Do you write/read the 'deal blogs?' Then I want your opinion.

[~~Who,Me?~~]

Thanks for everyone's opinions!

Kval, for me, the difference is in how it's presented. For example, if you go to my blog, and click on my amazon widget on the page, I think that you would assume that I'd get something for that, right?

But what if, using my own referral link entry, I find a product on sale. I do a blog post about it, saying stuff like "wow, what a great deal, what a find" and post the link for you to order, only it's my referral link. It's more than an ad on a blog, it's like hiding an ad in the middle of a post. Like product placement, sorta.

Whether or not it's a great deal is just in the eye of the beholder I guess. I've done the math on some of them, and no, I don't think they're great deals. But some people might.

Lesley, I had no idea about the laws regarding it. That's very interesting and it's obvious that lots of bloggers are not following the laws. Not that it's going to make any difference.

[ShowersofBlessings]

I guess I don't really see the difference either. If I click on a link on a blog, I do assume that the blogger gets some benefit. To me it doesn't matter where the link is. And I don't think that I should purposely NOT click on a link just because it will benefit someone else. However, I think we all need to think about the deal for ourselves. What one person thinks is a great deal, might not be good at all for someone else. The only time when I don't think the blogger is getting any kind of benefit is when they do mention that they are promoting it because it is so great and are not being compensated in any way. The only problem I have with these types of deals would be if the blogger is purposely lying, saying that are not being compensated when they actually are, or if they are just purposely listing "deals" that are not really deals at all, but the blogger is only posting so they can make money, not to help their readers.

[GJohnson39]

I think you are doing the right thing by being acurate in your disclosure. In the end, you can live with your decision, and that is what is important.

If these other bloggers are later found to be in non-compliance with rules, they have to deal with consequences. They have to live with their decisions too.

[isis]

Honestly, I did not know bloggers got compensated! Well, that was months ago. One of the blogs I read, I finally got 'hip' too, so I purposely avoid going through her links if at all possible! She is pretty sly b/c her links show up as direct links, but when you click and look at the address bar, her referral name comes up, so if you sign up, she gets compensated. I wouldn't have a problem if she stated in her post that 'hey this is my link you are signing up under', or 'clicking through supports my blog', but none of those posts say that.

[roxygirlie1021]

Honestly, I did not know bloggers got compensated! Well, that was months ago. One of the blogs I read, I finally got 'hip' too, so I purposely avoid going through her links if at all possible! She is pretty sly b/c her links show up as direct links, but when you click and look at the address bar, her referral name comes up, so if you sign up, she gets compensated. I wouldn't have a problem if she stated in her post that 'hey this is my link you are signing up under', or 'clicking through supports my blog', but none of those posts say that.

I know which blog you are talking about, and I agree, she is very sneaky about what she is doing. I made a comment on one of her posts that she must make a lot of money off of her referrals, and I got so many negative comments directed back at me from her other readers, that is shocked me! Most of the comments were saying things like, "She doesn't get compensated for any of this" and "she is doing this out of the goodness of her heart" type things. Not once did she ever step in and set things straight

I also don't like how "commercial" she has gotten - everything is a giveaway now-a-days, or chock full of affiliate links. I much prefer to find my deals on HCW, and don't care to read her blog that much anymore. And the few times that I do, I will find links on my own when I see a good deal, rather than click through hers.

[~~Who,Me?~~]

Well think of it this way. If I see an awesome groupon deal, I can go to our Online Deals forum and post "hey, there's an awesome groupon deal for such and such city, it's this...." and everyone can get it.

Or, and this is what I often choose to do--

I use my referral link, which means I will get my deal for free if three people purchase it. But to do that, it has to go under the Referrals Board under Hot Entrepeneurs.

[phoenyxstarr]

I follow some blogs too & they have gotten super commercial! Especially after the one's cookbook came out... Good grief I unsubbed quick fast & in a hurry because it turned into a daily 'buy this from me' type of blog.

As for the links, I usually assume that they are all affiliate, but only because I'm trying to get a blog monetized for myself. (Its not working too well just yet) If I think the blogger is worthy, I might click a link or two but I usually don't. I prefer to print my coupons from MyPoints so that I get points when I redeem them. But sometimes the blog post will have coupons that my MyPoints won't have so I will click then, but I think that's the only time.

[thecouponclippa]

I follow some blogs too & they have gotten super commercial! Especially after the one's cookbook came out... Good grief I unsubbed quick fast & in a hurry because it turned into a daily 'buy this from me' type of blog.

I think I know who you're talking about, and dang does it get old! I liked the old version better. :T

[~~Who,Me?~~]

I want to thank everyone for their responses here and those who pm'd me. You've really given me much to work with. Make no mistake--I'd love to have 50 or 60 thousand followers. But not if I have to trick people or not stay true, kwim? But some of you have made me realize that I have to stick to the heart & soul of the deal blogs, which is honest & real deals. Mind you, it *is* very tempting, and I even fell prey to it a couple of times.......when one of your affiliates emails you with an offer of "hey, for every person you get to click here, we'll give you a $1 or $2." And a few weeks ago, I even found myself posting stupid links like that that were not even related to my blog. Which I now regret.

With affiliates though, it is a fine line--I don't want to lie to my readers, but at the same time, you're not allowed to say "hey, please click here because I'll get paid for it" either.

[mefiance]

I really appreciate you asking this question. It shows me (as a reader) that you don't want to take advantage of me. That said, it's okay for you to make money for all of the hard work you're putting into a blog! You should get compensated for helping to spread the word on deals that you would benefit from yourself.

My suggestion would be for you to set a standard for yourself and then write a statement about it that you post on your blog. Is this deal something you'd take advantage of/go after/click a link for? If so, post it! Regardless of whether or not you receive compensation. If it's not, and it is something that you only post because you receive compensation for, well... that's maybe where you should draw the line for yourself.

I've seen a couple of blogs that have disclosure statements somewhere easily visible on the page. So while every post doesn't say, "hey look! I get paid!" the blogger does disclose overall what her practices are and what she gets compensated for. I think it's nice to be able to check those things out as a follower, because it does help you decide what advice to take seriously and what to ignore (usually product promotion).