What is it Like Being a Paid Blogger?

Paid blogging has taken off tremendously this past year. But it has also been highly controversial. Even so, it's a fun way to earn money from home.

PayPerPost has been probably the most controversial of all the companies. Many big name bloggers have tried to tear them down as well as the bloggers who post for them. They've been responsive in many ways, and changed in ways their critics could have liked, such as requiring disclosure, but many considered it to be too little too late.

Other companies, such as ReviewMe and Blogsvertise have been less controversial. There are now a fair number of companies out there paying bloggers to post for advertisers.

Disclosure has been a huge issue. Not all companies require disclosure, and different companies prefer that you disclose in different ways. Considering how the FTC has been looking at word of mouth advertising, I would say a sitewide disclosure is the minimum you should do if you have any advertising on your sites.

Despite the controversy, I like PayPerPost best. They offer me the most flexibility and add less to the advertiser's costs than other companies do. I can look through their opportunities and find ones I am willing to blog about.

One of the controversial details has been that some companies only want a positive review, and PayPerPost allows them to ask for it. My own rule with that has been to look harder at such companies when considering accepting their opportunities. I like being able to say what's on my mind. I've never been flat out insulting, but if I see a problem I don't want to worry about what I'm saying.

The one problem with being able to choose my own opportunities is the amount of time it can take. I can spend too much time just refreshing and looking for good opps. Some days they are just plain hard to get. But I earn more this way than by waiting for companies to choose me.

Another of the big concerns people have is that people are more likely to praise companies that pay them to post about them. It's certainly a legitimate concern. And it would be very easy to sing the praises of companies you haven't tried. If you do a bit of research you can figure out if a company is worth your praise or if they've been a problem for people who have actually been there.

It's tough keeping the integrity of a blog intact when you blog for pay. My own preference is to be extremely picky about the topics I blog on, even when pay is offered. Even when high pay is offered. If the topic doesn't fit, I won't do it.

You'll see good and bad things when you look at the world of paid blogging. You'll see plenty of bloggers doing exactly what the critics say paid blogging is all about. But you'll also see brilliant, honest posts from people who have finally found a way to earn good money from their blogs.

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Stephanie Foster has several months' experience in paid blogging and has various paid blogging sites listed on her site for those who would like to give it a try. You can read her blog at www.homewiththekids.com/blog.