Should Bloggers Accept Free Stuff?
by on February 19th, 2005 
One Comment
Should bloggers accept free stuff?
it appears that many bloggers are starting to turn some tidy profits selling advertising space on their blogs. Some alpha bloggers are also being courted by companies seeking to market their products by offering them free stuff. What are the ethical implications of these offers of ’schwag’ and how is the blogosphere dealing with it?
Ernie links to J.D. Lasica, a professional journalist (and blogger) who has written an article that addresses this question. The cost of ethics: Influence peddling in the blogosphere.
I wouldn’t mind recieving free products after they are reviewed if the company liked the review. Kind of like a thank-you gift. Or another option is if multiple companies offered similar items for a review of a few different items of the same types. Recieving “comps” in exchange for positive reviews is like buying votes. It will cause the image of the impartal blogger to be just a fleeting one.