like a fire

Considering the site and the issue of paid blogging, I have come across the issue of disclosure.

Having written previously on getting paid for blogging, I found this site and thought I would mentally work on a disclosure policy. What should I disclose to people who are visiting my blog? Well, after looking at my about page you can pretty much see where I am coming from. I am a Christian who works with teens and cares about how to help them and the people who work with them. If you think that anything that I do is without motive, then you probably are an idiot. If you think that I would sell out my beliefs just to make a buck, then you don’t know me or normal salaries for youth ministry positions. If you think that I would not take money for my opinion just because it might make some people question wonder if I was really into it, then you just don’t know me and my opinion doesn’t really matter then.

So do I need a disclosure statement?

That’s right! This year, for the Middle School costume party I went as Mr. Clean. Most MS kids just thought I was some weird old man with an earring, but the adults got it and I got to shave my head. Cheap thrills, true, true.

We had a great night though playing Let’s Make a Deal and watching The Incredibles. I even got a short devotion on identity in on why it’s fun to dress up and pretend to be something we’re not.

Gotta love middle school.

Techcrunch » Blog Archive » PayPerPost Is Now Officially Absurd

There is a debate in the blogosphere that many aren’t aware of. It is simply the idea that blogging pays. Some people make their entire livelihood from blogging while others just make a few bucks. Either way, just like in real life, some people make money from expressing their opinions. Some of it is advertising and some of it is testimonial.

Seth Godin has talked about this a lot. People who are very influential can do a lot with their opinion, but they can’t try to do too much or it waters down their influence. Imagine Bono trying to solve every world problem, rather than just focusing on AIDS and populating the world with special iPods.

This article from TechCrunch tries to make a company called Pay-Per-Post the devil by offering people money to post articles about their advertiser’s products. They claim that this pollutes the blogosphere. Having posted this article, please visit one of their “sponsors” and make them a buck. Please!?!?

So, in my opinion on paid blogging, I don’t think there is anything wrong with posting something that you like or want to promote and making money doing it. I think Godin is right. You will either become influential because you pick the things that people like and people will look to you as an early adopter, or you will become a blog prostitute and no one will listen to you. Either way, what does TechCrunch care?

I would love to hear from people if they have an opinion.