Earlier in the month there was a bit of drama; (for want of a better word) in the blogging world around the need for more transparency and honesty from bloggers in relation to whether something they have received has been gifted or not. It got the blogging community talking so the article itself clearly did it’s job. Like all good debates there is two sides to every story and I will admit, this article and the subsequent conversations over social media, certainly got me thinking.
Personally, I don’t feel it is necessary for a blogger or social media influencer to disclose whether products they receive have been gifted or if they are being paid – 9 times out of 10 I think you can tell 🙂 Granted though there has been and will continue to be times when I don’t know. But does it actually bother me? The short answer is NO! The long answer is – I choose to follow blogs, bloggers and social media influencers because I like what they post. I like what I see. I choose to follow them and I believe that they are authentic and true to their voice.
I also know and understand that it is 100% my choice to follow them and if I don’t like what they are posting, I can ignore it or unfollow.
Naturally, I am a positive person, my outlook on life is positive, to always look for the good, glass half full kinda gal; yada, yada, yada, so generally speaking my posts will be positive 🙂 That being said if I don’t like something or if it doesn’t suit me, my blog and / or my followers then chances are I wont post about it.
So where do I stand in regards to honesty and transparency with gifted / sponsored posts on Always Made With Love? Let’s clear something up, yes sometimes I do accept products and / or payment for posts on my blogand social media (you can read all about it here in my disclosure statement). That being said, I always endeavor to be honest. I will never endorse a product which I don’t believe in or agree with. When writing a sponsored (paid) post I will disclose with a foot note at the bottom of my post that it was sponsored by or made possible thanks to XXX and the post itself will usually have links to the business or company that has paid for the content.
The same goes for gifted products. I am lucky enough to be sent some pretty cool things. Some of these are samples to try, some are sneak peeks, and some to review. What I will always try to do is make clear that this is gifted etc… That being said I am human and we all make mistakes. So there almost, most definitely, certainly WILL be times when I don’t and not because I am trying to be deceptive but just because I am a Mum of two kiddies; a human and life happens.
So, there you have my 2 cents worth on the grey area surrounding gifted / sponsored posts 😉 Have a great week everyone!
Well said!