I wondered whether or not to write a post about this over the weekend……….I didn’t. Then I changed my mind and now I am! Reading the posts over this weekend and taking part in NaBloPoMo this month has really got me thinking about my own blog and what I want from it.
When I started my blog I had no experience of the blogging world at all, I had very little knowledge of Twitter – I am a Facebook gal myself!! In fact I was (and still am pretty clueless about it all!!) I am learning as I go along and trying to learn quickly and develop my Blog. I met the lovely Baby Genie at the Huggies Pull Ups shoot and she kindly pointed me in the direction of WordPress and off I went!! I had thought about writing some sort of journal for a while, but the world of Blogging was there totally undiscovered by me until recently. I have been amazed at the amount of absolutely fabulous blogs that are out there and I love reading them, my inbox is constantly flowing with new reads and I love it!! Whenever I get a minute, or more likely when I am supposed to be doing some boring housework tasks you will find me sat with my iPod reading away!
There are a lot of great blogs out there reviewing great products. As a newbie to the blogging world I think it is easy to be enticed by looking at all these reviews and think “I want to do some!” After all who would say no to free stuff eh? From what I can gather in my very new and very uneducated opinion……reviews are hard work, if they are done properly they take a lot of time and effort and should not be looked at as getting “free stuff” at all. You have to work hard to build up your readership and then make sure you give an honest opinion of any products that you are lucky enough to be able to review. If the PR’s and companies stopping giving stuff out then there would be no reviews to do, they continue to use Mummy Bloggers, so therefore the reviews must have an impact somewhere?
If there are Mummy Bloggers out there just doing it for free stuff then surely there Blogs would not become successful and would not have a high enough readership to leave them in a position to be able to do reviews?
My intention for my blog, was not to be a reviewer, in fact I genuinely didn’t even realise that this was something that bloggers did so much of (when I said earlier I am clueless I really did mean it). But reading so many blogs made me think that actually doing product reviews was the norm, and perhaps my blog was not good enough because it doesn’t have any? So I did start to seek out reviews and those who have read my blog will know I have done a couple of reviews. If I was approached and a product will be of use to me and my family then I will happily review it! Does that make me a blagger? Maybe? Probably!!
So for now I will continue with my “sentimental guff” however, if I am honest I actually LOVE sentimental guff!! I will continue as I am, jabbering away about life with my babies, after all that is what my blog is about! So far I am happy with my little part of the Bloggersphere, reviews or no reviews does it really matter? If people don’t like what I do, they won’t read it!! Simples!
Head over to take a look at the other posts that have been written over the weekend on this subject!
mummy-tips Regards Rainbow Mummy From The Heart Joanne on the Couch notanottinghillmum
NaBloPoMo Post Number 7!!! 23 to go! 🙂
The Singing Mummy 
I didn’t realise when I started that people actually reviewed stuff on their blogs.
I agree – to do it properly takes dedication.
It’s not something I’ve thought of doing for myself and I doubt it ever will be but I don’t think it’s an easy ride for free stuff for those who do.
Have to say, I don’t follow many that do reviews purely because I’d rather read other stuff but I have no objection to the odd review popping up every now and then.
Thanks for your comment. I don’t tend to read that many reviews at all if I am honest, I don’t mind the odd one or two but don’t read them if there are too many. I think it is about getting the balance right, but at the end of the day, what someone does with their blog is up to them! x
Good to see someone else writing from another perspective, I threw my opinion out there yesterday too!
If you blog you can write what you like. As you say, if people don’t like they don’t have to read. Sometimes it comes across like a bit of a game anyways. Leaving comments on others just so some others might read yours. Cynical? Maybe.
My blog is for me to just unload stuff. I like it. I’m new and I’m getting good feedback. This gives me confidence, not just in writing but I feel a bit more confident in the outside world too.
And, as in life, I guess some bloggers subscribe to the ‘if you don’t ask you don’t get rule.’ To be quite honest, having worked in marketing for some years some of the biggest blaggers I have ever met have been marketeers. Free cocktail reception invites here, a nice product to try, there. “Can my darling colleague have one too, she’s totes amazeballs”. What’s the difference?
I see no wrong in either. Its like asking for a free sample at the makeup counter. Either they give it to you, or they don’t, but there’s no harm in asking.
It is great to hear a new bloggers perspective on this, thank you for taking the time to join the debate.
Anyone who is just in for the freebies is missing one vital thing – you rarely get something for nothing. Real reviews take a while to write, and unless you know what else is on the market it’s hard to be objective. Parent bloggers are ideal people to review relevant products, which is why PRs are so keen on using them, but they won’t use hopeless writers who are just on the make because no one will read them.