Writing as a blogger for nearly four years already, I think I can somewhat say that I already have a grasp of the basic things that one has to know when entering this field. I may not be active today as I was in my younger years, but I think I still know what I am trying to say.
DUring the last two of those four years, I've entered this small kind of money-making venture called paid blogging. Basically, all you have to do is to blog about a product, provide a link towards that product's website, and get paid in return. It's not really something that can give you a decent living extra month, but it's a nice way to beef up my Paypal account and get some nice things online when I feel like it.
Now this is a very controversial topic among SEO experts and bloggers alike. Some people just feel that this kind of way of earning from your blog is deceptive and unethical. Even Google punishes websites that they have found to be engaged in this kind of business (well, specifically those who link using certain keywords). It's because it somewhat provides an avenue for businesses to purchase links.
Even one of my friends, also a frequent blogger, is also against the practice. He thinks it's like selling your principles, or something to that effect.
Think about this. Celebrities endorse products. Paid critics are given websites to review. Paid blogging is not any different from those two activities. I get to choose what project to write for in the first place. It's just unfair that the act gets treated that way. It isn't as if I don't emphasize that those are ads in the first place.
There's money in this activity, obviously, though not as much as one would go loco all over. As long as it does not trample on anyone else's rights and as long as I feel that the websites are relevant, nothing should convince me to go to the other side.
