ReviewMe and how it affects the status quo of stuff

There has been a lot of buzz in the blogosphere with the launch of ReviewMe, a product from the guys that brought you Text Link Ads. What astonishes me most was how a lot of bloggers have posted about this rather quickly in the past 6 hours. And the answer to this is quite obvious – they are being financially compensated for it.

As a writer for print publications, I see nothing new with the concept of paying people for writing product reviews or features. But since the true nature of blogs are hard to discern (am I blogging for fun or for profit?), one has to disclose that he or she is being paid to post something. The concept is pretty similar to being paid to work versus being paid to do something you love. (Don’t you wish you had that job that paid you to travel around the world?) In both cases what differs is the orientation of the individual towards his work – both statements refer to “being paid to do your job” but there is a difference in the person’s disposition in receiving his compensation. Thus, if we apply the same example to blogs, someone who is being paid to post falls under the latter description – being paid to do something you love.

A review in A Bugged Life is pegged at a net of $30.00 which is about PHP1,500 for a minimum of 200 words. That’s waaay above the going rate for articles in print. This piece took me about 10 minutes to write, which is waaay faster than writing a “regular” article.

In addition to this, ReviewMe presents unique opportunities for blog networks too, because it allows network owners and editors to rake in extra cash by posting reviews about products – something which they may already be doing. Add the fact that blogs belonging to networks link back to one another, they rank high in the Technorati linkings, thereby increasing your pay per post value.

I almost forgot – I’m being paid to post this review. Now here’s the disturbing thought – does it matter what other people think about a post “sell-out” or will the blogger have the last laugh … laughing his way to cash in his cheque?