Pay Per Post: Revolutionary endorsements or fool fuel?

Recently I have come across several Blogs mentioning a new service called Pay Per Post. If you are not already familiar with it, get ready because it just might be the new advertising breakthrough or debacle.

Pay Per Post's business model asks bloggers to promote an advertisers products and services through blog posts. Similar to pay per click, a commission is paid to the blogger for each completed post.

Advertisers who wish to promote their products or services can get started by registering on their site and then posting about the opportunity to promote their company. Thereafter, bloggers who wish to promote the advertiser is completely voluntary, but the company strongly urges that "If it doesn't feel right, if you don't own the product, or if you can't be honest we ask you to pass on the Opportunity."

Opportunities can consist of things such as links back to a site, or site review, or complete post about a product or service. However, whether or not they will be marked as endorsements, advertisements, etc. is not clear. Lets not even go there and say we did:)

First let me say, I completely understand the model and the logic behind it. Get the product in the "buzz" channels and the awareness will follow. After all, bloggers write about senseless things all the time right and why not get paid for it right?

I guess I strongly disagree not because I'm against the whole "is it an advertisement or not" debate, but rather I question its merit because I have to ask myself ?who are they trying to fool?

Bloggers are some of the savviest Internet goers of the bunch. We know when we are getting sold or swindled. That's what fuels our writing enragement and keeps us posting on a regular basis. Moreover, the most successful bloggers keep an unwritten code of ethics on their night table that describes how to make a resourceful impact in the community and keep engaging visitors. So I ask this fundamental question: If a blogger comes along a pay per post, he or she will likely know it, what do you think the outcome will be? The wall of China or "cant believe its not butter?"

I relate the above example to businesses that are in the podcasting areana. Some offer great resources to the web community, but others send messages that are purely advertising in nature. Web surfers can smell it a mile a way and can (and will) click off a Website in a nanosecond. So why do it for a short term gain, if any?

As most marketing experts will tell you, there is a time and a place to sell and a time to play it straight. (Marketers commonly refer to this as PR…only kidding) The Web seems to be the everlasting "leveling" field for the latter. Free resources are rewarded with long-term viewership, links back to their site, and positive social acceptance. While quick riches may seem imminent by blasting "pay posts" in cyberspace, I would think twice about how it reflects upon your core values, your peers, and others that could be influenced by your personal endorsements. (Just think: what if your friends got paid to give you and others recommendations?)

This is proof that you may not be a big time celebrity putting your name on a set of golf clubs, but that you still have the same freedom of choice to do so!
[tags] pay per post, business blogging, internet marketing news [/tags]