Move over FTC and interpersonal mommy blogger wars, there is a new Sheriff in town and its called the Travel Blogger.
And they are pissed.
Apparently Mom Bloggers are stealing their *cough* press junkets and falsifying reviews to make them positive and getting paid for it.
Check out this post that was sent out to the entire Google Travel Writers Group as a factual statement:
If any blogging community is being targeted, it is the mommy blogging group. Never heard of this community? I hadn’t either until a year ago. Large corporations are targeting this demographic of stay at home moms with lifestyle blogs. It is a major source of income for these women as they get paid for reviews. Yes, they are getting upwards of $200 per blog post for positive mentions on their blogs. This in itself is an entirely different subject, but this is a small part of how the FTC decided to update their rules. It affects the travel community because these bloggers have now learned about press trips.
After another mom blogger/travel writer responded and defended mom bloggers from this gossip mongering, the same woman replied, again addressing the entire email chain:
We can respectfully disagree on this particular topic. I have had too many conversations with travel marketing/destination reps who are bit gun-shy when dealing with bloggers. This hesitancy is based on their mommy blogger experiences which have included confidential emails made public and demands for the destination to foot the bill for entire families (referring to airfare). I can only go by the facts as I’ve been told. As with any community or industry, be it travel guide writers or mommy bloggers, it only takes a few bad apples. I’ve attended a small number of the same conferences you’ve been to, and I did hear of mom bloggers accepting cash payment for positive reviews. Fortunate for you that you’ve never met any of them.
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Misinformation much?
I think I may be late to the game. Which one of you is getting paid $200 to put up reviews? Can you send me the contacts?
I would like to quit working for poverty blog level here.
~Trisha <————integrity to sell for $200 a post.
P.S. Whiny [jealous] babies.
I will happily X GREEDILY open a new blog and start posting whatever in the hell they want. heck i will cut your cost, and only charge $199.
$200? Highly doubtful. LOL
That is such bs! I would LOVE to get paid $200 for a review! But I would never sell out and be dishonest. Dishonest bloggers make all of us look bad.
So you can’t be a mommy and a traveler and blog???
Second, we’d (mommy bloggers) be up in arms too if that were true…the paid for + review thing.
And I HATE it when people point fingers, call out one specific group and use massive generalizations.
I have been on two different trips where either a stipend was also included with the trip or a huge gift card to their store. They asked us up front to be completely open and honest about what was given on the trip in exchange, in hopes of a positive review; but the nice thing was they “hoped” we would write about our experience. There was no requirement. I think this kind of trip can be construed by a blogger that was not upfront about it and gossiping to a friend about how much they “made” would look like what was written above.
Sara Lee provided a stipend that was supposed to cover expenses incurred on the trip, and TJX let us go shopping in two of their stores. Not entirely sure it is the same as above but defiantly something that should be included for FTC reasons.
It’s also an attitude thing. But I would say overall, I’m at poverty level and way too nice. I’m just now learning to say no and hit the delete button.
Trisha, I’d like to pay you $200 to write a review of me! Please start with cute, end with funny, and be sure to include somewhere in there that I’m much thinner than I appear. I’d also like you to link the words “hot sexy mama” to http://www.amylupoldbair.com. Bill me.** Thanks.
**Don’t really because WHO DOES THIS!?! No one, right?
Really? $200 ? Methinks the travel industry is hurting because of the economy & more people booking their own trips online. Sounds like sour grapes.
I call BULL on that one. Prove it, link to it, or keep it to themselves is what I would say about that LOL
Wow. Sorry for the novella.
I believe that just as in any industry, there is the potential for greed. I also believe that every person with a blog may lack a particular professionalism trait. However, if a company takes the time to research the blogger and/or read the blog, they should have some sense of what they are getting into with the blogger. When a blogger begins making unreasonable demands, if that is indeed what is happening, then the company should cut the ties. I would do it with any real life employee, what makes blogging any different? I have read stories of people demanding this or that product at conferences (I’ve never been so I must admit I have not seen it first hand) and I have seen one blog entry where a woman claimed to have been paid $250 for a review of an adventure park.
That type of revenue falls completely outside of my realm of blog. I have a small blog and a review blog. I have a small audience compared to some. I simply don’t put myself out there or market to companies. I am sure I could, but I don’t want that pressure to perform.
