1) If one tags a post as an advertorial, doesn’t that immediately reduce the credibility of that product or service vis-a-vis others that are not tagged as advertorial? Honestly, I don’t read posts that are blatantly advertorials in general, and I wonder if anybody truly does.

2) How does one decide how much benefit would entail an ethical issue for a blogger? For example, if I am a hotel operator, and I invite bloggers and their family members to stay free for a night and they are to then blog about it, would that be considered a benefit? But then again, that’s what publicists have been doing for eons with traditional media journalists anyway.

3) How about friendship oriented posts? Must a blogger disclose his or her friends and their respective businesses too? For example, if my good friend is opening a cafe or a restaurant, I surely can support him or her with a review.

4) Finally, the buck must surely start and stop somewhere, if people want to make social media a part of their living. Newspapers, magazines, television and radio survive almost entirely on the takings of advertising. Right now, social media tools are largely considered amateur channels, ie we can consider bloggers a tuition teachers or freelancers (if making money is an objective) rather than a profession. However, if the sector grows into a serious media channel, some form of guidelines may be useful.

I think the fundamental point is whether the blogger truly believes in the product or service that he or she is blogging about, regardless of any form of monetary exchange. Any blogger who is worth his or her salt would refrain from puffing up a crap product regardless of the amount of financial or material benefit gained. If he or she does that, the long-term effects will certainly be clear – drop in readership, poor reputation, and reduced credibility.

Finally, I feel that any form of regulation is a negative step for the social media world in Singapore or the rest of the world. Policies and rules should only come in place if there is widespread misconduct, which fortunately has not occurred.

The publishing industry has been been debating about the getting print audited as a legal requirement for print license but it was never implemented as the authorities said it should let the industry decide.

I believe the same argument will apply to the blog-o-sphere where the authorities will ask the industry to decide.

Should bloggers admit they are being paid for coverage? Yes, if they want to continue with the trust of the readers.

But it can be tricky though. I believed recently there was an event that the organiser will give an “ang pao” for attending an event and for blogging about it. Well, I saw a few Singapore bloggers attending the event and not blogged about this “ang pao”.

Then again, that was the last and only event for bloggers that the organisers ever did.

So, let the industry decide.

Before going into companies engaging bloggers, how about companies engaging real life people, getting them to spread the goodness by word of mouth yet not using the internet or their blogs to broadcast ? If this is not addressed, it would lead to double standards.

If ever there is a need to monitor, it’s going to be quite a lot of debates, discussions, arguments and without the fundamentals & principles in place, we won’t reach who can govern or monitor.

This might happen, it might not, nevertheless, it’s a good review for blogging and everything internet. Many discussions, points of views, would probably be brought up. Would be good to document, collect & discuss at upcoming gathering/conferences.

Just my thoughts & views…. Would be interesting to read others views & opinions !

JH
http://www.photojournalist-tgh.tv