Would you as a blogger change your views on a subject if offered money?
This could be a slight trigger question .. with so many companies willing to pay for a post from blogger like smorty etc .. this I feel is already happening and most of the time they are products that we really havent heard of ..
But the real question is, if you knew for a fact that a canon camera was better than its peer Nikon camera.. Would you write a super post for the Nikon Camera if money was on the table?
Nope! Cannot think of subduing my values / thoughts for money!
I definitely wouldn't change my view based on any monetary benefit. But you bring up another element of discussion 'If you have blogged about something in the past and sometime down the line you change your opinion, how would you manage that?'. Personally i have been honest on my blog's and if i have changed my opinion about something i blogged years ago. I go back to the post and make additions stating the change of heart and why i have a change of heart. Its impossible to think that as a writer you will stick to same concepts life long, but its important that you inform your readers on your new position on that topic.
@ Jamshed : aah yes the other element of an opinion change in due course .. I understand that completely
on another train of thought.. how many bloggers do you know subscribe to smorty , payperpost etc..?
@ Anoop : I was hearing the founder of payperpost some weeks back on Blog radio and he mentioned that they are doing really well. i like the concept and i think companies are better off using their services rather than using Ghost bloggers. I completely believe in being transparent and honest on the blogosphere.
@Jamshed - that's pretty much the IndiBlogger philosophy - keeping true to the blogosphere. If not, every blog loses it's value and what we write about becomes irrelevant.
Well, I used to use smorty before, but did not post anything that I didn't know about or against my thoughts, like your Nikon example. But you know what, after sometime it becomes like you spamming your own blog 
@ Everyone : Great to have a feedback from you guys on this!!
On the lighter side.. I have my doubts as to whether bloggers are going to honest about this on the forum LOL.. but theres really nothing to be judged here .. Blogging is taking shape in India and its good to know the blogosphere a little better
We read in the news about how people change parties for money...not to speak of blogging about products as you mentioned.
Integrity and money both have value. The catch is that we 'assign' them value. And we choose accordingly.
It could also be that the blogger is writing about it and not endorsing it !?
Venkata Vinay @ Affirmative Thinking
Blogging is actually the synonymn for writings which are un biased straight from the heart of the writer.
Blogging nowadays are more trustworthy than newspapers.
i guess people will be attracted towards money but eminent and truthful bloggers will never sell their work in favorof one company fot the sake of people!
It's a BIG fat NO!
no! I wont. As far as I am concerned I blog because I want to write what ever I feel like. Money may not change my opinion. http://har****has.blogspot.com
nope never :)
The Nikon may still have fantastic things about it - so I might say those, and in the end mention that I like the Canon better, and very importantly, that Nikon is paying me for this endorsement, so take it as you please. Of course if I said that Nikon would be unhappy, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.
If I felt passionately about something, I wouldn't change my opinion. You couldn't get me to write a single favourable thing about most Unit Linked Insurance Products, they are all scams, one way or the other. But certain term plans rock - so I might diss an insurance company for one product and praise them for another. Yet, if they decided to pay me, I might still endorse the products I like, but will mention that I'm paid by them in that blog post.
I have had some requests to endorse products, but after I mention this small point they usually go away.
No way will I glorigy a product if I think it's not good. But if the product is good, I don't see a reason why one shouldn't. However, if anyone is writing a paid post, they should definitely make it clear right in the beginning. So that people don't get deceived
There is this story abou two friends who were discussing their sex life.
first one says - you know somethin' that famous actres xyz has agreed to sleep with me.
The second one is surprised - what are you talking about/I can't believe it.
First one gets back - There is just one problem.She is asking for 5 million dollars for a night and I have offered 500 dollars.Lets see we are negotiating ...
I will put it more bluntly - how many of us will not write a great post for a Nikon camera if we are offered $ 2000 for a single post ?A camera is a camera is a camera..right ???
It all depends - if it is about a camera I would most certainly find out all the best things I can about my nikon and write a great review but if the subject is more intense I won't budge for any amout of dope.
@Anoop: No, I will not change my opinion. Instead i will ask for money from the company, who-s product i like. So that makes me true to myself. Write what you think and get money from the guy who benefits from it. Thats my idea.
Umm tricky question... but maybe yes I will write about a product if they are offering me good money. don't get me wrong. i m not that much greedy for money, but also I will not ignore ati hui lakshmi. I have supporting reasons:
All of us will agree to this that blog is a media like newspapers and TV channels. Have you ever heard a newspaper refusing to advertise a product just because it doesn't go in sync with its philosophy. In the classifieds, a large number of the ads are from obscene or fake advertisers. Or refusing to advertsise or PR some product because it earlier glorified its competitor. No. So why us?
Agreed that a blog is more like a personal diary where you post things that you personally feel for. I have a solution. I saw this being used by some blogger, i don't remember who. After talking skies about a product, the blogger wrote a P.S; it's a paid post.
So if you are fearing that your readers will be astonished at your change in philosophy, just do this. Or better create a new category for paid posts.
Tell me will you want to do paid posts now.
@Renie: do they really pay that much of money for blogging. get me some of those projects man. I am ready to do.
never ... i would persuade the person to pay for my views without changing it 
man thats not the way things happen. why will someone pay u if he/she knows that u don't rate their product well and going to write better about the competition. its better than not writing.
was jus jokin' man ...
