You go, man!

Today may be the last day that Google returns zero results for "coalition of unpaid bloggers."

Let's watch it grow.

I'm just trying to move the ball downfield a bit, Larry; you're the one who took the snap and threw the pass! ;-)

Like I have folks beatin' down my door to give me money for such jewels as the Great Texas Buzzard Massacre.

For real, people get PAID for blogging? I mean I have seen the little "tip jars" which is kinda trashy seeming to this southern gal, but what the heck, live and let live. I wouldn't work for tips again unless my other choice was the Lancaster Street bridge as a domicile address. Been there, done that and bought the orthopedic shoes. (working for tips, not the homeless route) Uck.

CP, I don't think anyone's trying to do anything with the tip jars other than cover their hosting/bandwidth charges. The one guy I know who gets significant tip jar bucks is James Lileks, and he donates the excess over his hosting costs to charity, which is pretty cool.

"The display of this logo on a blog will tell the reader that the blogger is not financially answerable to any third party for what he or she writes.."

Ummm... that depends entirely on the personal integrity of the blogger.

The display of this logo on a blog will tell the reader that the blogger claims not to be financially answerable to any third party for what he or she writes.

Saying something doesn't necessarily make it so, particularly when a blogger could have a very real financial incentive to appear unbiased to their readers. Anybody can put up a CUB style banner and claim they're "unpaid".

A reader sees a blog with a banner saying "I'm unpaid, I don't take money". Correct me if I'm wrong, there's no way to independently verify this is true.

I believe the introduction of commercial involvement in blogging will hurt its credibility in general, especially when it's impossible to know for sure who's "on the take" and who isn't. Soon, any regular endorsement of a product or a brand will be looked on with suspicion.

For example, I know a blogger in Texas who's a Mac fan. The guy loves Macs, Apple products in general, and frequently talks about their benefits. Now, you know and I know that guy's on the level and he's a straight shooter.

Imagine what happens say, five years from now when any number of firms are paying bloggers to "discuss" their products. A new reader discovers the Fireant Gazette and there's a couple entries about the amazing features a Mac product has. How is that reader going to determine if the reviews aren't being paid for by Apple, CUB banner not withstanding?

This issue affecting blogs is part of a much larger one involving credibility on a number of levels. Over the last several years, largely due to the internet, there's been a growing dissatisfaction with the "unbiased" reviews in major magazines. In the past, a person didn't have much outside information about a product aside from those magazines. If they were lucky, they knew a friend who bought one and who was honest enough to describe its features. That last point is key because many people don't want to feel foolish by admitting, "yeah, I bought one and it's a piece of junk."

But that's changed. With the increase of internet access and forums, enthusiasts of a hobby or a sport can freely discuss a product. People are discovering they're not the only one who bought something because of a great review in a magazine and got burned. People are also beginning to figure out that magazines (including those on-line) taking thousands in advertising dollars aren't going to give "bad" reviews to an advertiser's product.

Savvy companies are starting to advertise through the same medium describing their products: on-line reviews by supposedly independent, unbiased bloggers and forum "regulars". Independent reviews used to be a source of unbiased information about a product. It won't take too long before more companies go out of their way to change that, "buying" good reviews with money and free merchandise.

The day could come when the only credible review is a negative one. Even worse, some reviewers have already anticipated that day and deliberately criticize some very insignificant feature just to give an air of legitimacy to their largely positive review.

This all returns to what you said once before, it's all about credibility and perception.

Mr. Freen, you're exactly right...this whole CUB thing is based on the honor system. It's self-policing, and that opens it to all kinds of abuse.

But, what's the alternative? No one wants an externally-imposed policing mechanism or bureaucratic big brother auditing our blogs.

Perhaps the best we can hope for is for people to start thinking about the issues. In the end, however, the best way to feel comfortable with someone else's opinions is to spend enough time with them to feel like you know them. After all, that's why you think that guy in Texas is a "straight shooter," right?

Hmmm, the charity angle is interesting....

Does it count if people pay you to not Blog......I get a lot of those offers.

Just received and cashed my first GoogleAds check - it was enough to cover my quarterly hosting (TexasGigs and me), with a little left over for the TG Radio streaming. I need a D.U.M.B. badge.

In a slightly serious vein, I've found that I've run out of things to say after three years. I'm ready to just back it all up, frame the DVD as a reminder, and go back to being a pundit on a barstool, arguing with the same group of fools. At least there, I got some scenery.

In a slightly serious vein, I've found that I've run out of things to say after three years.

Is that why you started blogging...because you had something you wanted to say? If so, I can see where you might get to the point of feeling like you've said it and it's time to move on. But I'd be surprised if it was that simple.

'Course, I'd be lying if I said I never feel the same way, because I do, at least once a month. But then life starts being its funny old self again, and just begs for some inane commentary.

...and go back to being a pundit on a barstool, arguing with the same group of fools.

So how's that different from blogging? Except that the group of fools is vastly larger...?

Do what you want, pard, but you'd be sorely missed.

Google picked up 252 hits this morning for "coalition of unpaid bloggers" (enclosed in quotes). These come from three sites: Corante, Arguing with signs, and Fireant. This thing is on the map.

Interesting how various search engines respond as an idea proliferates across the web.

A meta-search engine, Katoo.com, with an interesting way of visually displaying results, picked up "Coalition of Unpaid Bloggers" at http://genebob.blogspot.com/.

Kartoo found it through HotBot AltaVista. Google does not have that reference as of 10 minutes ago.

Genebob actually has the logo displayed on his post, although I am not sure whether he is "joining" or merely dispaying it.

Larry, as far as I know, no one else has yet jumped on the bandwagon to the extent of actually putting the CUB icon on their blog. I saw Gene Bob's post yesterday (via my visitor log); he's just linking to the post.

