Evil mommies are forcing you to buy things!
by Mir Kamin
Although I could easily recount a hundred fabulous things about this year's BlogHer conference, I have largely avoided discussing what I felt to be a pervasive undercurrent amongst some of the non-parent attendees. Although (for me) that was but a tiny piece of my overall experience, it was there. And it was this: Who cares about stupid mommyblogging? Why is mommyblogging the hot thing right now? Now there's entire companies advertising on mommyblogs? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.
I have my own opinions about the answers to those questions (plenty of people; perhaps because the majority of adult humans either are or have parents, and there are a lot of really interesting people out there blogging about it; yes there is, and it's called marketing where the iron is hot), but I'm just delighted to see that the argument about blogging and advertising has landed squarely on the mommyblogger segment. Because heaven knows it's bad enough that we're out there blogging about our kids as if they're somehow interesting, but now we're making money off of it? Well, there you have it. Proof of all that's wrong with the world, right there.
Okay, maybe no one said it quite that way. (Actually, some people did, but I'll try to stick to those who make more direct points for the purposes of this discussion.)
And there's no disputing the fact that some people believe deep down in the cockles of their idealistic little hearts that blogging is blogging and business is business and never the twain shall meet. Bloggers, this faction avers, should never ever blog for money, lest they sully their authenticity. (I have often wondered if those people believe that novelists who publish have similarly compromised themselves, but that's another topic for another day.) What is interesting to me, now, is that the focus on mommyblogging has brought out the naysayers who seem to want those involved to feel an extra measure of guilt. After all, we're moms. Just like with raising our children, we should apparently be blogging purely out of love and selflessness.
Liz of Mom-101 is taking the critics to task with her usual mix of savvy and humor:
Interestingly, there's one consistent phrase that I've seen in both kinds of discussions, either by the author or the commenter. And that's the idea that those who disdain blog ads, do so in part because they make me buy products I don't need.
I had no idea we were so powerful. Neither did Liz.
Now personally, I would loooove to know which blog ad--the majority of which are poorly designed, and show a complete lack of understanding of the blog audience in both content and style--has that ability. Because if I knew it, I would be rich. Rich beyond my wildest dreams. So rich that I could buy you each ponies, and then ponies for the ponies, because hell, even ponies must dream of having their own ponies. And then we'd ride off together on our ponies (these are very sturdy ponies), with our ponies' ponies in tow, headed right for Canyon Ranch, where the Bali Spice Body Mask and Hot Stone Massages are on me.
One of the posts that prompted Liz's discussion was this piece by Jen of MUBAR about how blogging as a whole is changing, and not for the better:
The idea of being paid to blog certainly is a seductive one and one I've considered strongly. And I certainly do not think badly of any blogger who receives remuneration for her work (in fact, I think that as more and more people get paid to blog, it will become more democratic and less a hobby of the middle and upper middle classes). But one of the great things about the blogosphere in its infancy is that is was free from advertising and corporate meddling. It offered us something that other media channels didn't. Those days, I fear, are all but gone. (And yes, I've read all of the verbiage about advertisers not having an impact on content. But their patronage does complicate the blog conversation just a little, because it's a little like trying to have a serious conversation with a good friend with a guy from P&G sitting in the corner, taking notes.)
Content used to read as raw and fresh, no one was trying to sell you something or increase their site traffic. There was collaboration among bloggers, not competition, because, well, there was nothing to compete over. But now, money and fame has entered into the equation and because we bloggers, enemy of the ad-driven mass media, are not supposed to be thinking of this like a business, we hide our underlying intentions. Instead of competing directly for market share, for advertising dollars, for readers, and then sitting down to have a friendly beer at the end of the day, we seem to be doing the frenemy thing and write mean comments and parody blogs and leave throwaway comments designed simply to promote our own urls. It's a trend that threatens the very goodness of the blogophere: Goodbye Children's Television Workshop; hello Maury Povich.
The piece at MUBAR reads reasonably enough, although I still find myself feeling it's a bit of an oversimplification. A lot of the behaviors she points to (both between bloggers and in terms of personal blogging goals) are ones I saw plenty of evidence of when the "goal" was merely readers, not dollars.
But what about that, the popularity side of things?
In response to the post on MUBAR, crabbykate of tripping the life unbalanced has a few choice words to share:
What I take issue with is not necessarily the intent of the ad world, but rather the intent of blogging for fame. It seems like it's become a slippery slope from blog popularity to narcissism. And this state of constant need for popularity is rooted on by companies like Technorati and Sitemeter and Blog Shares. It's a world in which links and comments become ads themselves. It's the same world of obsessing about how many links you have, who links to you (and who doesn't), how many hits you get, and on and bloody on. What is problematic, of course, is when there is more focus put on linkage and less on content. I'm no stranger to this obsession myself, and I need to let it go.
