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Sponsorships and Blogger Hypocrisy
Written By Scrivs on Jun. 24, 2008.
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From the Clip Sponsorships and Blogger Hypocrisy posted by Tyme:
It seems that unless you are a part of a blog network or some big name blogger the idea that you would even think of stepping beyond the bounds of ad networks and god forbid go looking for deals of your own then you are stepping beyond your pay grade and need to be put back in your place.
We've had this discussion a million times and now I'm beginning to wonder if anyone has specific examples of blogs caving in under the "pressure" of sponsorship influence? Readers always seemed concerned about a blog taking up advertising or sponsorship, but when has that effected the quality of the blog at the moment? Anyone have any examples because I would love to see them in action.
Tyme
Written Jun. 24, 2008 / Report /
It happens a lot in the gaming industry. The Gamespot incident is a good example. Gaming reviews can be very jaded, matter of fact I posted a clip about it a little while ago. That's how you can tell the difference between a baby gaming site (a blip on the radar) and one that has "pull" in the niche. The gaming companies can be tough to work with once a site scales.
Scrivs
Written Jun. 24, 2008 / Report /
I wouldn't consider Gamespot under the umbrella of blogs that I was asking about, but that is a great example and I remember that incident. Game companies just don't like those bad reviews and it's sad they will pull money away from a site when they don't get their way. It seems sponsorships would be a big issue on blogs that handle reviews as opposed to ones that write more opinion-based articles.
Tyme
Written Jun. 24, 2008 / Report /
Well, my point was if Gamespot feels the pressure (and they are huge) bloggers don't have a chance. They don't have the resources to fight the system.
Another perhaps clearer example is TechCrunch. He walks the line of writing about the companies that are in his niche and possibly sponsor him. Now that he has crossed over onto mainstream media (TV) he has even more power. And he can be a real ass when he wants to be.
The more his site needs to make money the more I see him blurring the lines, because he blurred them when he didn't have to.