This week in our Social Media and PR class we discussed the topic of ethical blogging. After our little debate the essential element of maintaining an ethical position as a blogger became apparent. Once the confusion settled our class generally agreed on the fact that, in order to receive compensation for ones blogging efforts, a certain level of transparency must be present.
This "level of transparency" is referring to the practice of making sure your readers understand the motives behind the author. Therefore from an ethical point of view, if an outside entity was to offer a blogger a "gift" or some other type of compensation for a positive review, the author or webmaster of the weblog should make it known to the readers that they are being compensated.
So, if you ever find yourself in a position like this remember to let your readers know that the idea of writing about a company or product came to you because you are being compensated for telling your readers about it.
3 comments:
I agree that there are definitely boundaries here. That's not to say that I've committed a bit of spamming in my life, in the name of the company I've represented. My foray into this was merely to promote a contest or to drum up interest in a show or promotion. I would never promote something that I felt was wrong or greatly unworthy of praise.
I went to a conference in Atlanta last weekend where one of the speakers talked about transparency. He said that means NOT an "entirely open kimono" but just being honest. "Intentions matter," he emphasized. The whole point is building trust. It sounds like you get that, too.
I agree with you that ethical blogging's main component is a certain level of transparency. We have all seen examples of bloggers that did not let their audiences know their motives. But we could all use this bit of advice for everyday life. Companies/bloggers should remember to be open and honest when promoting another product or company.
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