Whose blog is it? Whose?

These days bloggers increasingly kowtow to the likes of Google and whoever else seems to have their sticky paws in the honeypot of blogging… Why? To make a little dough, dosh, cash, readies, … whatever you wish to call it.

FAD: Fading or not?

While blogging is pretty much the fad of the decade, online journals preceded blogging by quite some time. I know because I was trying to do this in early 2000, but didn’t find any really good software to help me maintain the entries. I wrote them on my PDA of the day, a Palm Pilot IIIX (I think) back when Pilots were revolutionary, and WORKED! Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any way to handle the HTML in an easy fashion, and no way to link the entire blog together properly. Of course, the blog hadn’t really been invented, though Blogger existed in late 1999 as did a few others!

I blogged on and off since about 2004 with the registration of my second or third domain here. Most of that blog is now located at Obblogatory, as this is InvestorBlogger II. As a writing teacher for more than five years, and having some ability with words (thanks to years of reading classical Greek translations written in the 19th Century) that developed over the years, the act of blogging has been something that has spurred me to write more and more online.

The Ups and Downs

And I enjoy blogging. I really do. I like the challenge of encapsulating thoughts, ideas and experiences into posts. I enjoy the thrill of getting comments from bloggers from all over the world. I feel that blogging has helped me to articulate ideas, develop my own writing skills, and stimulate my brain.

But recently I’ve been getting frustrated. Not with blogging, but with those largish conglomerates that are starting to populate the world of blogging, and which posture and huff’n’puff as if they really were something. Why does it piss me off? Because…

I’m Pissed Off

Because of stupid emails like the one I got below… despite having ads for months on my blogs.

Thanks for your post! Unfortunately, we cannot approve it at this time because it does not meet our <a href=http://www.payperpost.com/company/tos.html>Terms of Service</a> in regards to Inline Ads and Links.
According to our Terms, “There are to be no third party links, ads or other detractors located within the sponsored post.” Please remove all third party links and banners from in or around the post and re-submit the post to us. Also, According to our Terms, “PayPerPost bloggers must disclose to their readers that they receive compensation from PayPerPost advertisers. Disclosure may be in the form of a site wide disclosure link on all blog pages or on a per post basis. (Unless the advertiser requires otherwise) ” Visit <a href=http://disclosurepolicy.org/generator/generate_policy>Disclosure Policy.org</a> for further information. Thanks! John

Well, John. I don’t know how long you’ve been able to write or spell, but really… my blog has had a disclosure page (well, sorry you couldn’t find it!) for nearly 1.5 years now.

But what really bugs me is that I’m busy paying for the hosting for my blog out of my own pocket (which I don’t mind), and here comes a company that is acting as a middle-man (sorry for the sexist term) and tries to tell me how to maintain my blog. Eh, excuse me, but where was that check for my hosting bills, my electricity bills, my computer repair bills? Wasn’t it in the post? Oh, no…

Dear John,

Thank you for your reply.

Unfortunately, due to contractual reasons, I cannot remove the
advertising from that slot. The code is entered above the post. Also,
FYI, my blog has displayed a disclosure for over 18 months, I’m sorry
that you can’t find it… but if you looked you would know.

In common with many people, we have avoided using set terms and
phrases in our blogs to prevent Google from automatically deranking
our blogs. Again, if you have been working with bloggers for a while,
you should know this.

I’m removing the post, because I expect PPP to support us as we are
providing the means by which PPP advertisers reach out, esp. as Google
is making life difficult for us. While you may cite your TOS, it takes
more than just contracts to retain good relationships with your
bloggers.

Yours
Kenneth

Well in the five months since I did my last post for PayperPost (and the Google SmackDown!), I guess I’ve been paying for my blog and so have really appreciated advertisers coming on board and helping me defer the costs of blogging: currently running at about $1,000 per year all-told.

PayPerPost: Best of the Bunch?

But it seems to me that I’m mostly favorably inclined to PayPerPost. Not so some of the other intermediaries that try to get between the bloggers and the readers. Why? The fact is quite simple: without blogs, Payperpost could not/would not exist even though advertisers did. Blogs are to Payperpost what drivers are to cars. No drivers ergo no cars. No bloggers ergo no Payperpost.

And that goes for a number of other companies that are self-serving in a far more egregious way than Payperpost.

Top Leeches in the Blogging World

Here’s my hit list of such companies:

1. Google Search – for not running their Search Engine efficiently enough to tell what is a popular blog and what is a splog; for requiring bloggers and all websites to use rel=”nofollow” despite not being consistent in their own policies on their own websites or on their primary advertisers;

2. Google Adwords/Adsense- for getting greedy as it tried to make last quarter’s targets: cutting out referral bonuses (like they don’t need more advertisers or publishers – hello, China! Taiwan! Brazil! – I can hear 5 Billion People Out There! Why can’t you?), cutting payouts, providing free advertising on your Adsense, allowing bloggers to be paid the vast sum of 1c per click; for not being transparent enough in its Adsense payouts despite asking for transparency from its users;

3. Google Adsense – for creating additional requirements for websites and advertisers who want to participate in their program, despite the decreasing payouts, decreasing click throughs, etc.. I know it’s your program, and you’re entitled to set your own policies; but you need to remember – the bloggers who use Adsense are ALSO your customers. No bloggers ergo no Adsense. Wonder how that would increase your earnings…;

4. PayPost – for increasingly adopting policies as a tool for managing their bloggers. I know that there are over 100,000 bloggers on their network, and that many of their bloggers are really ‘below par’ in terms of quality. I’ll be detailing why shortly. So policies are a requisite: but my advertisers are currently helping to pay the bills for this blog, and PayPerPost is not. And its stupidly recalcitrant policies for zoning posties, insisting on PR as a factor in its system (even while publicly disavowing it! Good one!) are not helping. SocialSpark is anything but social. There are increasingly strict policies that are detailed in a number of places: TOS, Code of Ethics, FAQ, and BEST Practices! Wow! Blogging for $5 requires a lot of work these days.

5. Blogrush – for allowing itself to portray itself as great plugin with huge benefits for bloggers when in reality it simply sucks up bandwidth, and creates an unbalanced opportunity for bloggers. You advertise the widget with their company on your blog. On the widget are some stories that take readers away from your blog as well as advertising in the hope that on another site, you might (MIGHT!) just get some readers from them. In reality, it is just another blackhole for bloggers that sucks traffic, and returns very little. Even EntreCard is better than that.

Et al.

There are a number of other companies seeking to sponge off the work of bloggers, too: SponsoredReviews (what’s with their bidding? and for failing to take into account ‘nofollow’), Technorati (for adding an extra page between your post and their website – what a leech?), Adsense (oh, wait I already mentioned them), … I’m sure you can add your own…

And I’m mad as hell today.

So, yes, I’m mad today. Why? Because bloggers like myself work hard at our writing, trying to come up with original content (unlike the hundreds of make money blogs out there that simply copy each other!), yet we are being made to jump through all sorts of hoops for benefits that are hugely weighted in favor of the middle-man. Perhaps without such exploitation, these services would largely not exist. Am I right? So, bloggers, if you are trying to make money online, it’s time that you stop letting yourself be exploited by these guys. Stand up for your rights, stand up for your blogs.