The Pros and Cons of Blogging for Money Part Two
By in Blogging on 13th January 2008
Image by Kitty Cats Lover
I wrote previously about the ways in which money can be generated by Blogging, and now I would like to continue the theme by providing a list of Cons, or negative aspects of being a Money Blogger. One of the central ideas upon which I base a lot of my blogging, is Integrity. In many of my articles on the subject I argue that Integrity is one of the most important qualities of a good blogger. As we live in a world saturated by marketing, and because many people’s increasing media savvy, the distance between Integrity and what ends up on the page is dangerously far. There are so many bloggers writing for so many different reasons, that often, we are at a loss to see the agenda.
Maintaining integrity, at the best of times is difficult, but when the blogger is being paid for his words, it becomes even more difficult. Therefore, if you are blogging for money, be very wary of how your integrity could be affected. Many employers will require you to write about certain subjects, ostensibly so they can ensure a number of keywords for SEO purposes. Please read article ‘SEO, is there a right way to write’, on the dangers of being over concerned about keywords when writing. Others will give you a number of websites to ‘cover’ or scan for news and ideas, and here lies the very real danger of plagiarism. Whilst your copy may pass plagiarism checking by software such as copyscape, try not to let your articles become ‘clones’ of others, as this really can damage your integrity if your readers notice this.
Sponsored reviews are another highly contentious issue. If you are being paid to review a product, by the manufacturer, is that review neutral? Whilst many websites will tell you when you are reading a sponsored review, some still do not. If your blog is influential you are invested with a power, the power to sway opinions, therefore you have a journalistic duty to the truth. It may be that you truly believe in a product, and you are providing an honest review of that product, which is positive, and reaping rewards consummate with your level of influence. But this is a highly contentious issue and one which carries some pretty searching questions.
The best advice I can give to anyone who is, or is thinking of becoming a paid blogger is ‘To thy self be true’, be original and be honest.
Leave a Reply