Unit Interactive

Web Authors Are Losing Their Integrity

by Andy on 7.24.08 | Comments (3)

Every day of the week I receive marketing spam, addressed to me personally (or not), from one or more companies who are marketing “the next cool thing in Web 2.0-ness.” Invariably these email messages compliment me on my blog writing and usually, through some sort of mischaracterization, make it clear that the “person” on the other end has never once read one of my articles. The consistent gist of these spam messages is, “We know you’ll love our new Super-Duper Web Widget and we hope you’ll blog about it and tell your readers, too!”

No. I won’t. I’m not the free advertising wing of your marketing department, and I won’t sell my integrity and credibility for some small free gift.

I notice, however, that a significant number of blog authors, many of them highly respected and knowledgeable designers and writers, are putting integrity and credibility aside in exchange for free schwag and increased search engine visibility. I see the very same products I’m asked daily to endorse show up on other blogs every week. Every day my respect slips a little for one or more of the authors whose writings I once enjoyed.

For readers, here’s a tip:
If the author of a blog you read is shilling for some new Web app or other product, they’re blowing sunshine up your butt and you should seriously question their integrity—and every other opinion and insight they offer you.

For blog authors, here’s some free advice:
Your integrity is the basis upon which everything you offer—personally and professionally—is evaluated. You are a fool if you sell your integrity cheaply. Whenever you are buttered up with compliments in some spam message and asked to help market a new product, for free or in exchange for a free gift, ask yourself if that sort of activity is why you became an author in the first place. If it is, go for it. If you write for reasons other than marketing other people’s products for some small profit, it’s likely that you’d be making a huge mistake to do so. No matter how you rationalize it, your readers will immediately perceive your lack of credibility, which will taint everything else you offer. And rightly so.