Evaluating information given on web sites and blogs takes a bit of thought. I try to use what critical thinking skills I have left to sort out the obvious garbage and weed through the hyperbole, disinformation, and “spin” set forth as fact.I feel kind of trapped within a system that is not necessarily set up to reach out and provide what I think (yep that is the rubber burning smell you noticed) would be helpful to me. That is after all what it comes down to sometimes, yes, I think of me, myself, and I. Such a selfish endeavor you might think. But, if I don’t look out for number one (yeah, that would be me again) who will?
First, I am tossed into this giant rat maze. Running around from one path to the next while still recovering from shock– what the heck just happened? Stumbling around one path to the next not sure of the construct that surrounds me – my relationship in the system (maze) makes it hard to clearly see unbiased – but my brain has not totally checked out yet (at least I hope not).
Even when information is published by respected sources like the MS Society, medical journals, or the FDA – it does not necessarily make it gospel. Advancements happen; old truisms are replaced by new ones. Heck I have enough trouble figuring out the cable menu system because they change it every week. How am I supposed to weed through all the research on drugs, procedures, biomedical models, and yes, the dimensions of mind and spirit?
Blogs used to be grassroots in nature. I great place to seek out info presented uncensored. Most bloggers had no hidden agendas, wearing their leopard spots on the sleeves of their blogs. Not so – anymore. Once blogs were recognized as a means for profit a rake and hoe became needed to weed through the ingenuous, the bogus, and find the genuine. The real bloggers behind the blog title that are sharing their truths, fears, joys, and pathways they take in their lives. Having a sponsor does not mean a blog(ger) is ingenuous but blogs selling something IMHO are not dependable sources of fact and tend to feign a sincere interest in my well being.
Now that I have used up my reserve brain energy writing this . …
Kudos – to those of you who share on your blogs for the sake of sharing and the rest of you all are headed to my compost pile that is at the end of this pathway.
Wow, this is a powerful post. Thank you for speaking from the heart and with a very clear mind. IMHO
as you might recall, I wrote sponsored posts for awhile, and made some fairly decent money at it. However, over time that trend has gone way too far over the top, including the Twitter marketers that invade the community on a near-daily basis. I’m not talking spammers either…these are the so-called ‘social media’ experts who are going to tell you how to use all the ‘tools’ to market yourself.
There are personal blogs and marketing blogs and both have their place. But with the economy souring, the marketers are working to the detriment of those who are social. One of the reasons I wrote the post I did yesterday about ‘hunch’ is because that shift from adverts to trust and measurement of true customer wants, needs, desires, etc. is happening, and happening fast. People don’t want to be barraged with ads, but that doesn’t mean we don’t express what we want from products all the time. That’s what the successful companies will pay attention to — the conversation will shift from them to us.
Having said that, I also noticed that the BlogHer ad (the only ad I have on the blog) has an obnoxious layering feature right now, that I’m going to turn off as soon as I find the email telling me how. 🙂
There is a fine line between ads and sponsorship that are genuine and those that are not.
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The blogs that are set up for the soul purpose of making a profit by peddling some magic cure under the umbrella of being a personal blog – drive me nuts.
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There is a big difference to me in having an ad on a personal blog to differ costs, make a little extra needed cash and those that write a personal blog in order to push their magic remedy or cure off on someone.
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Hidden agendas etc. . …if your a marketing blog than make that clear. As I recall, you were always up front when you made a sponsored post.