Disclosing Disclosure...

Most of you who come hear to read and participate on my blog know some of the posts I write are being done for pay thru PayPerPost. You might not know that some of the top bloggers known as "A listers" (some I used to really respect) have their panties in a twist over the whole concept of non A listers having the ability to make money from blogging. The main argument has focused on disclosure, evidently some believe that we by being paid by PayPerPost to write about products or websites are less honest than they are by being paid to list ads on their blogs or to write about products they have been paid to review if we don't put some little disclosure/disclaimer on every post we write that we are paid for.

Personally I think this is silly because very few of you are going to run out and buy something just because I wrote about it. If it's something that you are interested in, you'll check the link, bookmark the site if it interests you and if it doesn't? You'll move on to read my next post. If it's a product that I recommend, you'll use the information provided to make your own decision. I don't think I need to have this whole formal disclosure policy on my blog to keep my credibility with any of you. To be perfectly blunt, if I do such little research on my posts that I recommend websites or products that are crap that would kill my credibility whether I'm paid to write about something or not. There may be a few bloggers out there that will write about anything just to get paid, but really if that's all they are doing did they have any credibility in the first place?

So, enter this particular PayPerPost opportunity where I will be paid $10.00 if I go to this Disclosure Policy Generator and I put a link on my blog to my disclosure policy. I have a problem with the disclosure policy generator though when it comes to some of the selections I was given. Yet, because it seems to be more important that I write how I feel about this issue rather than to just do as I did do which was have a small disclaimer on my side bar; I have designed my own and it is linked on my side bar as well as here:

This policy is valid from 03 November 2006

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me, Lisa Renee. For questions about this blog, please contact psyche777 at gmail.com.

This blog accepts payment from PayPerPost and Cafe Press for products designed by me for purchase as well as my book.

The compensation received will influence the topics or posts made in this blog that are specifically written at the request of an advertiser/sponsor. That content or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner of this blog receives compensation for our posts, I always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely mine. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

It is the belief of the owner of this blog posting these paid posts does not present a conflict of interest anymore than writing recommendations on products or websites that she recommends and is not compensated for would. This content may not always be identified, because if the owner of this blog was interested in turning her blog into looking like a walking advertising section she would do what some of the "A List" bloggers do and have blatant advertising on her sidebar. She'd also do a hell of a lot better job promoting her book too.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org