I’ve been thinking about this whole LA Times mommyblogger thing since posting my initial reaction to it earlier today and I wanted to highlight what I think is one of the most important things when it comes to blogging.
It’s a simple word.
Honesty.
Simple to say but sometimes it seems not so simple to live up to.
One of the lady’s quoted in the LA Times article was good enough to drop by here and leave a comment and for that I thank you Christine, after all this post is partially a result of your comment and my reply.
You see part of my problem with what Christine said was that she wouldn’t blog about items that she had been given sample of if for some reason she didn’t like it, instead it got put in a closet to donated at a later time. End of subject.
Except in my opinion it isn’t. As I pointed out in my reply to her I felt that not only was she doing her readers an injustice by not letting them know about any less than positive feelings she had about the product she was also hurting the company that had given her the product to review in the first place. My argument being that companies can only improve their product if they know something is wrong with it.
And you see this is where honesty comes in.
It’s one thing to disclose that you have been given a product to review – any self-respecting blogger would do that without any threat from the FTC. That is an honesty that is expected of you by your readers, other bloggers and more importantly of yourself.
But come on we all know that not everything in this world is going to be all rosy. We are going to run across crap products of varying degree – it is inevitable. This is where your honesty to your readers is the most valuable. How many of your readers might end up buying that product only to find out that yes it is crap but you already knew that. You could have saved them a lot of aggravation not to mention their hard earned dollars.
If you had been honest to your readers they would have known that such and such product may not be such a good idea to buy. Even if they do buy it in the end at least they are doing so with full knowledge of what they might be getting into.
Then there are the companies whose products review. If all you write is glowing reports about their products and then one comes across your desk that sucks they aren’t going to know because it’s in a closet somewhere waiting to be donated. You have reneged on your side of the unspoken agreement to provide feedback on their product. By not writing about it you are denying them the chance to fix or improve their products.
Regardless of what type of blogger your the most important thing you have when it comes to your readers, yourself, and any companies you may review products for is your honesty. Not the honesty that surfaces when everything is rosy and works perfectly but rather the honesty that faces your readers and companies and tells it like it is.
Not only will your readers have a greater faith in what you write but you know what?
So will the companies.
Honesty is your ticket so don’t get it punched by trying to pull any punches.
And they wonder why the FTC is going after bloggers
The Hypocrisy of Doing Tech Product Reviews
Condensing social media down to two simple things
I agree, wholeheartedly – It truly is all about honesty.
Let me just say this ::
I do not consider myself a review blogger. I am, instead, a mom blogger in every sense of the term – I am a mom who blogs. I write about my family adventures, life with six little ones, and the products and services that make family life fun. The overall tone of my blog is positive. The vast majority of my readers do not visit me simply to hear about my likes and dislikes, instead they value my opinion and recommendations, and enjoy my stories.
That said, I am always honest and have, on occasion, included in my posts a comment or two regarding something we may not have liked about a product or service that we love, ie it was a bit pricey, or it would be nice if it included this or that, etc. I am not a critical person, by nature, so doing this would have to be warranted by a true peeve, not simply because I am looking for something negative. I am not a consumer reports type site, nor have I ever touted From Dates to Diapers as a review blog, but I am always honest.
My decision to avoid writing negative reviews will stand. Most of the buzz I create for companies and brands is done by way of incorporating how that product or service was enjoyed by, or benefited, my family, and I am very clear that not every product sent to me will make the cut. I do not receive compensation beyond the product sample for reviews, therefore I do not owe the company that sent me the product anything if I choose not to write about it.
It’s that simple.
Christine Young´s last blog ..Mom Bloggers and Big Brands
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Having taken some time to visit and read your blog (and subscribe) I have no doubt about your honesty and truly I did not try to infer that in what I have written. I – in my usual ‘cranky’ style – have only expressed my feelings about the whole ‘blogger reviewer’ mainly because of my absolute distaste over the idea that the FTC feels that bloggers have to live up to a harsher standard than our traditional media counterparts.
I also want to say that I really appreciate your willingness to return to this obscure cranky corner of web and engage in this conversation to the extent that you have .. that means a lot to me.
No problem, Steven. I think it’s easy to jump to conclusions, so I don’t blame you for lumping me in to the whole “mommy/review blogger” category… There are some out there who have certainly tarnished the title.
Thank you, however, for taking the time to investigate further. THAT means a lot to ME!
Christine Young´s last blog ..Mom Bloggers and Big Brands
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Reading both side of the story I would have to agree with Christine on this issue. First, there’s the fact that it’s her blog and she can post hat she wants (words I’ve heard hear several times). Two, I’d be willing to be that she gets a lot of items to review that she doesn’t even ask for, although this is pure speculation. Is a blogger obligated to right a review about something they didn’t ask for?
Finally, hitting this blog with two comments to defend herself says a lot about the person behind the blog.
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You’re right James – she does have the right to post how she wishes on her blog. I was just expressing my opinion on the matter and it can be taken with a grain of salt.
But yes I do have to agree with you about Christine’s willingness to defend her position – eloquently, intelligently and calmly – does say a lot about her. That’s one of the reasons why I plan on subscribing to her blog.