MEComposing

Well, not really a war but conflict in some blogging circles. And it's not really something new. This has been going on and on and on for years now, it's just getting a little less hushed now with more players and all those social networking sh!t where people can broadcast opinions/rants and followers/friends can say "ditto!"

And well, as always, I am one of those bloggers who aren't in the middle of it. I don't write that well enough, have that much of a following, get that much traffic nor have that much clout. I am still stumped by SEO sh!t. And I'm sorry I keep saying sh!t today, haha.

Anyway, since pro-blogging is also getting more lucrative, what with so many bloggers earning from their blogs, and some even doing it full time, it's really just logical that bloggers will go different ways, and some will invariably be greedy. Or really resourceful. And some (the ones I silently hate), really hypocritical. Then again, we'd all always have different standards and most of us are always likely to excuse ourselves first.

There was a time when bloggers just wanted to document their thoughts and air their opinions. There are still some of these purists now, those who purposely even shun Adsense earnings... while some just didn't know they could generate income from their blogs. Or not, I mean, after all, not all blogs really have content or are engaging or whatever.

And then there are those bloggers earning from paid posts and links and whatever. I am one of them. Just recently, my Dad and my sister have expressed being touched by posts I made which I actually made because I had to post paid links. Like what I told my sister, I have posted more honest and loving sentiments about them... but then again, I have also really tried to preserve the integrity of my blogs. Which is why it frustrates me to no end why I am not getting more opps for my hthyou.com blog (considering it does have a decent traffic) so that I need not sully my personal blogs. Oh and make no mistake, I did get greedy.

I jumped on the paid blogging bandwagon after becoming a sahm because I felt guilty about not having income. Plus, if other bloggers who had poorer grammar and worse content than I will ever have are earning from their blogs, why shouldn't I? And I haven't regretted that decision because all the pooled income has really helped my family in several times of need. Like right now, more than half of my delivery fund is coming from my accummulated income from all my online gigs. It's a year of work at least but P100k just from writing and being online... that's a big help to my backbreaking hubby! Plus, it will allow me to give birth in a hospital I want, no matter how impractical it may seem.

But I digress.

And then there are those who earn mostly from ads because their blogs are high in SEO(which I still don't get). And I've been told that attending blogger events are one of the surest way to boost your SEO. Plus, attending blogger events really has its perks due to the freebies you get. It's supposed to be some sort of product launch or press con for something, but it is so easy to go not to be informed but because of the freebies. Human nature.

And that's where the conflicts now are arising. Getting invites to somewhere (haha, if I am not being referred by friends, I would not be invited to anything at all!). Gatecrashers. Bloggers not being objective (one of the first things to go is objectivity when you've been wined and dined and freebied and not just because bloggers as humans are easily corruptible, but because bloggers as humans will be kind to the hand that fed them). Clashes with other media people or clashes with the PR people themselves. Bloggers actually demanding freebies and compensation, or getting back at companies via bad reviews. Companies plying bloggers with freebies and demanding positive posts after. Companies being forced to really spoil aand pamper bloggers. No-shows because bloggers got more lucrative invites. I mean, the list goes on and on and on and these are issues that am sure also happen with other media/press people. And with bloggers being different folks that can tolerate different strokes, it's hard to even agree on a standard procedure of actually tapping, dealing and handling the blogging network.

For what it's worth, there are bloggers with clout that are active in blogger events who have maintained a sense of integrity and proper sense of decorum. But we all know, they are only a handful.

And there are those who are enjoying a windfall of products/events to blog about, who aren't corrupt also, but whose posts nonetheless suffer from being too busy.

The rest: bandwagonists, poseurs, hypocrites or just plain clueless. And I think I am all of those in varying degrees. So I guess that's also why I don't get SEO nor invited to events that much. God loves me enough to prevent me from going to the dark side for good.

And so, I can still live with who I am as a blogger, and I still love my blogs.

*~*

The bloggers I am connected with in Plurk and FB are calling for all other bloggers to exercise self-respect and to act with decency in events, and with their dealings with companies. This request is made so that 'bloggers' as a collective term will command some sort of respect.