Bloggers are an interesting and diverse group of people. On the one hand, you have the group that blogs for the sheer love of doing it. On the other, you have the ones who hear the *gurus* say the fastest way to make money online is to start a blog, and they jump right in thinking they’ve found their *magic button*. The group that blogs for the love of it sometimes is vehemently opposed to any type of monetization at all on their blogs. They allege, often correctly, that as soon as a blogger starts running after money the quality of the content begins to suffer.

Recently, in one of the communities we belong to and frequent, I’ve noticed the winds of change in the opinions of a few of those who were in this no monetization group. Perhaps, their life’s situation has taken a turn for the worse. Or maybe, they have come to believe in the reality of earning an income through contact with other respected bloggers succeeding at it. Anyway, for whatever reasons, I’m seeing quite a few questions from both camps on how to make money with their blogs.

Unfortunately, new and experienced bloggers both can get sucked into looking for the magic button. One *button* that gets a lot of space in the forums is paid reviews. A paid review, on the surface, sounds like a quick and easy way to rake in some fast cash. Again superficially, it seems a no brainer. Unfortunately, as usual, digging beneath the surface uncovers hidden pitfalls that have unpleasant consquences.

We have already discussed the problems that can arise when you post too many affiliate product reviews. People hate to be *sold to*. Unless your blog started out as a product review site– eventually your credibility, reputation, and readership suffers.

When you add paid reviews to the mix, this happens quicker. First, you have the ethical dilemma of whether to disclose that these are paid reviews/posts. Secondly, a savvy reader can usually tell by reading your links that this is the case. You’re damned if you do…or damned if you don’t disclose. At this point, every word you write is taken with a very large grain of salt. It could be the greatest new product the web has seen in years, but it won’t matter because your glowing praises will be suspect.

In blogging as well as marketing, your credibility is your most important asset. You worked hard to build up your readership by giving them high quality content regularly. Don’t let the lure of a *magic button* trash all your hard work. The only *magic button* I know is time and effort. 

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