I don't want to do my RE homework, OK? Lol.
Since everyone seems to be addressing this today...I don't usually get the oppurtunity to really have a discussion with most of my followers. Like, a really opinionated one aside from, "This polish is absolute crap/ambrosia for the fingernails". So I basically just thought I'd detail a few thoughts out here and then see how many people agree/disagree. Please do comment with whatever you think! As far as I know anonymous comments are enabled, so if you'd rather comment in that form, go ahead.
The "PR Companies, love me!" blogger
Now there's nothing wrong with wanting to obtain free stuff. Free stuff is awesome, really. But when you've only got, I don't know, twenty followers, and you're all over the facebook/twitter/social networking page of that company trying to get free product, it's a little unclassy. It just makes you look like a bumlicker, basically, and it's most likely going to devalue other people's opinion of you. Though props for having the balls to ask for free product to review. I couldn't, lol. Still, if that's what floats your boat, you do that. Same for those who have say, had a blog open for about six months, and have only reviewed samples sent for consideration in about four months. Part of the reason myself and other people enjoy reading blogs is because the products are purchased (or sent, whatever) by people who have the same interests, and we enjoy reading their opinions. If I wanted to read about products that had been sent, I'd pick up a magazine or something. It's pretty obvious which blogs are the ones that are in it for the free shit, and I'm cool with those. I'll look at the pretty pictures, but I won't take the content seriously.
The "Stock Pictures Only" blogger
I'm not demanding that everyone is a prodigy with a camera - I freely admit that my nail swatches are poor. They were poorer when I began blogging, and I really truly thank everyone who has stuck with my uncleaned cuticles and fugly application since those early days *shudder* but they're slightly better now. Blogging helps you improve, I think. Honestly, I'd rather see a load of completely colour incorrect, smudgy, over exposed swatches than a PR picture (of a colour cosmetic. I don't mind with like foundations and suchlike). At least that blogger has made an effort...if you've just stuck a PR picture into the post, what's to prove you're even reviewing the actual product? It just smacks of laziness for me.
Then again, I may well be biased, seeing as my swatches are crapola. *nervous giggle*
The "Moar wuv, please" blogger
So you have more followers than nearly everyone else blogging in this country and yet you still feel the need to repost the link to your latest article every hour because five comments in twenty minutes isn't enough for you?
Oh, OK then.
The "Popular trendz Xtremezz!" blogger
Bashing whatever the media wants to bash, but taken to the extreme. Take the case of that Kenneth Wong dude on twitter spouting his pro-anorexic nonsense. One blogger goes completely over the top and feels the need to insult and humiliate thin women while simultaenously judging those who would do the same to larger women. The hypocrisy is insane, truly.
Naturally, when you call them out on it it's the standard "don't like it, don't read it." No, I'll just unfollow. And then a few minutes later you're on Twitter again, crying about how your latest post just lost you x amount of followers. No shit!
I'll probably make a part two to this if the response is good. Must. Get. Back. To. Crappy. And. Boring. Homework.
The "It's half twelve and I'm procrastinating" rant. Things that piss you off about the blogging world?
This post makes like nooo sense I'm sorry :P
ReplyDeleteI want more of this!!! Its funny but true at the same time!
ReplyDeleteLol! Thank you, Holiday JC!
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to edit and refine it now. Seriously, lack of sleep is like a drug O_o
I don't any popular trendz bloggers (thank jeebus) but yessss on the others. Especially the ones that are obsessed with getting free stuff. I mean, I can definitely understand wanting to do reviews...I would like to start doing that myself, once all my blog issues are settled. And once I figure out how to ask without feeling like a fool, LOL. But when you just started your blog, clearly don't know anything about polish, and haven't even made an attempt to produce good pictures, you just look crazy asking for PR consideration.
ReplyDeleteAlso annoying? People who do get PR stuff and then lie about the quality of the product. Just because it's gratis doesn't make it all magical and wonderful...tell the truth people. It's not that hard, and the company probably isn't gonna stop sending you stuff because you didn't like a few of the colors. As long as you are respectful in your dislike, it will probably be okay. And plus, when bloggers lie about a polish, then I go out and spend my hard-earned money on something that's not as great as people were saying that it was. AHEM BAD FAIRY.
And freaking stock pictures on reviews, with no actual swatches. Soo damn lazy. SO LAZY! I mean, really...you can't even put the polish on your nail? Or even on your skin? Or even on a piece of scotch tape and stick it to your skin? OR EVEN ON A PIECE OF PAPER, REALLY?
It makes me extra mad with makeup too, because makeup is stupid easy to swatch. Ahh it makes me so mad...if I wanted to look at stock pictures, I'd go to the website. -___-
Sorry for the novel, but I too am procrastinating.
