In The Star today  -

“Bloggers, including those paid to write product reviews, should set their own standards of ethics.”

Wow. So three bloggers’ opinions count as every blogger’s?
Time and time again, i’ve repeated that bloggers who get paid for their posts/reviews/advertorials (whatever you want to refer them as) should possess some media credibility.

You say you’re not media, yet want to be treated a certain way? What?! Make up your mind! 

Reading the contradictions in the article made me scowl.
I already knew about the forum held yesterday when one of the PR managers who attended called me to share what atrocity he thought was being said.

Believe you me there will be retaliation on this subject from me and other individuals who do not feel the same way.

I recently thought of starting another blog, one where i can write the real rubbish that goes on in my head and won’t collide with advertorial clients.

What would the clients think? Me writing about my imaginary conversations and rescue missions of drowning ants in my bathroom? I should really be concentrating on proper posts, non?

Then another thought would crop up - that, wait, isn’t this what a blog is supposed to be in the first place? To write whatever i want to spurt and chuck online, to italize and to bold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, till disconnection do us part?

Then the thoughts would return -
ah-lah i cannot write all the random crazy shit i used to like last time because only three people read it then.

There was noone to judge,
no worries on whether people would read it only to get bored and wonder why the fuck is this girl always being featured for,
no care for whether my content would match my ads,
no censorship of the man in my life,
no deletion of comments because prying eyes and spiteful mouths were absent.

Now, it’s
wondering whether i should cut down my cursing,
censoring drunkard escapades because people point fingers and go, “What a wasteful life of partying you and your friends lead,”
talking to friends who are used to limelight to being told that rumour-mongering and backstabbing is normal and just to remember to stick to old friends (which in turn makes me think: shouldn’t everyone be given a chance at being a friend? not everyone is sneaky or bitchy),
trying to make sure i don’t make spelling or grammar mistakes so that people don’t go telling my eds, “Hey, that kinkybluefairy doesn’t know how to speak england” -_-,
cutting out my daily going-abouts because i don’t want it to clutter my blog,
and moderating these bitchy comments people leave which baffle me - so interested and so much time on their hands to dissect my posts and translate them into their own meaning of my life, have they.
******

Hmm halfway writing the post above, i ended up staring a new one with KinkyPugKevin helping me with the simple design.

He said i’m making things complicated by starting a second blog.

I replied that it’s just to write my what-i-ate-today and inanimate-objects-i-spoke-to-today rubbish.
And that if it doesn’t work out, so be it.

Let me get into the groove of it first then i’ll link it.

A short while back, i was invited to speak in Segi College regarding New Media.

One of the points i touched on during the forum was on why one should state ‘advertorial’ on a published piece that is paid for. Needless to say, you will most certainly find printed publications out there who do not comply to this. It will never be an issue that will be prevented completely because, hey, as long as the publishing company can afford to execute and print, the only factor it boils down to is ethics.

The same goes for bloggers, as it should.

It’s inevitable that blogs are fast becoming an advertising medium for clients, and some of the questions i’ve been asked constantly are “Do you have to put ‘advertorial’ there?” and “Why?”

No, i don’t *have* to. But why i do it is because i want my audience to discern the difference between a post i’m being paid to publish, and something i’m writing out of my own free time and will. As a result of the Journalism Values & Ethics in New Media Conference, a portion in their value of protocols is dedicated to commercial pressure - “The audience will be able to clearly distinguish between editorial content and advertising, including advertorials and other advertising models as they emerge.”

So it’s not so much the point that we, as bloggers, have to write it. I just think it’s something we should do because if you treasure your audience, as does your audience your word, then at the very least state if something’s there because you’re being paid for it. Do not mistake my words, for there are many advertorials whose brands i rave about because i memang adore them already, so that makes it easier.

Read more about the protocols *here*