you on this one. Nobody questions the “integrity” of traditional media. Also who made certain people the keepers of the bloggosphere?
I want to barf everytime I see a blog with the “I blog with integrity banner/button”. I have integrity- I don’t need a stupid button.
Ah this is such a hot button for me. Thanks for posting about this. I needed to vent/rant!
I would actually like to see a negative review of products on the blogs that review stuff. It’s just as important to know what products don’t work as the ones that do, isn’t it?
I haven’t done reviews on my blog, but I on a review board for Amazon and receive products from them for free every month. I select the products myself, so my reviews tend to be positive, but I also give negative reviews when warranted.
The thing that makes a blog different from a magazine (to me!) is that the blog is a much more personal medium. We pretty much feel that we “know” a blogger that we read regularly; I don’t get that same feeling from, say, Vogue magazine.
What or who started the blog with integrity movement? I’m not up on all the blogosphere stuff–kind of a lone wolf here.
Hadn’t realized this was a hot topic either but I agree with you. We know the ad companies are paying the magazine to put their products in there and say good things so what’s the big deal if the want to “advertise” on our blogs by sending products for reviews. Hey they are the ones gambling… we might not like their product.
Being the political junkie that I am, I am seeing this in the context of the traditional media questioning the content of the internet bloggers, etc…. We especially see this issue spring up every time the “right” starts to gain momentum. The only means available to them is the “unfiltered” media of the internet and talk radio, so those that control the news in this country (NY Times, AP, ABC, NBC, etc.) start to feel the need to “control” what is on those unfiltered mediums. So here we are…
I immediately thought of the blog that broke the “Dan Rather drank the koolaid” story when he tried to discredit former Pres Bush about his National Guard service. It was a blogger who posted that the so-called letter about Bush’s service was a fake typed out on a PC. I’d like to see Katie Couric et al wearing an “I report with integrity” button so I know they aren’t just attempting to forward their personal political agenda – whichever side they support!
As for blogs accepting swag, who cares? No one gives me anything except Marcy (I love love love the printer!) and I forgot to do a review of it. I meant to, but heck, I have a lot going on in my life. I’ll do one this week, k? Smooches!
A blog is supposed to just be postings of stuff you thought of. If you want to run a blog that accepts advertisers that’s fine. There was a blog I used to read that went from hilarious stories about this woman’s five kids to plugs for her upcoming book and her other websites. I quit reading it. End of controversy.
Very well said! I have never understood why on earth other people are offended by some innocent advertising on a blog!
Marcy-
Sorry I never responded back to your response, but life got in the way. I was just stating my opinion and you are correct that Dooce is not disclosing 100% of the time.
Blog and magazine reviews are not fundamentally different, but many magazines do disclose that the product was sent to them for review. However, just as many do not do that.
Blogs in and of themselves are different to me, though. You give us a glimpse into your life and allow your readers to create “personal” connections that do not exist in a magazine. Heck, the fact that I can comment on your post is testimonial to that.
I guess I still don’t see why it’s so bad to disclose that you’re being hooked up with goods or products. For example, you’re obviously now blogging for Disney in some capacity. Would I stop reading your blog if you posted a positive review for a Disney product without disclosing this? Of course not. However, by disclosing your arrangement with Disney you are telling me, the reader, that you obviously care about the product you are reviewing.
Anyways, it’s all opinions so whatever. Your blog still makes me laugh, the adtalk series are hilarious, and I now watch out for the momfia in the YL.
Ironically though, I’m sure you heard about the FTC now stepping in to regulate blogging. Not sure how I feel about that though. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hkwZoioSbjzxT0I75HWiZSvFrAXAD9B53U983
hi marcy, i thought of you when i read this news http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/05/ftc-bloggers-must-disclos_n_309819.html
i refrained from responding here on your blog when you first posted but i’d be interested to know if you’ll revisit this topic in light of the ftc ruling.
also, although we’ve talked about it in person, i wanted to post my humble opinion regarding product reviews on blogs (mostly to clarify how i feel by writing it down):
it can start out innocently enough with corporations using blogger’s free testimonials about their products to their advantage — “i love this widget, you might like it too!” but there could come a point where it could hurt both consumers/the public and bloggers touting a product.
say, for example, a blogger is at an event where there is an accident. what if that blogger sees something that no one else does that could jeopardize the company’s reputation? that company could pressure the blogger in many ways to keep the information quiet.
this is why some journalists are willing to go to jail for their stories and i believe it’s within the realm of possibility to think a big corporation would go to great lengths to keep a story quiet or control how information is disseminated since i witnessed it in a conventional media setting.
marcy, i believe you have the fire and integrity to withstand that sort of pressure if you were put in a situation i suggest. some people who are reviewing products may not be as capable as you are. it’s also possible that corporations are banking on that sort of weakness in the blogosphere.
blogs may appear to be different from conventional media in the public’s view — another thing corporate conglomerates may be banking on. the ftc stepping in to regulate how bloggers disclose their relationship to a company makes this issue not as inconsequential as it appears.
ultimately, i believe this sort of discussion among bloggers, journalists, the public and corporations is healthy and necessary. what i think harms everyone in the long run is to dig in with an us and them position since i’ve seen for myself how that has affected conventional journalism.
whew! thank you for indulging me this very long response to your post and i look forward to your reply.