A Little Respect, Please!

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It's no secret that I do paid reviews and advertising here at Thoughtprints. It's legitimate work. It takes time and a lot of thought. I never do a review or advertisement I don't honestly believe in, or want to try myself. Believe me, I have passed on many opportunities that paid well simply because I didn't like the product or web site. I'm not a liar in "real life", and I'm not one here, either.

I have met a lot of really great people in this world of paid blogging. Genuine, sincere, honest, hard-working people. What really gets me is that many other people don't consider what we do "real" work. Or a "real" job. Well it is! We are independent contractors, and are hired by individuals/organizations/companies/corporations to either advertise their product and services, or review their web site. We strike a deal, we complete the task, we get paid. How is that ANY different from what other people do in an office somewhere? Does the fact that we stay at home to do our work somehow turn it into, what ... a hobby? No way! Look, I have much respect for the millions of people who go out every day and earn money to pay their bills and provide for their families. Why can't you respect those of us who do it at home just as much? Does location really matter? Are you jealous? What is it that makes you so resentful and angry that you try to undermine and devalue what we do?

Regardless of why you criticize us, the bottom line is that our blogs are OURS, and what we put on them is solely OUR business -- figuratively and literally! That's how we earn OUR living and provide for OUR families. Get over it already!!

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27 Comments

Lisa said:

Great post. I think a lot of people forget that unless you walk a mile in my shoes you shouldn't judge.

Leigh said:

Exactly, Lisa! Thank you. :)

Mama BoK said:

I hear ya..! when i tell friends i do sponsored reviews.. they give me a really funny look.. ! hhahaha!

Jaz said:

AMEN!! I believe that our blogs are ours to put what we want, believe in or have opinions about. Therefore, no one should tell us what we can and cannot have.

My husband and I searched for a long time to find something we could do to actually make money at home. Most of the things we found were scams or wanted money to start up. This is the best thing we found.

Thank you for standing up for us!!

Leigh said:

Mama BoK -- Oh boy, I sure know what that look is! I get it far too many times! Thank you for stopping by! :)

Jaz -- Exactly! Me too! Aw, you're welcome -- and thank YOU for dropping in. :)

Breezie said:

A well written article, conveys the message without being nasty or rude.

Leigh said:

Thanks so much, Breezie! :)

Sassy said:

**Applause**, Leigh I wholeheartedly agree. This is our work. We do pay taxes at the end of the year just like everyone else. I personally love being my own boss. I can set the hours I want. I don't have to ask for time off to do something with my kids. And I am providing for my family and I wouldn't want another job working outside of the home.

Leigh said:

Sassy, you said it all, and very succinctly at that. :) I agree with everything you said. Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to leave your thoughts. :)

VC Dan said:

Nice post Leigh -- it reminds me of one of the earliest picture opps PPP did based upon the saying "All Our Blogs Are Belong to Us". You can see a bunch of those here: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=payperpost

Leigh said:

Loved those pics, Dan -- especially the one of the feet in the hammock. ;) Thanks for pointing the way to them! And thanks, too, for visiting and sharing your thoughts. :)

skeet said:

Well done, Leigh! Many of the harshest critics of sponsored posting have never bothered to actually visit and read our blogs. If they did they'd know that we work harder at our task than the average blogger and we produce great content daily, whether sponsored or not.

Ann said:

Thanks for the great post! Bravo!

Kuanyin said:

Very well written and OH SO TRUE! PPP bloggers deserve more respect, and I don't know who or why others would put you down, but I guess that's just the nature of some people who are lacking compassion and quick to judge. Just let their stuff roll off your back! You're doing a good job.

Leigh said:

Skeet -- Precisely! You really hit the nail on the head! Thanks!

Ann -- Thank you! :)

Kuanyin -- Aw, thank you! That's very nice of you to say. And great advice, too! :)

Tony said:

Good post. Funny how it's usually people who aren't running their own business (ie. they have a pay check) or they have so much $ that $ isn't an issue who criticize first. I suppose the only media that would exist under their model is public radio. There would be no movies, tv or newspapers if it wasn't for advertising.

It truly amazes me how many people try to make others feel bad about making a living. Since when did making money become a crime?

I believe strongly that with money we are able to do so much more good in this world than without it.

Judy Andrews said:

Hi Leigh,
I saw your broadcast and came to visit. I do ppp on my other blog, but the one above isn't old enough yet, but when it is I will probably do the same with it and it is an easy way to earn extra money which I see nothing wrong with because as has been mentioned other blogs that complain so loudly have tons of affiliate links plus everything else they can put on to get someone to click on something and that makes them a legit blogger? Well more power to them and to the people that work so hard to come up with a decent sponsored post to write about. I like your blog by the way.

Leigh said:

Tony -- Thanks so much for dropping by and leaving your thoughts. I completely agree with you on all points. You make perfect sense, especially about there only being public radio today if no advertising were allowed. I just finally had my fill of their insulting ideas, opinions and remarks, so let a few of my own fly. ;) Thanks again for the visit!

Judy -- I appreciate your visit so much! I absolutely agree with you with regard to the complainers and their own sidebars being chock-full of adverts and affiliates. How is that different?? Boggles my mind. LOL Thanks for stopping in! :)

Laurie said:

Awesome post, Leigh! I work a full-time job, and blogging was my hobby for many years before paid posting was ever in existance. Imagine my delight when I found out I got the opportunity to do what I love (and was doing anyway) AND occasionally get paid for it too. It has been such a blessing, and I cannot imagine why anyone could judge others for their choice.

Leigh said:

Laurie -- Exactly! I was blogging for years before I started doing any paid posts. I love to blog! I love "meeting" new people and discovering new things! As you said, when I found out I could actually make some money at it, well wow! I was a happy little blogger! LOL There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. As I stated in the post, I think they're just flat-out jealous!

Kerbear said:

tell em like it is...well done

Walter Burek said:

Well thought out piece, as usual.

wgb

Leigh said:

Kerbear - I will, and thanks! :)

Walter - How very gracious of you. Thank you so much!

Mr. Fabulous said:

I totally pink puffy heart you.

Leigh said:

Aw Fabby, I totally pink puffy heart you right back! :)

Stephen said:

You're absolutely right to sing the praises of your work and stick up for it.

Where I disagree slightly is placing too much emphasis on believing in the product to write about it. It's right that we write about topics that are appropriate to our blogs but I believe that an objective opinion can be written about anything without having to lie. Does an advertising agency only take on work that it really believes in? I don't see why paid blogging cannot be treated as a serious occupation with a professional approach.

If we all keep saying loudly that we only write about what we believe in then we might be accused of protesting a little too much.

CyberCelt said:

It is you! I saw the post on Thoof and said, "I wonder..."

I feel badly that you and other posties have had to come out and tell people to back off.

I see many, many blogs not worth the bandwidth they use. Yet, people do not stop and insult them. And, do not get me started on political and Christian blogs... Some of those bloggers are abusive.

Sorry you had problems. Hope everything is better now. Need a blog badge that says,

"Yes, I write reviews for a living. Now, get over it."

LOL

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About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Leigh published on August 8, 2007 3:29 PM.

How Knowledgeable Are You? was the previous entry in this blog.

A Great Site for Pet News! is the next entry in this blog.

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