I have done a hand full of reviews and the only thing I have ever received is the product to be reviewed. Except for the shampoo review. I did receive money for that. I have never received anything in triple digits. That said, the majority of reviews on my blog are products that I have bought and either liked or disliked and shared my opinion. I blog with integrity. I don’t fluff my posts to make the product more appealing because I got it for free. When I like something, I say so. If it sucks, I say that too.
Where are these people getting their information? I’ve never heard of any blogger that gets paid for positive reviews, let alone paid for a review at all.
That’s what I was thinking. I honestly don’t believe that… I mean, with all the bloggers out here reviewing for free (or for products, services, etc) what stupid company would actually put up cash rather than moving on to the next willing blogger? Doesn’t make much sense from a business standpoint.
Whoever charges (or pays) for a “positive review” is a douche bag. Reviews are reviews. So are these Travel Writers Group…. (as you can tell I am in a bad mood today.) I mean who the hell are these Travel Writers Groups? I suppose people stirring up some drama because they have no life.
HAhhhahha well sorry no $200 contacts from me LOL but I can send you some $1 products LOL
I have never been offered money for a post. I’ve received products to review. With the Ford Taurus “contest” I won, I got a big prize that included hotel, NFL tickets, and a car for the weekend. This was in exchange for getting the word out about the Taurus. I felt that I was honest in sharing the things I liked and didn’t like about the car in my posts. I don’t think I’d feel right posting a review in exchange for cash…too much temptation to give a good review.
I don’t get paid for any of my reviews other than receiving product. I also am never told to do a “positive”, most businesses like to see the pro’s and con’s listed out. They actually encourage an unbiased review or honest review whichever word is more appropriate.
$200 a post .. man that would be great, huh!? LOL
I hasten to add that I LOVE mommy bloggers and didn’t mean to disparage any of them in that last comment.
Blogger bashing is getting old – quickly. Why can’t we focus on the writing and community building aspects of blogging than the jealousy and bashing of who got to go where?
For once, I’d like to read an article or have an on line conversation about how a company-blogger experience went right (which can be hard to do, it’s almost like catching lightening in a bottle) than complaints about how it went pear shaped or all of the gossipy things I’m reading lately about who got what or was paid to do blah.
I have written about it. I had a great experience with Health Master. A juicer worth $200. Not only did they give me one to have, when I came up with an idea to do a recipe contest they decided not to just give one away but two! Then a few months later they asked me if I am still enjoying it and would I still recommend it. It was a pure joy to work with the PR company. The contestants who won were very pleased as well…they were overnighted their prize.
Oh, I don’t believe that for one second. Mommy bloggers (which I am not) are working for nothing. Yeah, they sell ad space, but I’ll complain about that as soon as other kinds of bloggers are targeted for doing the exact same thing. What this does mean, though, is that many mommy bloggers are unprofessional, and it makes this particular lie believable to a lot of people, I’m guessing.
I thought about doing reviews myself, but it’s a lot of effort for very little reward, so I didn’t get into it. It takes a special kind of masochist to continue in that particular pastime for any length of time. If somebody wants to pay me $200 to write a post, I’ll do it, but I won’t call it a review. I’ll call it an ad. I’m pretty sure (though I can’t prove it) that most mommy bloggers do the same thing.
Some people are so uninformed. If you find a company paying $200 bucks a post, send them my way. Momma needs a new pair of shoes.
haha I’LL SAY!!!!!!! Sounds far fetched. I’d like to see proof before I’d even consider believing that one…
Holy crap! Isn’t it cheaper and more beneficial to give 4 bloggers $50 for an ad or HONEST review? I think companies that are ETHICAL will look for bloggers that are sincerely honest in their reviews. The ones that will point out the good and the bad of their product. Afterall we aren’t writing testimonials, we are writing REVIEWS. If you don’t want to hear the truth then go back to the drawing board and come up with a product that will hold up to what you say it will.
i dont think anyone is getting paid for positive reviews. I have been in the height of reviews for bloggers and I know 100s of women that work with companies and i cant say one of them has told me or implied they have ever been paid for a positive review. I think its pretty much gossip!