If you need to know which blogger never to trust again - do a search on Technorati for PayPerPostBlueMonster. It’s a puzzle game run by PayPerPost, the company that pays bloggers - well - per post and the blogger does not have to disclose his/her relationship with the company. Whoever whores him/herself to PayPerPost is, in my book, no better than any splogger out there. Some may disclose their relationship with the company - most don’t. If you do - you are still selling your integrity for a few bucks. If you don’t - well - you have no integrity.
Update: Robert Scoble posted about this at about the same time I did - his take is very similar to mine.
I was thinking about the company a bit more and I was looking for some examples of posts obviously payed for. Here is one I found by looking at the PayPerPost forum. This is from Just Julie at juliesjournal.com:
Anyone Up For An Audi?
I love looking at new luxury cars online. I’ve always wanted one, but my wallet doesn’t reflect my taste at all. I don’t really see too many Audi’s on the road here like I did in California. The Audi cars seem to be all the rage in Los Angeles. It must be because some models come with bullet proofing!?!? I’m sure digging this Audi TT Coupe’ though! I always tend to go for the sporty model. The look at me! kind. Plus the the dual-clutch gearbox allows you to change gear without noticeably interrupting the flow of power from the engine. Vrooom!
She is not looking for an Audi. Maybe never has. This is part of the PayPerPost AudiTT ‘opportunity’. Notice how slipped in the dual-clutch gearbox?
This is why I hate PayPerPost. Stuff like this just slips by people who would never know what is going on. At best, this is unethical and benevolent, but at its worst, this is simply misleading you audience and I think every blogger doing this really needs to ask if losing your audience’s trust is worth the few bucks you make from this.
Here is another example from Brian Reilly - also an undisclosed post:
Need a website fast?
If you are a small business and need a nice looking web presence, websitesin48hours.com can set you up and having you running in no time (48 hours actually). They have several plans to choose from, starting at $99.99 and with each one, your custom built site will be up and available in 48 hours. You can include e-commerce features like a shopping cart and choose from multiple web templates to design your site — up to 2000 templates on the Platinum plan. The Platinum plan comes with 8 web pages, 350 megabytes of hosting, and a free domain name for $19.99 per month plus a $999.99 start up fee. So if you are in need of a business site and you want to get started right away, have a look at what websitesin48hours.com can offer you.
Behind the fold are a couple of other bloggers who frequent the PayPerPost forum and their blogs:
Update: A lot of the people I link to here have posted in the comments. Read them and form your own opinion.
Cass Darrow
www.cassknits.com
www.holysheepyarns.com
Techie
Smuggle Me Blog
Something for Nothing Blog
NeoGarfield
Read his defence of PayPerPost here
Bethchelle
Ramblings of an Undisturbed Mind
Lynn Terry
Learn Internet Marketing, Free | ClickNewz! Blog
Sylvanarrow
Home Improvement
Fitness Gadgets
Xial
Saltwater Metempsychosis
And so the list goes on. Maybe we need a clearinhouse for blogs that use PayPerPost?
Technorati Tags: payperpost, Payperpostbluemonster, blogosphere, blogging, marketing
Of interest, since I was mentioned (and thanks for all the fish, by the way),
Metempsychosis isn’t a PPP blog.
It’s actually about the way I live on a day to day basis, and is a work in progress. What it won’t be for, unless someone, somewhere is promoting something that goes with my lifestyle and I feel it’ll be of benefit, is for PayPerPost entries.
As per [ESL], though it does PayPerPost entries, it’s not the major part of that blog.
Also, had you done your research, you’d have noticed that with the exception of perhaps four posts, all of my PayPerPost based entries actually disclose what they are.
I’m not the only one who discloses what’s going on, while I’m at it.
PayPerPost is, interestingly enough, just in its beginning stages. I do feel that as they learn what works, and what hurts, they’ll develop and change their model until it finds a comfortable, and hopefully acceptable niche.
Thanks for the fish, to quote Xial. But http://www.holysheepyarns.com isn’t a blog. My readers know which entries are which, too, and I’ve had only positive comments.
Woo hoo 10 fully disclosed paid posts in 1,200 posts makes Home Improvement Ideas a scam blog. Thanks for the link!
Woo hoo 10 fully disclosed paid posts in 1,200+ entries makes Home Improvement Ideas a scam blog. Thanks for the link!
