Blogging is still incredibly popular, and new blogs are always being added daily, some impressive blogs with huge potential, most not so thrilling. It is estimated that about 900,000 posts are added to the blogosphere every day!
The niche categories of making money online and blogging advice are crowded and full of overdone posts. Bloggers are always attempting to find new angles, or redo posts that have been written hundreds of times before in their own words and with their own style. Every blogger has a voice, and has to learn to use that voice.
Are You Headed Down a Righteous Path?
If you've been around the blogosphere for a while you've likely read posts about generating comments and how a tip handed out often is to play with a little controversy. Controversial posts often generate a lot of comments and discussions. People are quick to voice their thoughts and opinions when it comes to controversial topics, and bloggers are successfully building up their reader bases on controversial posts.
I'm concerned however as I think the drive for traffic, comments, and ultimately money can easily veer people away from blogging integrity and truth. I've read posts that are intentionally controversial with ridiculous advice that appear to be designed only to stir up comments and generate traffic.
Here's what I mean…
Services such as Pay Per Post, Social Spark, Sponsored Tweets etc. all offer you money in exchange for your willingness to promote, tweet, link to, or write about a product, company or idea.
These companies are utilizing social media to take advantage of your ability to influence, your peers, followers, friends, and readers. Affiliate Marketing gives you the opportunity to promote products and internet marketing tools in exchange for commission on sales. Bloggers are constantly being bombarded with opportunities to make money.
I want to submit to you that a blogger needs to be prepared for this bombardment. You've got to know who you are, what your purpose and focus is and where you intend to go with your blog (If you haven't thought about where your blog is headed, you need to read this post on developing a niche blog!)
When you're offered money, which door will you walk through?
If you're looking to make money online, you're going to be involved with services like the ones I mentioned above (and they are good services), you're going to get offers that perhaps don't fit with your blog, or you're going to be offered a chance to promote a product that you may never personally use or endorse. Are you treating your online persona differently than your real life one? Where's your blogging integrity? The attitude you bring to your blogging is the way people will remember you, make a point of having a great and positive attitude! (Don't be a troll!) One way you can establish yourself as someone people would want to get to know and a blogger that can be trusted is by helping promote the blogs of others – bloggers you respect, and trust. Freely promoting other blogs is almost always reciprocated in some way.
Early in my blogging career I made a decision to have integrity with my blog. I only write what I truly believe or agree with, I don't create false controversy just for traffic, I don't use deceptive link bait, I don't promote products that I wouldn't use, and I don't write sponsored posts for businesses or products that I wouldn't personally recommend to my best friends. Sticking to this plan requires that I sometimes turn down some easy money, but your readers will thank you for it in the end.
I would hope you also determine to have integrity with your blogging. Perhaps you'd never considered this, or maybe you could care less about online integrity – since all that matters is your bottom line. Well let me know your thoughts with a comment, let's start the conversation.
Recommended reading:
Integrity is Everything: Regain Your Natural Ability to Get Everything You Want