The new economics of blogging means you hold up your words as product and look for the best buyer. And we continue to push for bigger and better buyers, damnit.
I'll confess that she somewhat loses me right at the beginning, as honestly I think we all have to agree that starting a blog at all involves a certain measure of narcissism. Then again, some people call a healthy dose of narcissism by another name---confidence.
Here's where I start shaking my head:
I'm not saying that popular blogs are bad. I'm not even saying that we should do away with advertising on blogs, per se. What I am saying, rather, is that the blogging world (and the "mommy blogging" world in particular, I think) could do with some reality checks in this regard.
I'm confused. Mommybloggers in particular? Why is that? Because mommyblogging is hot right now? Because mommies should know better? I'm not certain of the author's intent here, and I don't want to put words into her mouth. But why should the moms in particular check themselves? There's a message here, either way, that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Ann Douglas discusses The Parenting Media Revolution and puts forth a list of questions for her readers to consider in relation to the growing marketing segment on parenting blogs. It's her last question that gets me:
- Is "the Golden Age of the Blog" (that time of idealism and mutual support and sharing) over? Or has it only just begun?
And that seems to be the crux of the complaints; add marketing to honesty, and somehow, now, you're not longer honest. Now you're playing your audience. Now you're about business rather than authenticity.
I know I'm biased on this issue. I'm a mommyblogger, and I don't have a problem with carrying advertising on my blog. Furthermore, I don't feel that it has affected my content, other than that it has allowed me to keep a high-frequency blogging schedule during a time of my life when finances would've prevented that were I not receiving a bit of income from it. And you can call me idealistic (you'd be the first, actually), but I still believe in the basic principle of cream rising. By and large, I think most "popular" bloggers have attained their following through superb craft. If they start subverting themselves to the almighty dollar and writing crap, I think their audiences will go elsewhere.
And I think this is particularly true amongst mommybloggers, as there's certainly no shortage of mommyblogs out there right now.
What do you think?
Mir
[image courtesy of Blogs4biz]
BlogHer Contributing Editor Mir also blogs at Woulda Coulda Shoulda and Want Not.
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Comments
Evil Mommies and the Golden Age
You know, I think the golden age is always already over - that's what makes it golden. Someone inevitably comes along to say, "You know, blogs were really better when we carved them in stone, Gutenberg really cheapened things and the quality has gone downhill like you wouldn't believe."
:-)
I went to advertising sessions at BlogHer this year, because I was curious. I came away suspecting that I will have more luck in the future making money because of my blog, rather than from my blog directly. (Tip of the hat to whoever was quoting Doc Searls...) I have Amazon associate links on my sketchblog, but haven't bothered with ads - I don't get enough traffic to make it worth the trouble. (And since my blog involves the visual as well as the verbal, there is the question of how ads would affect the look of my site - I am shallow enough to care about that until the price is right!)
Thank you for bringing up the issues, though. Advertising and influence are always difficult to talk about - some people were offended by the presence of corporate underwriters for the conference, for instance. I have to tread lightly there, because like it or not, those underwriting dollars made it possible for me to attend and speak. I guess I don't think our hands (or our blogs) can ever be totally clean. We just need to be able make our choices with our eyes open. I would be much more uneasy with secret underwriting than with public ads, public messages, and public presence.
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drawing daily at woolgathering...
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Ads on mommy blogs are pure evil!
Because they give people who have nothing better to do something to complain to the blogger about...:p
I've been readin Dooce for awhile, since before her husband quit his job and she decided to put ads on her site. Oh, the howling! And people still complain about it, how they're sooooo distracting. And I say, What? distracting how?
I blog using LiveJournal. Recently I took the option of allowing their ad partners to advertise on my LJ. I don't get paid, but I get access to a few more options. My friends don't seem bothered by it, and I have yet to see an ad that doesn't jibe with my personal issues. Everyone's happy.
Perhaps the complaining about advertising on mommyblogs is simply sour grapes on some bloggers' end. I could care less.
Take the Highway Less Traveled
doesn't bother me
Ads, whether they're on telly or on blogs, are largely ignored by me. I've noticed them pop up on blogs I read and as long as the blog still interests me I'll still keep reading it.
I think some of the backlash is sour grapes? If people can make money from advertising on their blog then why shouldn't they? It takes time to maintain a blog. I'd love to make some money off my blog myself.
jen
semantically driven
Evil! I am pure evil!
I thank you (so...thank you!) for continuing the discussion so thoughtfully and for compiling all the different takes in one place.
