Full disclosure

There’s been lots of talk on the Internet lately about “full disclosure”.  The biggest cause of this is a program called Pay Per Post, which pays bloggers to write blog entries about specific items or topics.  Advertisers will pay a blogger a small fee, for example, $5, to write about another website or a consumer product.  The hope is that by having people write about and link to a product or site, that product or site will become more visible in search engine rankings.  As was expected, Google is rather livid about this practice, as it takes advantage of their search engine algorithm, and they’ve already started to threaten to penalize bloggers who write for Pay Per Post, and advertisers who buy ads.  Bloggers are also now being required to disclose their PPP entries, and to reveal that they’ve written the entries in exchange for cash.

While speaking to another blogger about PPP, I found out that it’s supposedly bad form in the blogging world to use affiliate links in blog posts.  Affiliate links allow bloggers to earn a small percentage of any sale made through a link, and while they don’t cost the consumer anything, apparently they can be construed as being dishonest.  I guess you’re not supposed to trust what I write if I might make 54 cents if you make a purchase.  I do use affiliate links periodically, but not all the time.  If I’m writing about a brand of dog food, I’ll link to the manufacturer’s site so you can find the best information, and I won’t make any money doing it.  I could link to an online store that sells the food (and perhaps earn a commission), but that won’t give you extra information to help you make a decision.  In contrast, if I write about a book I’ve read, I’ll link to Amazon so you can go to read other reviewer’s opinions, and where you can get the lowest price.  In that case, I will usually use an affiliate link to the product (unless I’m feeling lazy).

Anytime I write about any product, I always write my true and honest opinion, good or bad.  I may write that I hated a book, yet still use an affiliate link to it, or I may write that I loved something, and not use an affiliate link.  I do not choose my subjects/topics based on their ability to bring me income.  If I did that, I’d have a blog with imaginary mesothelioma stories and a bunch of AdSense ads.  I try to always tell the truth and to be “transparent” in my writing, and that’s why I’m writing this to clarify that sometimes I use affiliate links in my blog, and that I occasionally earn a few cents.  Literally, the money earned is in cents… if you bought the “Sock Creatures” book I wrote about a few days ago, I would have earned 54 cents.  In an entire year, all income from all affiliate link on my entire blog earns me about $20 total.  If someone reading this thinks that $20 is enough to sway me to lie in my posts, then that someone really doesn’t know me very well.  And if someone else thinks that I’ve got no right to earn $20, then I’ll happily send you my vet bills.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/02 at 11:19 PM

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  1. Heh. I’ve done content writing, which can actually pay fairly decently especially considering it can be done at 4 am in one’s jammies. But never dog related since that brings up puppy4sale ads, which I am vehemently opposed to.

    Posted by Carina  on  01/03  at  03:33 AM

  2. You do this tastefully whereas one blogger I’ve seen has gone down to no comments because it is so sickitatingly forced..it’s a stretch how he tries to link his personal topics to these products.  It is so lame. Yours is real and I wouldn’t begrudge any $$ you derive from it.

    Posted by Ruth  on  01/04  at  04:42 AM

  3. You have always struck me as being very honest.. one of the reasons I enjoy your blog so much.  It bothers me, not at all, if a few cents are made here and there.  I too have an affiliated link with Amazon.com.  I think I have made maybe $50.00 over the past 7 years. grin

    Posted by Coll  on  01/04  at  11:21 AM

  4. Thank you for the vindication wink

    Posted by Leigh-Ann  on  01/04  at  10:16 PM
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