I was just scrolling through my ‘foodie news’ list on
Twitter (this is one of many lists that I used to compile Flash in the Pan
every fortnight) and this little gem popped up, from Eater:
Now of course, when I actually read the full article
(well, it’s a podcast, but I read the transcript) it turned out that Eater were
misrepresenting David Lebovitz slightly, no doubt to entice people like me in –
he’s not really saying that bloggers shouldn’t get paid, but that your reason
for blogging should be that you love it, not that you want a restaurant or a
book deal.
Still, it made me think of a view I’ve heard from a lot
of bloggers – that really, the only way to be authentic and true to what you
love is to make absolutely no money from your blogging. Sorry folks, but I
reckon that’s boohockey.
For some reason, it’s been decreed that in this case,
it’s ‘not right’ to make money out of something you love. As a person who has
done just that, let me tell you – it’s absolutely fantastic, and I wish it
could be the same for everyone. Turning what I love – cooking and writing about
food – into my day job is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I look
forward to Mondays. I enjoy every single day. It’s incredible. As well as
writing for my own blog, I write content for other people’s – usually smaller
independent companies, but bigger ones too on occasion.
But Sal, some people will be saying – how can we trust
bloggers to be authentic when we know they’ve been showered with cash for
writing about this recipe book/bar of chocolate/eyelash curler/set of
headphones? How do we know they’re not rolling around in a big pile of fifties
while the brand writes the post and uploads it straight to their blog? Can we
believe anything anyone says anymore??
Well, I’d say that the fact we’re quite happy to trust
reviews and features from elsewhere, when those people get paid too, is
probably the answer to your question. We have no problem with magazines reviewing
a product, or people on telly talking about something new that they love. We
trust them to know what they’re talking about. So why do we feel differently
about bloggers?
I suspect that the real problem is that it’s been decided
that no one should have to pay for work from bloggers, because somehow it’s not
really worth anything. And you know who decided that? It sure as hell wasn’t
us. It was certain brands and PR companies who are looking to get something for
nothing. The clever bit is the way they made us think it was our idea – that it
was all about authenticity, when actually it was about the bottom line.
By all means, stick to your principles when it comes to
your blog. If you don’t want to write about something, don’t. And if you don’t
like something, either post an honest review or post nothing at all. But if you
want to turn your blog into your job, and get paid for all the
funny/useful/entertaining/moving/thought-provoking content you come up with,
using your own time and brain and hard work, then go ahead and don’t let anyone
tell you that’s wrong.