I think the jury's still out on whether this issue matters to anyone else, or if this approach is an acceptable way of dealing with it.

I'm for being included even though I've recently posted a google ad at the bottom of my page. I influence it, not the other way around. And the fact that I've not noticed even a blip of difference, I'd say it holds no bearing on my blogging whatsoever.

My decision to add it was purely as a cost-offset mechanism.

I'll wait for the decision from the replay booth before posting the button at my site.

Bryan, the more I think about the Google ad thing, the less relevant I think it is to the issue CUB is trying to address. As you say, you have more control over it than vice versa, and if anyone has yet figured out how to blog in such a way as to increase that revenue, it's the world's best kept secret!

Unless I hear some good arguments to the contrary, I think we can drop the ad thing like we did the tip jar.

A statement of principles is starting to appear. Stated concisely, they will become the principles to which unpaid bloggers will subscribe in order to distinguish themselves from paid bloggers.

Last night there was an interesting radio program about a phenomenon whereby people volunteer to provide word of mouth buzz for various products. The brand-promoter engages "agents," to talk about their products around the water cooler at work or on the sidelines at their kid's soccer games.

The relationship between agent and their quarry (e.g. friends and co-workers) was even more fuzzy than the issue we have before us. It was an interesting discussion. Nine out of ten times, it was estimated, the agent did not disclose the relationship with the brand-promoter. Disclosure is voluntary. Agents may or may not be compensated or receive samples of the products they promote.

Unlike the traditional consumer, who may buzz a product along their social grapevine simply because of their positive or negative experience, a formal connection or arrangement exists between agent and promoter.

The story was on "The Connection" 12/06/2004. People with pro and con views were enpaneled for the program. Others called in to comment. There is a forum for further online discussion. Slip on the headphones while you're waiting for that website rebuild to finish. The story link is on:

http://www.theconnection.org/shows/2004/12/20041206_b_main.asp

I encourage the Fireant readership to continue to work through the nuances of the issue and come up with a statement of principles as to what does and does not constitute "unpaid blogging." Then you have the basis for a true coalition, a worthwhile endeavor, and a true service to the blog-reading public.

Mr. Freen has some insights that warrant further discussion.

I would lose my small but dedicated readership if I became a shill. They come to read my blog specifically because of my anti-consumerism/anti-corporate/anti-advertising content. I am drawn to the idea of putting something up to indicate that I am an independent and that I don't advertise or take money but I'd want that to be personalized (otherwise it's just like an ad, in a way). One distinction I'd like to make is between advertising and advocacy. I am an advocate for a number of issues that are dear to my heart: environmentalism, social justice, public media, open source,etc. Thus I advocate my readers to look at organizations and groups who work towards improving our world in the areas I'm passionate about. Advocacy is about ideas and awareness, advertising is about selling *stuff*. You can't sell stuff if you are critical of it. Whereas advocacy involves debate and critical mindedness. These are very different things. So I believe that bloggers can decide for themselves if they want to shill or raise awareness - or just gab about whatever they want. It's their choice. But I think all of us should be transparent about what we're doing and who we're doing it for. We owe it to our readers.

Chandrasutra, I believe we're all advocates for something, otherwise we wouldn't have the passion or motivation to write on a consistent basis. But, as you point out, that motivation may become something entirely different when it's driven by a financial arrangement, and readers deserve to be informed when that's the case.

You should feel free to personalize your statement of "independence" however you see fit. The CUB "logo" is one way to do it (and there is perhaps some credibility in having a widely-accepted consistent indicator...but we're far from that point at this time), but certainly not the only way. Linking your "logo" to a disclosure statement is probably the most important thing.

Thanks for your thoughts.

A few what ifs and a why:

What if someone is "paid" at one site but has a personal site that isn't paid?

What if someone is blogging on their own business site?

Why? Why is getting "paid" especially by ads a bad thing? Presumably what you're actually contrasting is for profit vs. not for profit, but I trust Fox News way more than I trust Public Television. (And of course, the reporters for Public Television get paid, though probably not as much.)

If your issue is one of purity, defending the virginity of the blogosphere against vile commercialism, you should probably look to USENET, email and the web. Better you concentrate on real problems of people abusing the medium, like comment spammers, and forget trying to hold back the tide. If people had gotten serious about setting rules and enforcement mechanisms for reasonable commercial use in USENET, for example, a reasonable commercial use that would have created a commercial interest in keeping the medium viable, it might still be as useful as it was instead of the swamp it is today.

Tom, I think you're reading much more into CUB's purpose than necessary...

Why? Why is getting "paid" especially by ads a bad thing?

It's not...not at all. This is not a campaign against ads, commercialism or even getting paid outright to blog. It's simply a disclosure mechanism for those who don't get paid to blog. It's a service for readers, not a limitation on bloggers.

What if someone is "paid" at one site but has a personal site that isn't paid?

Good question. A CUB disclosure applies only to the site on which the logo appears.

What if someone is blogging on their own business site?

Everybody gets paid for doing something. CUB only applies to those who don't get paid to blog.

If your issue is one of purity, defending the virginity of the blogosphere against vile commercialism...

This issue isn't even on CUB's radar screen. Commercialization of the blogosphere is inevitable, as is some sort of self-disclosure mechanism (in my opinion). CUB is simply one way of putting some feet to the discussion.

These are all good issues to discuss, and the dialog is what I hoped would ensue as a result of this proposal. This is how we can work toward some kind of consensus...even if, in the end, the consensus is that CUB is irrelevant and unneeded.

My entire freelance writer/artist career has been one of not getting paid.

Where do I sign up to align myself with others who don't get paid?

I'm in!