Are You A Socially Responsible Blogger or Just a Crook?

by Michel J. Gagnon on August 22, 2010

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I’m sure you have friends who constantly rant about the big bad corporations. They tell you that corporations are inherently evil. That they just want to make a quick profit even if it means harming people or the environment. They give you the example of oil companies. They tell you that these companies destroy the planet and have governments start wars so that they can make even more money.

Some of it is true. But the annoying part with this kind of discourse is that it often comes from people who have two big cars. It comes from those very people who buy, every day, that gas that these allegedly “evil” corporations are producing. If we were nasty, we could say that they’re the evil customers buying from evil companies. That’s a lot of evilness.

My point here is not that you should get rid of your car. My point is that you should carefully look at yourself before starting to point fingers at others.

The dark side of the blogging industry
Now let’s look at the blogging industry. Because yes, it has become an industry. Blogging is still a little bit of a mess. There’s no real rules or standards yet. People are doing pretty much whatever they want. And although it’s great on the one hand, it seriously sucks on the other.

Bloggers have to accept the reality. Just like Spiderman! With big powers come big responsibilities. The web will obviously be a better place with more responsible blogging.

Responsible Marketing
Let’s start with marketing. Some bloggers will tell you that they’re not spammers. Yet, the way they market their products tells a whole different story. They’ll tell you that they have the most freakin-hot-never-ever-seen-on-the-face-of-the-planet offer for you, and that they’re so excited about it that they peed in their pants because they really couldn’t wait to tell you.

Although they have the right to get excited, being willing to promise almost anything to make a sale can become an issue.

Jordan Cooper recently picked on those who claim to be able to increase conversions by a million percent. He’s so right. And there’s plenty of examples like that out there. That’s not being a responsible marketing. And in the end, it’s not business wise, it’s short-sighted.

Responsible Sourcing
With the rising popularity of books such as Tim Ferris’ 4-Hour Workweek, people have discovered the potential of outsourcing for individuals and small businesses. They’ve realized that part of their work could be done by somebody else and at a cheaper price. The concept is great. I do it myself.

The thing is, some people got it wrong. Outsourcing is a useful way to improve your productivity. It’s not a blanket approval to pay virtual assistants next to nothing because they happen to live in Bangladesh.

Obviously, the minimum wage in Bangladesh is much lower than in the West. It’s actually about 43$ a month. That doesn’t mean you should pride yourself of having paid two bucks for a 1000-word articles. Increasing you productivity and providing work to people is great. Not paying them fairly is retarded.

Responsible Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is an amazing concept. It’s similar to the idea of sharing profits with your “employees.” It’s actually a concept that many corporations still don’t get. However, affiliate marketing requires a certain level of transparency.

Why would bloggers want to hide their affiliate links? Why would some bloggers be ready to sell products that they know nothing about? Why would someone recommend a product that he hasn’t tried himself?

There’s nothing wrong with getting a commission from an affiliate sales. It’s not as if the customers were paying more to get the product from you, right? So let them know.

It’s time to Step Up Spiderman!
I’m not trying to be more Catholic than the pope here. I’m just trying to point out that some elements of the blogging industry require a greater sense of responsibility. People around the world are asking for more transparency and accountability from corporations. It’s not because bloggers have smaller businesses that they shouldn’t strive to behave more responsibly.

What’s Your Take?
Have you witnessed questionable blogging practices? What do you think bloggers should be carefully with? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Photos by Steve Keys and Esparta

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link, although it’s there, first and foremost, because it’s a great book!