I am always trying to come up with a subject for a blog post. Well while I was over checking out things over on Sverve this morning I came across a blog called Kludgy Mom and her blog post called "Idea Bank: Your Source For Writing Prompts" and it was about 600 Brilliant Blog Post Ideas. That is when the not so bright light bulb in my head went off and decided to just pick a number and scroll down and do a blog post on that idea, no matter what it was.
Well, I picked number 326 and here was the idea:
Are we saying what we really mean in the blog world or are we all just being too nice?
So, my thoughts on this one is pretty easy. Yep, I tend to think that we sugar coat things when we comment on other bloggers posts. Like we are going to go over and say that their review or post really sucked. I know that I wouldn't do that anyway. That is being rude. I am not sure how you could handle it without getting on that bloggers bad side. I, myself would like to know if I had a post out there that really sucked so that I could rewrite it and I would be thankful that someone else would come forth and tell me. However, on that note, I am not a skilled enough blogger to know what the companies and readers truly want.
I know that when I used to do posts on my daily mishaps or things that I have done with the daycare kiddos or things like that. I quit writing posts about things like that because no one ever really commented on them. Then a month or two after I stopped I had some people tell me in person that they loved reading my posts. So, were they being nice or what?
As far as what I post, I mean what I say. I have had to write negative reviews and I didn't like to do it, but that is all part of doing honest reviews. The good and the bad, no matter what whether the company wants to hear it or not. That is what makes it nice is that I get whatever products I am getting before I write any review.
So are you saying what you really mean in the blog world or are you just being too nice?
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This is a VERY interesting post to me. I have been wanting to write a blog for a while now. In fact, I have it, I just haven't made it "live" yet. What is stopping me? Well, I personally feel that A LOT of the reviews are, in MY opinion, just plain PHONY. I have won giveaways for a product that got a RAVE review and when I tried it, it was AWFUL! So, this left me wondering to the validity of these reviews, WHY are there SO MANY great reviews and NO negative results? WHY isn't there even one negative review out there? I was on a mission to find just one product or service that BOMBED in a bloggers opinion. If it's out there I have NOT seen it. I went so far as to pose my questions to one very nice blogger. She responded with; "I try to keep my blog a positive space. Besides if I gave negative reviews then companies would not want to hire me to review their product. If you ever start a blog Kathleen, please let me know, I love sarcasm and humor" I COULD NOT believe it! This spoke VOLUMES to me! First, it proves to me that most reviews are motivated by wanting to get more business and that means they are at best less than completely honest. And secondly, that someone would call my sense of integrity and honesty, sarcasm and humor! Are you kidding me?!! Fortunately, I DON'T need the money or business, so I believe I would be NOTHING SHORT of honest. I feel the problem I would have is, making the "blogging world" upset or angry with me. That is NOT my intention. But I think that companies who truly believe in what they are trying to sell, would WELCOME real opinions and if they could impress a reviewer who doesn't always sugar coat EVERY item, than that is the BEST testament to their product. I'm also curious about the "honest opinion" disclosure on the blogs. hmmm..... a whole other can of worms.... lol =) Thanks for the thought provoking post! I'm interested in what others' comments will be.
ReplyDeleteI thought I should come back and make clear that I LOVE reading blogs and in fact follow SO MANY it's hard to read all of them, all of the time. I certainly have my favorites and read EVERY item they post. There is some GREAT information out there regarding parenting, vacationing, family life, green living, empty nesters, fashion, makeup, etc. There is some WONDERFUL heartfelt posts about personal experiences. I have been move to tears as well as laughter. Blogging posts run the gamut from hilarious to serious, dealing with life's trials and tribulations; beautiful births, relationships, and moving accounts of coping with death and loss. I will continue navigating and reading in the "blogger's world" and sincerely hope I didn't offend anyone. It was honestly NOT my intention.
DeleteResponding to Kathy above (and thank you for the shout out on my idea bank, BTW) on what my experience has been working with brands - and it has been very extensive. You often don't see overly negative reviews because it's good business practice that, if you try a product and you absolutely hate it or have a horrible experience, you contact the PR person for that product and let them know that you were not happy with the product. Then, most bloggers offer to not write the review at all, or write it with the PR person's understanding that it will be negative. more often than not, a PR person will ask for the person to not publish the review.