And also, I don't think your pictures are horrible. They get nicer with every post too. ^_^
You are right. I am still reading posts on some forums like that "aawhh you have free samples, I need to start blogging because I want them too" -.- It is so annoying. They don't understand, that when you are blogging you need to learn with every swatch. I also can make swatches only during weekends (and we have very bad weather in winter) so I get up early and swatch swatch swatch. They don't understand, that I had first free product after reaching almost 200 followers. I try to do my best with writing posts in English (I have bilingual blog - Polish and English) and my English isn't very good, I try to make the best swatches I can, my blog is the second popular blog in Poland (I'm talking about subs) and it is very hard work to keep blog alive and good and I still listening to words like that: "samples samples! blogging is easy! everybody can make a blog and have gazylions of samples!". I hate that.
ReplyDeleteFreebies? Yeah, great. Never had any. Being the polite person I am I'm probably better off without as I might feel compelled to express some kind of gratitude and be unable to express a genuine view. PLUS I don't want to hear other people boasting about their mere good fortune in getting gifts. Who would?
ReplyDeleteLazy lame people with stock pictures? AVOID.
Love me, love me now blogs? Nah. There's one high-profile one (whom I shall not name) who has excellent nail swatches (Eastern European may narrow it down a bit) but does rather use her blog as a way of eliciting sympathy/outpourings of "Ah, you poor diddums....". I got sucked in until it got old.
Cool and groovy? Never even heard of this Wong chap.
And Twitter? Lena, WHY?
'It's snowing in Middlesborough.'
'I saw a great bag in Top Shop/Gucci/Louis Vuitton.'
'Guess what? I stood next to Colin Firth in the toilets in the Savoy!'
'Should I have tuna mayo or Thai chicken in my baguette? Please help me!'
I'd love you to do a post on
WHY TWITTER IS ESSENTIAL FOR ALL THINKING PEOPLE WHO WISH TO KEEP ABREAST OF CURRENT EVENTS
Great post!
Hah, great one! And it goes well with my observations on blogosphere as I'm discovering it slowly. I mean, there is a lot of really great bloggers out there. But also quite a few of those you described. I didn't even know one can *ask* a company to do a review of their products. :S I couldn't do that. I had one request and had to refuse it because I felt the product wouldn't be good for my nails. I can't imagine asking for free product. It seems kinda like ... whoring your blog.
ReplyDeleteAnd about followers ... I love my readers, I really do. But with a giveaway it also came the bitter realisation some people follow you just for the giveaways. Naive of me to think they won't, I know, but since I don't ... I dunno, I guess I didn't expect any would? Oh well. Blogging for me is tons of fun and when/if it'll cease to be fun and turn into a hunt for free stuff and me telling lies to my readers about products, I'll shut it down for sure.
And i'm with Jaljen on twitter and FB and all other pages that sprout around blogger. And I think I know who the high profile blogger she takes about it and I tooootally agree!
I dont agree with you. It is not whoring. It is like bartering more :P But if someone is giving a honest opinions free samples are not bad.
ReplyDeleteWhat really pisses me off is all those bloggers out there who scale themselve on the same level as some of the "big" bloggers. Just respect the fact that you have less followers, don't go around link whoring and just make an effort to get to know the other bloggers and then you'll get the same in return!
ReplyDeleteEverything (society works the same way) comes down to treating the other like you want to be treated. If you were a company, would you like a "simple" blogger with 10 followers begging you for free stuff? I would be annoyed.
And I don't mean that us "simple" bloggers are less then the ones with 1000+ followers, just know that you are on a different blogginglevel!
I agree with you. My blog is quite small right now and I am cooperating with few companies from my country because in Poland I'm very popular. But I won't write good review for a bad product.
ReplyDeleteSabbatha, I'm not saying taking a product for reviewing is whoring, of course not, but this: "and you're all over the facebook/twitter/social networking page of that company trying to get free product" - this i do consider selling out the blog. Most of these persons tend to give dishonest opinions anyways. They love everything because it's free.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't consider bloggers who get the opportunity, either by getting contacted by the brand or mentioning the blog and review when ordering stuff and have the intention of buying the products anyway and giving honest opinion about it, being bad. I think no blogger would mind doing reviews on this level.
Ok, you are right. I didn't understand you well :-)
ReplyDelete@Ulmiel: If a blogger doesn't want to feel like people are only following to enter giveaways, then she is free to not make it a requirement. With the exception of my doing a giveaway for the generous readers who complete a ten minute survey to help me with my research, the giveaways we have been doing at Polish or Perish have always been no strings attached... and we made this decision because we wanted the only reason for someone to read the blog was because they enjoyed the blog.
ReplyDeleteAs a result of our giveaway policy, the growth of our Google Followers has been slower than many other blogs that started at around the same time. ...well, it's also possible that we're not as good as all those other blogs, but I don't doubt that we would have a higher follower count if we made followership a requirement of giveaways. ;)