Blogs and Advertising
Bloggers practise blogging because this is the place where they can voice their own opinion and say what they want to say without being edited. Journalists love blogging because they can say things that many of their editors could very well gag them from saying. Only thing is that many journlaists have been told to stop having their personal say if they want to remain employed. Over the past few months, bloggers have been able to add advertising to their sites. Suddenly, bloggers are no longer the free agents they were once -- they have some responsibilities because they are earning money. He who pays, says! There are rules and regulations about what you can and cannot say on your blog otherwise you get kicked off the advertising system. So, where is this free-speech stuff?
Bloggers Being Bought
The Guardian ran a story suggesting that bloggers are altering their content to attract advertisements on a particular popular topic in the hope of getting more clickthroughs. Using the popular advertising system -- seen at the top of this page which should not be mentioned because of rules of that particular organization -- it is charged that bloggers are writing about topics that when the advertising engine identifies the context displays ads that are more lucrative.
In other words, bloggers are being bought . . . or put it another way around, bloggers are allowing themselves to be railroaded into talking on certain topics because they can earn some money . . . as little or as big as it might be.
Not only are bloggers seeming to move their topics of discussion towards those more high-paying ads that come through this system, but bloggers are being gagged from talking about certain topics -- particularly any topic related to the particular advertising system from which they potentially can earn money.
Characteristics of Blogs
Characteristically, a blog is the place I can be myself. And characteristically, blogs turn people into webpages. If you as a person can be bought it is likely that your weblog will display that. This is to say that you will be influenced to talk about something or not talk about something if you are more interested in earning the money . . . even the pittance you get for advertising using using AdSense at the top of your page!! If you are the type of person who is not influenced by the rules and regulations of others, your blog will reflect that.
Google AdSense has the right to make up its own rules and regulations. I as a blogger have the right to say what I want provided it is not unlwawful to do so. If Google AdSense wish to delete my site from participating it is their right as they are the ones paying the money. However, as promoters of blogging, and supporters of the little guy, Google needs to consider its position carefully. Google could very well alientate its support-base -- the ordinary person like me.
Controlling Bloggers
Google AdSense trying to gag and control bloggers [next page]