AdverBlog
Yesterday I read an article from Economist about how internet has empowered the consumers. I think the basic points are well known: those who can access and know how to use the web have much more useful information for what can be labeled as “critical consumption”. They can compare quality, prices, have better basis for decision making, etc. Makes sense…
On interesting point in the article is mentioning blogs as one of a more trustful sources of information. This is particularly true with some blogs that gain extreme popularity and bloggers who have built a reputation and became kind of point of reference for others. Probably this is part of the “blog-excitement” trend, but it seems like it is also true to a great extend. Well, at least now, as long as blogging remains a grassroots activity.
The question which jumped in the back of my mind however was how long it will remain this way? How long it will take till bloggers will start getting paid for what they write? And how long it will take till they’ll start writing exactly what they are paid for? The article mentioned Microsoft adopting one of the celebrity bloggers “even though they are aware he can one day start writing critically about the company” and google suggest already today commercializing your blog with placing commercial (may sound pretty innocent at this point, but it is just a beginning). What is going to be next?
How long will it take advertisement agencies and PR companies to start employing bloggers in order to promote certain brands? Well, they are already doing it in a way by using forums, talkbacks, etc. Just think about how effective it would be for the cost of a single person salary to crate a point of reference for anything regarding let say cars… All you have to do is simply feed it with recommendations paid for by your consumers and you get the best PR ever. Of course it is open for feedbacks and people can and most probably will criticize bad recommendations, but the pivot will still remain biased.
So, the question is (when) will blogs become AdverBlogs?
4 comments:
Yes and no... I think these are 2 quite different things: one is when you are explicitly told you are shown an advertisement (AdSense) and the other is when you are receiving the advertisement in a disguise of authentic information (Adverblog). I was talking about the second option. I think you are much more vulnerable when you come to read a supposedly independent blog, compared to an advertisement. Don’t you think?
I note the surreptitious use of the term "adverblog". Are you being paid by www.adverblog.com?
Sorry, just kidding! :)
Does it happen to you as well? You think you came up with something original and a moment later you learn that someone already thought abuot it... Happens to me all the time :)
It happens to lots of people I guess. Reminds me of Michael's post about how the first thing we should ask ourselves when we think of a really cool idea is "if we can think of this then probably someone else has - and how can we make sure we get more use of the idea not them?" [my words]
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