Comments on: Which is it?

By: Lisa Brown

Lisa Brown — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:32:28 +0000

I’ve been really wanting to start doing reviews & giveaways on my site… (but have yet to get any offers…) but I think your post has CERTAINLY changed my mind on that! Thank you SOOOOO much for this insight! (And – that being said – time to snoop and find out how much some moms really ARE making off their sites!)

By: Julie @ Knitting and Sundries

Julie @ Knitting and Sundries — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 01:47:32 +0000

OMG!! My sides hurt!!

Mac n Cheese may give them an orgasm and it was the best day of their life when the Mac N Cheese company offered a box.

That’s the funniest thing I’ve read all day! Seriously!

I’m a ‘baby’ blogger. I’ve only been actively blogging for less than two months. I’ve already been in a ‘used’ situation simply because I really didn’t know how much pure WORK goes into putting together a review, then a giveaway … blah blah blah

I don’t care if people get paid. If that’s how they want to run their blog, it’s all gravy. I will never never ever do another huge review and/or giveaway for free. NEVER. Even if the compensation is just product. I will determine if the product being offered is worth the time it will take me write up the review. I will then dedicate the amount of time the product is worth .. period… and that’s all, folks.

For me, book reviews are slightly different, because I have to take the time to read the book (which is something I do anyway), then post my review. But I just got a book for free – read it – then spent 20-30 minutes putting together the review and reposting it on Good Reads or some other site. For me, it’s worth it. I get a well-stocked library, free reading material, and sometimes I’ll get to give away a good book or two or three to my readers.

I look at all of the work that bigger bloggers do and it’s totally freaky .. I’m like, “OMG; how the heck do they do it? Do they even get to spend time with their fam or even get some good sleep in?” I think you guys are superwomen or something! It’s crazy; time is worth money, especially time that could be spent playing a board game or something with the bebes or snuggling on the couch with the hubster.

Doing product reviews is WORK – and people don’t work for free. My PR policy right now states that I won’t take monetary compensation for a review .. but that’s subject to change. If I start getting like a gazillion page views a day (or maybe even 500) – it might change.

I still won’t take monetary compensation and write a positive review on something I have absolutely no interest in or on something that I think sucks. If you pay me to do a review, and I try it and hate it, I’ll let you know in advance that the review is going to say “I hated it”. You can choose to let it post .. or not … you won’t get your compensation back though.

Bloggers are expected to write their honest opinion. If we don’t, then we lose any credibility we may have with our readers.

So I day, “good for you!” If you can get paid for doing all of this work, wtg, sister! You’re worth it!

By: Lauralee Hensley

Lauralee Hensley — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:05:47 +0000

I don’t have a blog, but I read many of the mommy blogs. I enjoy most of them. That’s why I come, to read, enjoy, enter the giveaways I’m interested in. Leave comments at times, not always though. I think the mommy bloggers do invest a great deal of time. I mean it even takes time out of ones day to visit blogs, so I can just imagine how much more time the mom blogger/reviewers have invested. Yes, I think if you can work out a way to be paid for your time you should do it. I know you’ll also be investing time in keeping your record books for taxes on the earned income. That takes time. Investing in new equipment such as camera’s, programs, computers or computer repairs, etc.. The money it costs for babysitters to watch your children when you need to go for pr interaction to blogging seminars or for company tours of companies you are working with. There is money and time invested in all of that and why should someone think you can just do it for free.
I really think mom bloggers should not only get an item to review for free, but at least $50 to review it, as well as additional advertising fees if you keep a link or promotion of a company up for more than a week on your site. That’s just my opinion as a non-blogger. Just because you get paid, doesn’t mean you’ll lie about a products worth or if you liked it. I read one mom’s review about a vacuum and at first it was great, but a few months down the road she wrote an addition to her original post because the vacuum had already broken down and she was having problems with the repair also breaking down. She was honest, at first it was great, but then when it was no longer so, she updated us. I’m glad she did that, I’m sure it helped others in their decision making process if they were considering purchasing that brand and make.
Keep up the good work and do it your way no matter what others have to say. You have to be happy, or otherwise you’ll burn out and may decide to drop your blogging, which I’ll miss.

By: Amber

Amber — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 03:59:53 +0000

Amen.

I’ve gotten paid for some things. Not a lot, mind you, but the things I did excited me a bit. And when companies ask if I want to review something I always think, “Me? Little old me?” I’m always flattered.

By: Brandy

Brandy — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 03:42:23 +0000

I need to get more serious about making money off mine cause it seems that this is the only way I’m going to be able to bring in any kind of cash.

I love that you post these kinds of things Trisha because I agree that it shouldn’t matter if they get paid or not … unless they are changing their view of the product because they are being paid.

By: Jenn@FFP

Jenn@FFP — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 01:26:08 +0000

I could careless if anyone’s paid on their blog/site or not. I want to be paid for my time and effort running my site but like you said it can come in many forms. I would prefer cold hard cash but I know the free products have helped us when we’ve really needed it…especially the food products. I love the food products!

If it’s not someone I read, know and trust then whether they get paid for it or they bought the stuff out of their own pocket, it’s not going to matter to me!

By: Amy from Resourceful Mommy

Amy from Resourceful Mommy — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 23:44:29 +0000

If one more person asks me to hold a Twitter Party for them for free or teach them how to hold Twitter parties, including the best way to get paid sponsors, I’m going to need a box of Mac ‘N Cheese. You know. The good kind you just mentioned… (pass me a fork…)

You know I love you, Trisha. And this is reason #492 why.

By: Kristen

Kristen — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:13:57 +0000

Great Post! I was just wondering about all this mess the other day!! Well said!

By: Louise

Louise — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 17:19:23 +0000

I need a serious time out. I think the only way to get one is to go on vacation and change my name.

By: Laurie

Laurie — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 17:00:20 +0000

Amen Sista