Double Standards for Bloggers and All Other Media

Yesterday, I received a really nice comment after I whined about my lack of professional qualifications:

I hear ya....carving a career out of talent and desire is lots harder than going to school to get some degrees that employers want. But checking out all the ads and widgets on your site, I have to say--you've already got a career. You're a writer.

"You're a writer." I live for comments like that.

But I had to chuckle a bit at Jane's observation that I carry a lot of ads and widgets on the site, because the revenue they bring in doesn't pay for my Typepad service. And I've finally concluded that some of them are more trouble than they are worth.

As of tomorrow, I will no longer be carrying ads from the BlogHer network. As I told them in my resignation letter:

I think it’s probably the best program out there and appreciate the fact that the only significant traffic I get are on the days when my posts are linked under the ads.

It is because I don’t get significant traffic that I don’t earn much from the program, and so don’t expect to earn more from any other program. I’m thinking of dropping ads from the blog entirely.

My reason for this move is the strict standards on when a sponsored gift can be written about. I feel I already disclose when I’ve received something (hell, I disclose when I talk about a product and I HAVEN’T received anything), and television programs and magazines are able to run ads for non-competing products alongside their freebies, which are only ever disclosed in very fine print at the end of the program/book. I realize this is a selling point for your team and I appreciate how successful you have been with it. But I’m tired of what I think is a double standard for bloggers and all other media.

The case in point was when I was asked to remove a post about what was happening during the holidays at Disneyland. Yes, I was able to review the offerings as part of a sponsored blogger event, so the tickets for me and my family were worth about $400. But the topic of my blog is life in Southern California – to some people, that’s synonymous with Disneyland. It’s relevant and a subject I would be writing about anyway (and have written about many times). I disclosed that the tickets were free. It was odd to move that post to the review blog (where it didn’t really belong). And travel publications/shows are given fam trips ALL THE TIME and it does not affect their ability to run ads from other destinations.

When I worked in radio and ran an interview with an artist, I did not have to disclose that I received his recording or attended his concert and received my two-drink minimum for free, courtesy of his record label. When I worked on the Tonight Show and we spotlighted interesting new products, we did not have to disclose that these were sent us by manufacturers eager for the free exposure. Movie critics go to private screenings… and some are flown out to press junkets to interview the artists. Yes, the larger news organizations insist on paying the way of their reporters – but not all do and they are not required to disclose and they are still able to run ads for competing movies.

I may or may not be a writer. I'm definitely not much of a businessperson.

Comments

[Lorna]

Just keep treating me like an adult, and I'll keep treating you like a talented one. What a tempest in a teacup. Of course, not for you as your life is being affected, but really, it makes you wonder about how bland some people's lives must be.

Carry on, I say

[Donna]

Have I told you lately how much I love you?

[Florinda]

From what I've heard, you're not the only blogger who has withdrawn from BlogHer Ads because of their policies about product reviews. (And now they have their own review program, but you can't post those reviews on blogs with the ad code either. Huh?) Lucky for me that book reviews don't normally cause a conflict, but still... I might make the same decision if they did.

And I LOVE your updated review policy, BTW!

Also - Jane's right. You ARE a writer. That's why I'm one of your readers.

[Melanie @ Mel, A Dramatic Mommy]

It's frustrating to see an actor on a TV show flip open their Mac Book, or chat via Skype (with the Skype logo in the corner and a Skype ad on top of the taxi the character was in earlier!) and not see those things disclosed in the credits but I have to be very clear that the CD I'm talking about was given to me by a PR company. Frustrating!

[Donna]

The double standard in disclosure is annoying - but I don't really mind letting people know when I've received a freebie (and always have - even before anyone required it of me).

What has made me chafe is the rule that I can't write a post about a product or event I attended AND run ads on the same page. I bet that TV show with all the Skype product placement still runs commercials from AT&T and Verizon.

Then again - if I had been actually earning some money from the ad network, I might have chafed a lot less. The truth is, if you don't get traffic, you don't have enough people clicking on those ads to earn you much of anything. By dropping the ads (which sent me traffic from way more successful sites), I also made a calculated decision to allow my readership to sink even LOWER.

As I said - probably not a great business decision. But part of my quest to take my blogging back to how it was when I began. Just because there is an issue now with companies who want to give me stuff means we can never go back exactly (as they say, "you can't go home again"). But I like the feeling of making my own rules again.

[Donna]

I'm glad you like the review policy - which I keep updating (as I get new, more inane releases and requests).

You know I love people who call me a writer. It's all I ever wanted to be.

[April McCaffery]

I've been debating back and forth whether or not to stop running BlogHer ads. While I'm not running right now to take them down, I most likely will very soon and this post gives me a lot of good reason to do so.

[Donna]

I am not advocating for others to leave the ad network. I actually think it's the best program around for sites that aren't traffic superstars.

I just got tired of having to relegate relevant material to a review blog that nobody reads, just because I received a product or event invitation for free.

And to be clear: I don't mind the disclosure rules (although I resent the FTC singling out bloggers). I've always disclosed, although before, I might have just mentioned that something was given me in passing instead of spelling it out precisely in a statement.

[April McCaffery]

No, I know you werent advocating leaving, but I totally agree with your points. Sometimes I feel constricted by allowing others to have space on my blog. I havent made a final decision, but this great post of yours will be taken into consideration!

[Karoli]

It's funny...I've also been considering withdrawing from their network for entirely different reasons. I hate having to live with the "we are the only graphical ad you can have above the fold" rule. For the $25 a month in a good month, I'm wondering if it's worth it. Dunno...still mulling.

Oh, and you ARE a writer. It's why I started (and continue to) read your blog all the time!