DeleteMost of my blog friends (as well as I) do try to be as honest and straightforward with the products we write about. I don't do a lot of straight reviews, but when I do write sponsored posts, oftentimes I will talk about the things that I don't like about it in the spirit of being fair and balanced.
Yes, I do work with brands as a way of supplementing my income. Some bloggers do, some bloggers don't. There's room for everybody in the blogosphere!
Kathy,
DeleteI am definitely not one to write a review that isn't an honest one. I do some reviews for a PR Company and don't necessarily write all the reviews on this blog but do write reviews about products and I had contacted the PR company about a negative review before I posted on the PR site and I was told by them that the product companies want us to always be completely honest about their products no matter what my thoughts are. Now, whether or not that he was just speaking for that particular website that I was reporting on, I don't know, but I took that to heart and do that will all my reviews.
Thanks, for being honest with your thoughts on this, I have always wondered what readers thought about things and this really opens up my eyes to a lot more things. I need to keep your comment in mind the next time that I am writing a review on any book or product.
Oh, how I wish I could say that I supplement my income by writing reviews or posts but I can say there have been less than I can count on one hand of those posts since I started blogging in 2009, every other review has been in exchange for the product, which I received before writing the review, at which time what I wrote wouldn't matter anyway.
Gigi,
I had to give you a shout out girl! That is an awesome post and I will definitely be using it in the future for many more posts. Thanks for rockin' the blogging world!!
Thank you Gigi and Tammy. You two have cleared up a lot for me regarding how the reviews on a blog are accomplished. The last paragraph in the post mentions negative reviews and I had never seen one so once again I was left to wonder why. I guess it makes sense the way you explain it.. I think I was in a different mindset about what a review is supposed to be. I shop A LOT on Amazon and I really do rely on others' reviews when making a purchase of something I haven't bought before. I am a "tough customer" and expect the best for my money. After all, most people work hard for their money and if they are anything like me, LOVE a good bargain especially on a GREAT product.
DeleteI am who I am. I have not established myself enough to require a certain type of post yet.. so I just go for it.
ReplyDeleteI am pretty selective about what I will review, so I haven't been in a situation to give any negative feedback as yet. Maybe someday I will have enough reviewing options to actually generate something that isn't positive. lol.
I did whine a few times about online freelance companies. I don't think I named names though, and it was a general whine more about the people on there than the actual service..
Honesty is great but doing it in a kind way I feel is essential, especially if you are commenting on someone else's blog. I personally feel that there is too much negativity out there and that we as bloggers can at least try to diminish that somewhat, at least among ourselves. Honestly, if you feel that someone's blog post is crappy, do you really have to let them know publicly on their personal blog? Possibly someone else might think it's wonderful. Or if you really feel as if you have an issue with someone's post, why not turn it into a writing prompt and use it for your own blog?
ReplyDeleteI feel like bloggers do have a tendency to sugarcoat things and I think about this a lot actually. I genuinely like my blog to be upbeat but its because I tend be an upbeat person in real life as well. I try to avoid having negative energy around me because I feel like it only brings people down.
ReplyDeleteAs far as sponsored posts and reviews go, I've had a couple products that people have wanted me to review that were HORRIBLE so I gave them the choice-- I could not write the post or I would give a completely honest review. Both times the person chose to just have me not write the review. I am completely honest about everything I post but I try to stay away from a negative energy, you know?
I started as am about me type blog and you are right-never any comments. I get the most views on reviews and oddly enough it is the skincare reviews I do. I do comment on other bloggers. I make it simple comments on lower quality posts and will engage on well writen ones. Just for time sake mainly! :-0
ReplyDeleteYou know, my dad always said that if you have nothing nice to say is better not to speak. So, if I ever come upon a post where all I have to comment about is negative I slowly walk away. As for my blog....well, there are a lot of things I wish I could say but I don't want to piss any of my family (and in laws) out.
ReplyDeleteI write honest reviews and always tell it like it is. I can honestly say I have not reviewed something I didn't like "Yet".
ReplyDeleteI stay honest. There are some personal topics I choose not to discuss, but I don't sugarcoat things. If I'm conducting a review on a product that turned out not to be my cup of tea, I'll let the readers know. If quality isn't questioned, I am clear it's just not something I like. It's up to them to decide if it's something they think they'd want to try.
ReplyDelete