P.S. I also make a couple thousand a month from Adsense and another $100 from Chitika. Ho boy, a blog-prenuer. Look out world!
Hey thanks! I see your Google Ads picked up the “Hot New Audi TT Bargain” Do you drive one?
nice Julie…rotflmao!!
Hiya, NG from BlogForPeace here… You really don’t understand PPP do you? Its a brilliant method of not making your site slow and sluggish with CPC ads and stuff! Its highly paying, and a great oppurtunity for all those people who dont find stuff to right on… Ofcourse, noone is asking you to lie or make your users believe things, and you never know if Julie really wanted an Audi or not…
If you wander over to MY OWN oppurtunity posts on the Audi, you’ll see what PPP is all about… http://www.blogforpeace.org/2006/10/08/the-all-new-audi-luxury-redefined/
Anyway, thanks for the link
Interesting… coming from an Anonymous Blogger who cant even disclose a name or contact information to go along with the opinions.
I would be interested to know who you are
Lynn Terry
While I am testing out PayPerPost for a case study I am writing, I dont believe that any of my posts fall into that description. One has to be responsible about the opportunities they take with PPP - if they are planning to maintain a reputation as a blogger, as you mentioned.
The great thing about most of the Opps at PayPerPost is that you are given full editorial control. Many of the things I have been paid for including were things I would have blogged about anyway… so not only am I earning a little additional cash on the side, but PPP gives me some creative topics to blog about when I am having “writers block”.
Some examples I can show are:
Turning Down Joint Ventures
James Brausch set up an opportunity where you could link to any page or post on his blog, with any link text you choose. I noticed the opp, looked over his blog, one of his posts sparked an issue worth blogging about, and I linked to him from that post.
As you can see from that example, I’m not “pimping a product I have no clue about”. I am commenting on a topic and linking back to a related source.
Free Programming Help
Mentioning a forum that I looked over myself. Nothing negative about sharing a resource I run across, that is related to my blog topic.
Epson Inkjet Printers
The advertiser asked for feedback on them… and I passed along the details to my readers. I didnt make up a big story about my experience with them - I simply shared what they were looking for and opened the topic for discussion (which brought some great detailed comments/feedback for the advertiser).
Given that I have been open and honest about my participation with PayPerPost, and that I stay on target with it all, I dont see a problem with it. And a recent poll revealed that my readers support it without a problem.
-Lynn Terry
ClickNewz.com
Lol.. Good one Lynn!
At least you bothered to visit a few of our blogs. Interesting that you would point to the two posts that you did — there’s not a thing wrong with them, and in the context of their blogs those posts were not out of line.
On the other hand, you obviously didn’t visit enough of them.
What made me laugh the hardest at this post, though, was that your text ads at the top of the page are linked to…
Yes, you guessed it: Hot New Audi TT bargain.
How does that have anything to do with podcasting?
DnW
Ah, well, see my long comment to Robert’s rather simplistic perspective on this situation, please. I mean, if my brother works at Company X and I just so happen to write favorably about it more frequently than I otherwise would, do I need to disclose that relationship?
If I have a tracking link with a conference so that I can be in the running for winning the “most referrals” prize, do I need to disclose that? And if so, do I need to do so overtly, in bold, immediately next to the link? According to whom?
Is it the fact that PPP has bloggers enter real text links, not JavaScript links as you get with your very own AdSense block on this Web page, that’s the problem?
Do you disclose that you are making money through your advertising here, Chris? Do you say “ADVERTISEMENT” in big flashing letters, or do you assume that having those ads - automatically tied in to your entries - doesn’t sully your blogging efforts in the same way that PPP would? Hmmmm….
For the record, I have never created a single PayPerPost entry on any of my blogs, but I use lots of affiliate links so I can receive post-sales commissions on any business I can help steer to my colleagues and partners.
I’m not sure why I’m posting here, other than this post came up near the top of my “payperpostbluemonster” search…
So, how many Audis do you drive? You’re now sponsoring two ads for Audi, obviously you know mucho about it, no?
Who the fuck are you?
Who the fuck is Robert Scoble?
Why do I or anyone else care what either of you think?
What the hell does PayPerPost have to do with Podcasting?
What does your blog have to do with podcasting?
And not a single link to me. damn. I’ll never gain traction. sniff.
that is a business like everything in our world :))