Comments on: Online Prostitution – Should You Avoid It on Your Blog?

By: Chick J

Chick J — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:11:25 +0000

Has anyone read Seth Godin’s book “Unleashing the Virus”? He uses the idea of sneezers, people who will talk about your idea, book, etc. Then he talks about the Promiscuous sneezers, people who are big names in their fields, who will tell about your idea, book, etc, as long as they can make money from it. This sounds a little about what going on with the big product launches.

By: Trisha Cupra

Trisha Cupra — Fri, 22 May 2009 03:09:55 +0000

I’m getting really sick of all these big product launches. I just ignore them now, but the blogger who promotes these products also loses some respect and credibility with me.

It’s also all the hype that puts me off.

By: Alison Kerr

Alison Kerr — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:54:02 +0000

Actually I didn’t even realize that affiliate commissions were being paid for this kind of launch, probably because there isn’t a disclosure. If I see an advert in a sidebar I assume there is an affiliate commission, but unless a blog article states a relationship I thought the blogger was just being helpful and spreading the word.

Have I earned a greenie badge? Needless to say I don’t have the blogging budget to pay for a $97 class right now, never mind a $397 one, so there’s not really a temptation. I’d no idea that commissions were as high as 35-50%. And here am I trying to earn a few $ with Amazon’s little 4% commission. I don’t even feel comfortable recommending higher priced items which I do use – I feel that caring about the environment kind of precludes encouraging others to buy, unless maybe I’m promoting an E-book. It’s a dilemma.

By: Baz

Baz — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:22:57 +0000

Mike – Great to see you ’round these parts.

Your point about the commission percentage is a good one. I know that most affiliates expect 35%-50% of each sale they refer. Which begs the question of the product’s inherent worth as you mention. I know that $47, $67, $97 and common price points for information products. I don’t mind paying these prices if my trust in author and his/her guarantee is of equal amount.

But $397 begins to make me really uneasy and begin harboring thoughts like your original question of the overpricing issue. Some things to ponder yet. Thanks for weighing in!

By: Baz

Baz — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:16:26 +0000

Alison – Thanks for your comment on this post. I, too, feel that an affiliation should be disclosed when recommending another’s product or service. And I also think that most ‘bloggers’ understand that it’s an affiliate relationship the A-List blogger is engaged in. Most of do the same. I guess my issue is the sheer num ber of A-Listers who jump on the bandwagon and flood my email with their unique recommendation.

I think I’d love to see the following: “Hi Baz, It’s _____. My associate, Mr. A-List Blogger has a new product and I want to help him gain new customers by recommending it to you. Of course, I’ll get a piece of the pie so-to-speak in a affiliate commission, but you probably knew that. I haven’t used his product personally, but I believe in the quality that is ___’s hallmark. I’ve used other products of his/her’s like _________ and found it to be fantastic. So while I haven’t used this new product, I feel confident in recommending it to you.”

I’m happy to wait.

By: Mike CJ

Mike CJ — Wed, 20 May 2009 09:27:33 +0000

Wow! Interesting – I was sent here by one of my readers and I can see why – we are in accord over this. I’m more than a little frustrated at the moment with the whole merry go round surrounding these massive product launches, and the fact that I end up getting the same email from six different people, four times a week, telling how wonderful the product is. I’ve been writing extensively about it on my blog.
The biggest issue I have with it, is the massive commissions that are paid, which means the product effectively ends up being twice as expensive as it should be, and therefore pushes it beyond most people’s budgets.
Enjoyed the post. Thanks.

By: Alison Kerr

Alison Kerr — Wed, 20 May 2009 00:03:59 +0000

Personally I feel that I’m enough of a grown-up to make my own decisions regardless of whom is promoting a product – I won’t sign up for something that costs simply because it’s promoted by anyone, A-List blogger, or whomever. If I’m paying for something I’d better be sure I’m going to get the benefit, and be able to “stay the course”, before I sign up. On the other hand, if I trust someone from past association I’d take their assessment seriously.

I think there are 2 ways to promote a product:
1) know the product from using it yourself
2) know about the product from what you’ve seen and read

I think your question is whether it’s OK to do the latter when you are getting a financial gain. I do think a financial gain should be disclosed. Or should we just assume that an A-List blogger benefits from any paid item they write about? When we go into a store we know that the salesman gets commission from us buying something and we pretty much assume they’ve not used the item themselves. The question is, would we buy the item anyway, and, if not, do we trust their judgment?