Green Requiem

something we spoke about in last weeks lecture (for eCulture) was about the advertising within blogs. And how that can and does affect what the blogger might say.
i mentioned something similar to that in my previous blog post, about those bloggers who are getting paid to blog persausivly about a certain thing.
Most buisnesses now have a blog, clothing labels (ie, Nike), sports stars etc have all utalised the option of blogging. What was discussed in my lecture was not the buisnesses having blogs, but when they do it deceptivly. for example, a blog that seems to be free of corporate sponsership or advertising, actually is sponsered by buisnesses.

After this lecture i remembered a web site i had found, through Keri Smiths Wish Jar Jorunal (in fact, she, with her husband, is the one who created the website).
it is called Ad Free Blog and the whole purpose was to say no to the corporate advertising within blogs.
The point of the website is to host an icon you can insert into your own blog, which states you agree with the following principles.

By using this icon on my website I am stating...
1. That I am opposed to the
use of corporate advertising on blogs.
2. That I feel the use of corporate
advertising on blogs devalues the medium.
3. That I do not accept money in
return for advertising space on my blog.
signed,
the author

(I shall insert one of the pictures when i get home)


feel free to go to the website, and read through the FAQ. it really is fascinating, and rather relivant to the subject that was discussed in my lecture.
It is also a good thing to be able to understand why people blog, and to save the peoples 'free voice'.

I finally discovered the right blog design, that I felt suited this blog. After reading through several web pages on trying to figure out html, css and other fun code, I gave up and just went to find a pre-made template.

I found something quite amusing. There was a bit of advertising within the blog template (easy to edit out), plus a Google search bar. The advertising was to "make money online" through some means (I didn't investigate very much), but it reminded me of an article I read this morning (linked through Keri Smiths Wish Jar Journal).

The article was talking about bloggers who are sponsored to make certain 'advertising' blogs.

"Thousands of bloggers are writing sponsored posts about subjects as diverse as diamonds, digital cameras and drug clinics. The bloggers are spurred by new marketing middlemen such as PayPerPost Inc. that connect advertisers with mom-and-pop Web masters."

"Their irate blogging counterparts say the cottage industry is polluting the blog world and misleading consumers by blurring the line between advertising and unbiased opinion."

Check out the article here.
As a blogger myself (for the past almost 2 years) I'm not sure how to take this. Perhaps the bright hope that was the blog has become tarnished. The free voice. where everyone can be a journalist. the bloggers who can expose stories, bring down politicians, be an alternative voice in a media saturated society...
Perhaps like the magazine and newspaper got the advertorial, and t.v. got shows like today tonight, the blogosphere has now got these advertorial posts.




(Thanks to Auran for the template help)