I suppose the thing that confounds me most is all these accusations that once you have ads on your blog, your content changes. I'd love to see some evidence of that. I mean, I don't think twice about the ads on my blog unless they're ugly. I wish someone would ask the questions first of those who actually do have ads on the blogs. Otherwise it's an odd way to go about formulating theories. (And I don't mean the blogs you referenced specifically; this discussion comes and goes all the time.)
As for the analogy of having a low-level package goods marketer in the room - it's a funny thought and an interesting perspective. But does anyone really temper their discussions because there are or aren't ads on a blog? I'm more worried about what my grandmother thinks when I use the F word.
And then there's the whole accusation about blogging for popularity which...well, I don't get that at all. I'm all about the content, baby. If you blog for money or love or student council votes, I don't care just so long as it's engaging.
Mir is Right...the Cream Does Rise
I agree that good bloggers are more likely to get popular. If they begin to suck, they lose popularity. Sure there are some out there who resort to controversy or other stunts on occasion but I don't think that makes one popular on a consistent basis. I think they have to have good content or be able to connect with readers on some level. If they don't, there just is no incentive for people to come and read.
Furthermore, to imply that mommybloggers, in particular, need to check themselves is absurd. Based on what? Why only them?
I'm a mommyblogger. I have ads. So sue me.
IzzyMom
I just signed up for the
I just signed up for the BlogHer Ad Network. I'm a proud mommyblogger and I can't wait to start making money off my blog.
That being said, I have yet to buy something just because I saw an advertisement on somebody's blog about it. Unless you have five or six types of marketing on your page I rarely even notice it.
I say hooray that people want to pay me. I say hooray that enough people read my blog to make it worth while.
If the money and audience go away next week, at least I will have paid a power bill.
BlogHer Contributing Editor, Sports and Fitness
Sarah and the Goon Squad
Draft Day Suit
I just signed up for the
I just signed up for the BlogHer Ad Network. I'm a proud mommyblogger and I can't wait to start making money off my blog.
That being said, I have yet to buy something just because I saw an advertisement on somebody's blog about it. Unless you have five or six types of marketing on your page I rarely even notice it.
I say hooray that people want to pay me. I say hooray that enough people read my blog to make it worth while.
If the money and audience go away next week, at least I will have paid a power bill.
BlogHer Contributing Editor, Sports and Fitness
Sarah and the Goon Squad
Draft Day Suit
A blog should be whatever
A blog should be whatever the blogger wants it to be. I was recently considering going back to work outside of the home. My degree was in English/French but I really haven't utilized it, what with not being a part of the "traditional" workforce since having my kids. One of the requirements for the job I was considering applying for asked for an example of your writing. I have all sorts of papers from college, but that was almost 10 years ago.
It occurred to me that blogs can be a way of honing your writing and providing clear examples of your work to others for job interviews or positions in non-profit groups.
Obviously, your blog would have to be appropriate to be used in such a way, and not consist of ranting about nonsensical stuff. And, it probably shouldn't have pictures of your last drunken binge. :-)
Why would someone care if you used your blog for this purpose or any other? Who are these self-appointed "blog police" anyway? And, why do they feel it necessary to dump on everyone else?
Terri
Earthen Vessel Designs
SO true!
Terri, such a good point! I have indeed submitted blog posts as evidence that I can spin a yarn for money, if asked to. And yet, I also have pictures of my last drunken binge! (Just search "blogher" on my blog).
I agree, it's interesting that now there are appropriate and non-appropriate reasons for blogging according to some.
I'm poor. I've always been
I'm poor. I've always been poor. I may always be poor, because I chose to stay home with my kids, and get by on one income - my husband's. I'm happy. My kids are happy. Poor but happy, what a concept LOL
We are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary on Thursday by spending time with our poor but happy children.
I have to laugh (with a hint of wryness) at women complaining about other women finding a way to make money from home. Is that it? Is it an extension of the work-outside-the-homers versus the stay-at-homers?
No one forces you to read or write a blog. No one "makes" you buy something. Did a mommyblogger show up at your house, ring your doorbell and hold a gun to your head until you hit the "buy" button?
Please.
Marti
sour grapes?
First of all I have to say that a) I find ads distracting and b) I love to read blogs in a feed reader, but:
- as Marti said, nobody forces you to read a particular blog,
nobody forces you to buy anything, or even look at the ads
- blogging is work, it's costing time and energy
I'd love to make money off something I love doing, but unfortunately five readers a day might not be enough.
This discussion makes me think that maybe some people would like to be paid for blogging too, or that the myth of the starving artist is still alive.
