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Commercial Blogs

When I blogged about the Raging Cow drink, I didn't understand what one of the comments left meant. It asked if I was commisioned to write about the drink. Apparently some bloggers have been compensated for writing about certain products.

"But unlike most blogs, her journal has been harnessed for a new method of marketing that has set off a debate about the integrity of Weblogs. Ms. Discon, 18, is among the bloggers who have been wooed by marketing companies to include links on their sites to various products."

"Richards Interactive recruited her again after it was hired by Dr Pepper/Seven Up to promote Raging Cow, a new dairy beverage. Richards recruited Ms. Discon to place a ragingcow.com banner ad on her site and to weave a mention of ragingcow.com into her journal entries."

I don't know if I agree with the practice or not, but I do see how it can be an odd thing. Just for the record I have never been paid to blog about the things I write, I only write about what interests me. Combine this with blogs like that of a resident of Bagdad in the midst of the war, who would have thought blogs could become so controversial?