Andy Beard - Internet Business Systems Discussion - Latest Comments in Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Dawn — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:20:31 -0000

Hey Andy- Thinking about Darren's statements about how many comments per minute have to be made in order to make a decent living- he probably started a landslide over at DP. :)

I get offers all the time from people on DP willing to do dirty, tedious, monotonous work for next to nothing. I can't lie...I have hired some myself but I do give generous tips if they do a good job for me because if they do quality work, I want them to be available for me. :)

I agree that comment posting on blogs can be done ethically- but I reserve important jobs for myself or for pros I have worked with in the past that I trust. There is nothing more unprofessional than comments that are not pertinent to the conversations. It completely shows your company in a bad light. (Like the Wide Circle comments you mentioned on another page of your blog).

My two cents worth.

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Dawn — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:20:31 -0000

Hey Andy- Thinking about Darren's statements about how many comments per minute have to be made in order to make a decent living- he probably started a landslide over at DP. :)

My two cents worth.

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Matt — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 06:09:36 -0000

This seems to be a similar moral dilemma to writing sponsored posts on your own blog. I would say that sponosred posts are not unethical, as long as there is disclosure.

Dfference with comments is that there is no disclosure. No room for it, apart from anything else!

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Matt — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 06:09:36 -0000

This seems to be a similar moral dilemma to writing sponsored posts on your own blog. I would say that sponosred posts are not unethical, as long as there is disclosure.

Dfference with comments is that there is no disclosure. No room for it, apart from anything else!

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Dennis — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:07:19 -0000

Hi Andy,

I agree with this post, oddly enough I was having this discussion with my father-in-law and I was saying there is nothing wrong with it as long as it is:

1. helpful to the visitors
2. related to the topic
3. not abused

He seems to disagree, he is a stubborn ol mule who still does things the hard way :)

I haven't yet used this method but know some people that has had great result from using it and getting high rankings for competitive words..

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Dennis — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:07:19 -0000

Hi Andy,

I agree with this post, oddly enough I was having this discussion with my father-in-law and I was saying there is nothing wrong with it as long as it is:

1. helpful to the visitors
2. related to the topic
3. not abused

He seems to disagree, he is a stubborn ol mule who still does things the hard way :)

I haven't yet used this method but know some people that has had great result from using it and getting high rankings for competitive words..

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Lord Matt — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 05:00:10 -0000

How would disclosure work with that?

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Lord Matt — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 05:00:10 -0000

How would disclosure work with that?

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Alex (intellimind) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 19:37:11 -0000

hey andy, very nice post. I like how you compare paid comments to what you pay people to do for you already. After this, i really do belive its ethical

- alex, ()

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Alex (intellimind) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 19:37:11 -0000

hey andy, very nice post. I like how you compare paid comments to what you pay people to do for you already. After this, i really do belive its ethical

- alex, ()

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Dan and Jennifer — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 16:47:16 -0000

Hey Andy,

Thanks for the shout out and for the kind words. We appreciate it. :-)

We had started out doing advice articles, but the change to video for our Dating, Relationship, and Sex advice column is probably the best move we've made to date. It's been golden as far as opportunities that have come our way.

Case in point, we just got back from L.A. from our first national Television appearance - directly resulting from our online videos, and we were just contacted by another TV producer for a major daytime show.

Also we had our first talk radio appearance last week on a very popular show syndicated across Canada, and just did an interview with a major California paper for a Sunday feature story that ended up being syndicated across dozens of other papers across the country.

That, plus we love what we do! Great stuff and great fun... :-)

Have an awesome day!
Dan & Jennifer

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Dan and Jennifer — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 16:47:16 -0000

Hey Andy,

Thanks for the shout out and for the kind words. We appreciate it. :-)

That, plus we love what we do! Great stuff and great fun... :-)

Have an awesome day!
Dan & Jennifer

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Elixir — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 09:50:45 -0000

i've also wondered how its possible to get US/Canadian posters on such low margins... but theres nothing wrong with having paid comments. a shame bloggers need to resort to these tactics for seo, but unethical? surely not!