You know, the poorer you are, the purer your art. And if it appeals to a lot of people it must be trash.
Diapers and Music
Windeln und Musik
(Of course I'm only writing this to force you to read my blog. And then I'll get ads and make tons of money.
BWAHAHAHA!)
Ads vs buzz marketing; parenting blogs vs
parenting mags
The line that Mir quoted from my blog The Mother of All Blogs (see original post above) might leave some people with the impression that I am opposed to all advertising on blogs. That's actually not the case at all. In fact, I'm very much in favor of writers making money from their words.
What I do have a problem with is the practice of "buzz marketing" -- specifically buzz marketers encouraging bloggers to talk up products to other bloggers without disclosing the fact that they are being paid (through redeemable points or some other form of compensation) for making those product pitches.
You've no doubt heard about Tremor and Bzz Agent. What you may or may not have heard that Procter and Gamble recently launched a buzz marketing program specifically for moms -- Vocalpoint -- an offshoot to its highly successful Tremor buzz marketing program. And there are other smaller companies cashing in on mom buzz.
I'm going to be talking a lot about these issues in my presentation at the Motherlode Conference in October. I'll be posting a summary of my portion of the panel "Mama's Got a Brand New Blog: The Rise of the Weblog and its Impact on Mothering" for anyone who wants to hear more on this issue.
Thanks for allowing me to correct any misconceptions on where I stand on the issue of advertising in general on blogs (to each her own) vs. the type of buzz marketing that adds noise to blogs and gets in the way of the real conversations between moms.
Ann Douglas
The Mother of All Blogs
P.S.
Product Placement
That's exactly what it is - this notion that bloggers are being paid to promote products. This isn't the same as ads, IMO. Ads are ads. They look like ads, you know that someone is getting paid to promote. However, this "hiding" ads in a blog as text or a story is the same thing to me as those "articles" in magazines that say in tiny print at the top "Paid Advertisement" in effort to make you think it's real content when it's not. At least those magazines tend to have enough integrity to point out (albeit discreetly) that it's advertising.
I am a mommyblogger (you can read my post about mommyblogging and the backlash at http://lawmummy.typepad.com/mommy_grows_up/2006/09/unabashed.html ). I also blog about other things - tax and law - on other blogs. I have text ads on my mommy blog because it's my fun blog and if I make a few bucks, it can offset the cost (I use Typepad and I pay for it). I don't have ads on my other blogs, mostly because they are associated with my law firm and I don't want to give the impression that my firm is promoting any particular product over another.
All of that said, I recently withdrew from a "BlogJolt" group because of this product placement issue. Many of the bloggers (some of which did happen to be mommybloggers, though certainly not all) seemed extremely happy to whore their blogs out for any product. In fact, when the question of product placement arose, only one or two bloggers even asked what kinds of products they would be asked to promote/mention or raised concerns about the manner in which it would happen. Rather, the overwhelming consensus seemed to be "let's make some money."
Now, don't get me wrong. Money is nice. I need it to keep the power on, to keep my kids fed and to pay for DSL so that I can check in with BlogHer. But money shouldn't drive everything we do without any boundaries. And, if you really want to treat your blog like a business, then use some business sense. There's a lot to choose from in the blogosphee. If readers think you're phony and cheap, they can easily click away to somewhere else.
evil mommies
I think that I love you. I mean, I already did, but now, more. I was called 'careerist' a few times in the hub-bub last week - because I also have a 'paid' blogging gig and because I'm trying to start a community blog - and some of the commentary in those posts was directed directly at me. Which stung, because, um, *mean*, but also because I just didn't get it. Sistahs are doing it for themselves - we should be promoting each others' efforts, not calling each other down.
About 'hiding' ads in posts... I just haven't seen this yet. Or maybe I missed it, because I'm clueless.
Such a compelling post.
Such a compelling post. Great take on all of it. I've got some stuff say and this post got me to say it over at my own bloggy blog. Thanks for the nudge.
Tracey Clark
Mother May I
Picture This
I really don't know why
I really don't know why people have strong opinions about other people's decisions about their blogs. I personally don't have ads, but that's mostly because I use the free version of wordpress, and it's not easy to have ads. I did decide pretty early on that I wasn't going to blog about products (except for books), but that was driven more by my interest in what I wanted my blog to be about than any desire to avoid commercialism.
Ann Douglas's points about
Ann Douglas's points about 'Buzz Marketing' is a direction of blogs and marketing I'm vaguely irritated by.
It's a place where the lines get a little blurry and I'm not sure I'm comfortable with it.
So very true, Elizabeth...
I just love Elizabeth Perry's comments on the golden age always coming to a close. How very true. I couldn't agree more!