Originally Posted by
sbm12
There is nothing inherently wrong with them. Like most marketing/advertising, when used in context they are subtle, helpful to the consumer (reader in this case) and everyone wins. When they start to skew the content, however, it becomes a more challenging situation. When, as a reader, I have to stop to consider whether the information is being shared because it is good for me or because it is good for the author that's more of a problem.
There was a period of time when the revenue side of the points & miles blogging worlds wasn't such big business. It was easier then to trust that the information you were getting was reasonably unbiased, or at least not motivated by the financial gain of the author. That is a much riskier assumption today vis a vis CC information.
There is also the part where content is being "invented" as a means to push more CC links. It isn't compelling content without the blatant advertising layered in on top. Too much of that and the average value of the content overall goes down to a level such that it stops being worth parsing through chaff to find the wheat.
This sums it up perfectly.
There is nothing inherently wrong with affiliate links. But when a blog stretches and stretches just to get an affiliate link it, that blog's credibility takes a blow.
When a blog posts previously posted information as 'new' in order to pump affiliates, that blog's credibility takes a blow.
Most significantly, if a blog posts an affiliate offer that is NOT the best offer for that card, that blog's credibility is utterly destroyed
(and I would fervently hope that if/when this happens, someone will post about it here!).
Now, some blogs may not care about their credibility with more savvy folks. They may just be after newbies and so see no down side of pumping as hard and fast as they can. That's a marketplace decision.
But for the long haul, a blog's credibility defines its value. So as you start your business my advice would be to be very, very careful with your credibility. A good rule of thumb might be, if your blog post makes you think 'oooh, this will be really good for my readers,' go for it. If your first thought is 'oooh, I could make some dough with this one!' then tread VERY carefully.
Originally Posted by frugal travel guy
the average tv sitcom is 22 minutes long, allowing 8 minutes or 26% of the allotted time for "commercial interruptions" and the American public takes it day after day.
this crowd wants PBS or premium channel programming without paying the fees.
I'll make a long term prediction: it ain't gonna change
No, we really don't take it day after day. We install DVRs and skip the obvious commercials. @:-)
So some shows have responded by doing in-show commercials, where the commercial blends with the show. Some, like my favorite show Cougar Town, do this well and cleverly. Others, like Amazing Race, do it embarrassingly ham-handedly.
I agree that it isn't going away. The question is how well it will be done.