Here’s a riddle for you: What’s invisible to those inside it but painfully obvious to outsiders?
Answer: The A-List of bloggers.
Recently, there’s been a lot of criticism coming from the likes of Robert Scoble, Jason Calacanis, Steve …

ok…

I’ll be happy when disclosure is enforced by law, so folks can see how cheaply you sell yourselves for a buck.

I was checking out my stats on Technorati this evening and noticed the following as the top search: Rockstarup. I couldn’t remember where I saw this before so I did a bit of research and found out that yes, they are the “tv” company started by Paype…

Take my blog for instance. I get almost 600 visits per day (not much I know), but the vast majority are just coming from Google for a specific post. They’re not returning daily to hear my latest insights. They won’t be deceived into thinking that I’m endorsing some product I don’t believe in, because chances are they don’t care about that post…

[ The evolving corporate focus on "blog placement" is part of an intensifying trend, with elite bloggers receiving gifts like show tickets and bottles of Champagne.

Intel, the chip maker, doled out free laptops to six well-known bloggers who were invited to muse about blogging over a six-week period.

There is a video circulating online that pictures four German bloggers careening around a racetrack in a shiny red Opel Astra. All of them received free use of the Astra cars for four weeks plus allowances as part of blogging project for Opel.

In recent months, the gifts and invitations have multiplied, according to an Italian blogger, Luca Conti, who lists himself as a "conversational media consultant."

On his Web site, Pandemia, he tallied the booty: a mobile telephone, several subsidized conferences and a fully paid trip to Paris this weekend, compliments of France 24, the new French International broadcaster.

To promote its debut, the channel is flying in 12 bloggers whose early invitations also included bottles of Moët & Chandon Champagne. The guests will also get to pose questions by video to a prime news source: José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission.

"For every one of these conferences, I have received reimbursement for travel expenses and sometimes for overnight lodging," Conti wrote in his blog, inviting debate the issue. ] –Full article: http://www.iht....siness/ad04.php

Here is another example of an A-list blogger getting a free laptop in “exchange” for reviewing microsoft’s Zune on his blog.
http://gigaom.c...06/11/15/zuned/

I’m not an employee, just a freelance blogger that posts for them, so I guess you can say I’m not on their payroll – right?

Mike also said – “What I don’t understand is how you and others are ok with writing about a product without disclosure, for money, and the post has to be positive. That’s the use case I have an ethical problem with.”

I’ve looked into this issue since it was first raised, and I usually migrate to where it is discussed and read the debates and I’m confused by one thing. Someone up there (sorry, a LOT to read, I’m not reading it again to find the comment numbers) someone said that Google does not care – well, why should they? I’m starting to think that they are the only ones other than me that has bothered to read the FTC and BBB rules on media advertising – that also apply to the Internet.

The FTC and the BBB both clearly state that there is no need to disclose either payment amount or even the fact that there was a payment provided:

1) you do not have a pecuniary interest in the product/service/whatever being advertised – that’s what got the Wal-Mart guy in trouble, remember?

2) You are honest about your opinion – which is why it is counter productive to advertisers to require a positive posting on things.

3) You are not a recognized name that would sway a reasonable percentage of your readership to do as the ad says. So for example a well known blogger for computer software would have to say they was paid by Microsoft to plug the latest Windows version – even if they really like it and want people to buy it for their own reasons. They have enough influence to get a reasonable percent of their readers buying it based on their recommendation alone – so they have to let their readership know they were paid.

Little peon bloggers like me, that talk about the cat scared of the thermometer in the window, about the latest urinal she had to duck, about how many words I managed to get wrote on what I hope is my next best seller… we’re not looked up to, not that I know of at least. That is why I back up PayPerPost and sites like them. The people that write for them don’t have to disclose, we’re a small insignificant little Suzie Homemaker advice column on page 550 million of the blog-paper of cyberspace.

When my blog about my diet efforts becomes the number one resource for dieters – then I will have to disclose every instance of payment for anything I post, until then, the FTC and BBB say that I am not important enough to have an effect on anyone’s buying or investment or whatever tendencies so I am free to say or not say as long as I am expressing my honest point of view on the advertised product/service/whatever.

Now, were those honest mistakes or did I want to write three times just to draw more attention to myself? Isn’t that how the game is played online these days?

It seems to work for this blog. Get the whole Internet buzzing and clamoring to read the latest PPP rant right here on this site.

Enough is enough. Move on to something more productive.

Congratulations, many people who never heard of you before will now visit this site and MAKE YOU MONEY by supporting your multiples forms of advertising.

It’s coming from them, not from us.