Websites, like newspapers and magazines, thrive on getting sent free stuff by companies to write about. Getting paid by companies to review stuff is considered unethical, but getting free stuff isn't. ReviewMe.com is a new online service from the people behind Text Link Ads that aims to blur the distinction, paying bloggers to review products on their site, in whatever terms they wish, favourably or unfavourably.

As you've already guessed, this review itself is a gloriously self-reflexive blog post about ReviewMe.com which ReviewMe are paying me to write. At this point I could insert some scathing criticism and it wouldn't matter - they still have to pay me. Although, admittedly, quoting Bill Hicks' spectacularly articulated contempt for paid placement - "just another corporate shill at the capitalist gangbang" - might be taking it too far.

Bloggers who sign up to ReviewMe.com have their blog assessed, and if they're admitted to the program, are then offered products about which they can choose to write paid reviews that are supposedly relevant to their blog audience. The paying company has no control over what the blogger writes - indeed, the only review stipulation for this review is that it has to be over 200 words.

What's interesting about this approach is that it signals the arrival of blogs as a recognised avenue for companies to promote their products. I can't see many book publishers using ReviewMe.com to push their new titles, but you never know. What I'm interested to see is what sort of companies start using ReviewMe.com. Unsurprisingly, the majority of blogs already signed up to ReviewMe.com are in the technology and web development areas - I can't see many arts companies coming on board with this model, as most arts companies are as hopelessly backwards as publishers about using technology to promote their work.

Therefore I don't expect to actually be asked to review anything for ReviewMe on Spike beyond this, but I'm hoping it might lead to some interesting stuff for my travel site Travelhappy. Really I'm hoping ReviewMe might act as a conduit to tell me about useful stuff I didn't know about before, because it will be products et al supposedly tuned to my interests. Plus act as a conduit to pour booze down my throat thanks to easy beer money for writing about stuff I think is interesting.

Can I say "win-win" now?

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Posted by Chris to splinters: books, authors, literature, travel, politics at 11/15/2006 03:08:00 PM