Trust, Conflicts and Why Pay Per Post is cool!

Posted by Howard
on January 3rd, 2007

If you are reading something on the net and take it as the truth – you should lock up all your money. Same goes for mainstream media.

If you utter an opinion on the net – you are a blogger “not a journalist”. There is likely a conflict of interest, but for the most part, if you want to retain the trust of your audience, you disclose.

If you blog and you have an audience you should get paid. You should figure out any damn way to get paid and if you don’t want the goddamn money – give it to charity. If you screw your audience, they will figure it out and they will leave. If they don’t leave after a constant barrage of wreckless screwing and shilling, you become Rush Limbaugh :) . All kidding aside, if they don’t leave after being screwed than who cares about the dummies. They are unsaveable and likely go play over at Digg. But that’s another post.

Here is the deal. Pay Per Post is inevitable. It is part of the evolution of the blogosphere. You can’t stop it. How is it different than Wall Street Journal taking money from Fidelity for ads promoting more trading or Wired writing negatively about Digg, when the parent company just bought Digg’s competitor.

Here’s a hint – IT’S NOT.

Athletes endorse Nike or Adidas. The shoes are all the freaking same. Rush Limbaugh gets paid to shill mattresses and Howard Stern gets paid to promote other brands. To the person with the audience goes the spoils. PayPerPost to bloggers is like endorsements to athletes or promotions to celebrities. If you abuse them once you get them, it will likely backfire.

There is much hate about PayPerPost since it launched. There generally is about something different. The leader of the hate on PayPerPost is Mike Arrington. He is entitled. He has a blog. But why the hate? TechCrunch is a blog!

The hate is because he is a “gatekeeper” for now. PayperPost threatens it. Mike is not a journalist, despite what his fans think. He got a tip on the YouTube Google story and otherwise is just an opinionated ex-lawyer dude. He knows his fame is fleeting. He is instinctively trying to protect it.

Why should a tech company with a cool product or service wait/beg for one gatekeeper of 100,000 to spread the word when they can pay 1,000 people with an audience of 100 to test and write about their product. Seems faster, broader, and more reliable over any data set.

The crap will get sifted out in the same way, likely faster. More people that deserve to be heard, have a chance to be heard.

Thats what the internet/blogging is about – less gatekeepers and a level playing field.

I hope PayPerPost figures it out.

Disclosure :) – I have no relationship with PayPerPost and have no interest in them succeeding or not, but if you think they suck or I suck for writing positively, you are just a blogger so no one cares anyway.

The information in this blog post represents my own opinions and does not contain a recommendation for any particular security or investment. I or my affiliates may hold positions or other interests in securities mentioned in the Blog, please see my Disclaimer page for my full disclaimer.