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Elixir — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 09:50:45 -0000

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Jen / domestika — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 08:56:44 -0000

I came in sceptical, but now I'm not so sure that you don't have a point. "If the intent of a comment is clearly to join in the conversation and not just for SEO, that is an ethical comment" is hard to argue with! Maybe it's just human nature to be fundamentally uncomfortable with fuzzy lines and slippery slopes... and at base, I guess, it all comes down to the "quality" of the comment rather than whether or not the person commenting is doing so out of spontaneous enthusiasm or because they've been paid to do so.

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Jen / domestika — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 08:56:44 -0000

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Blog Strokes — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 07:40:48 -0000

Are you not using any spam plugins, Lucia? I have blogs that get hundreds of "spam comments" every day, and I almost never have to moderate a comment. When I do, it's Spam Karma that let me know there was a problem in the first place.

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Blog Strokes — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 07:40:48 -0000

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

lucia — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 18:55:08 -0000

Damon,
I value one time commenters, but don't give them "dofollows". I give dofollows only after 3 comments. My reason is purely practical: I can check comments to some extent, but I am bound to let a few slip through.

I prefer to not give a "dofollow" to a few worthy comments rather than attract a swarm of comments for "cashmere dog sweaters", dating sites, or SEO services. (My knitting site does seem to attract 4-5 of these daily.) Should I ever fail in my vigilant effort to delete those links, I want dofollow plugin to not give them dofollows.

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

lucia — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 18:55:08 -0000

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Damon — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:54:58 -0000

I agree with this post. It would be hard to tell if someone actually wrote a comment themselves, or paid someone else to do it.

Some argue that if you pay someone to post a comment, it doesn't help that blogger because it's a one and done deal and that persons not coming back. I myself have posted a comment on anothers site because I thought the post was interesting, but the rest of the site either didn't pertain to my interests or the content wasn't that good.

This issue comes down to quality. If you pay someone to comment on blogs, it should be highly relevent and not "spammy"

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Damon — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:54:58 -0000

I agree with this post. It would be hard to tell if someone actually wrote a comment themselves, or paid someone else to do it.

This issue comes down to quality. If you pay someone to comment on blogs, it should be highly relevent and not "spammy"

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

MichelleMacPhearson — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:54:42 -0000

Hey Andy,

I wrote a long response with similar thoughts on ProBlogger's comments, but had a glitch when I hit "Send" and lost it.

I'm very, very glad to see your post.

I have employees that do comment for me. They also give me the URL's of where they commented so I can check them and make sure the comments are of value. They actually do a very good job, and sometimes have insights I wouldn't have thought of.

They are also non-US based, and are paid wages lower then US-based workers would receive. They are happy because they are still receiving higher wages then they would at the jobs available to them in their home country (if they could find a job at home) and because they enjoy working at home.

I provide training, and am available on Messenger much of the time to answer any questions they might have.

They never post as me, because my niche work is not done in my own name.

I do have employees that occasionally do something in my name (i.e. send out an email about a software update). I don't see that as unethical, and if they were posting blog comments in my name, I wouldn't see that as unethical.

As a teen I worked for a CPA as a secretary and would often write letters on his behalf, signing his name, etc. Not unethical - simply what happens when one's business grows.

Anyway, I could go on and on. I appreciate your voice of reason in this debate.

And a shout-out to the blogosphere: EARNING OR PAYING MONEY DOES NOT MAKE SOMETHING UNETHICAL BY DEFAULT.

-Michelle

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

MichelleMacPhearson — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:54:42 -0000

Hey Andy,

I wrote a long response with similar thoughts on ProBlogger's comments, but had a glitch when I hit "Send" and lost it.

I'm very, very glad to see your post.

I provide training, and am available on Messenger much of the time to answer any questions they might have.

They never post as me, because my niche work is not done in my own name.

As a teen I worked for a CPA as a secretary and would often write letters on his behalf, signing his name, etc. Not unethical - simply what happens when one's business grows.

Anyway, I could go on and on. I appreciate your voice of reason in this debate.

And a shout-out to the blogosphere: EARNING OR PAYING MONEY DOES NOT MAKE SOMETHING UNETHICAL BY DEFAULT.

-Michelle

Re: Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical

Jim Turner — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 13:06:44 -0000

OMG I think this post just got a drive by comment! LOL Just what I was hoping to find here a Buddha Statue!