I am slightly pained because I have recently started to include paid-for posts on this blog. I’m in two minds about the whole thing, and it’s got me thinking.

At first I thought it fairly harmless and actually a bit of fun. I’d get the chance to write 200-300 words about another website and in return for that 10 minutes work I’d be relatively well paid. The client is after inbound links surrounded by relevant copy (i.e. something that Google loves) so are even happy if the post isn’t a gushy praise-laden piece about their site or product. As long as it’s well written they are happy and I get paid.

After writing a few posts I started to feel a bit… well dirty and cheap. I thought I’d sold out because there’s only so much I can say about a site that is of little interest to me e.g. life insurance, golfing vacations or shoe shopping. It doesn’t stop me trying though, and you’ll find posts on all those topics! This leads to the question of whether or not the ‘sponsored posts’ cheapen my site, reduce my credibility or expose me for what I am – a cash whore.

On the other hand, there can be real money made from blogging if you can find the right market and produce the goods. People do want to read well informed, entertaining and useful blog posts, and if done right it can be a career of sorts. Is writing in such a way as I’m now doing a stepping stone into something that could be more rewarding, both financially and, er, bloggerly? Am I already a professional blogger? Ok, I won’t be retiring anytime soon, but I get paid for what I do.

Of course, there’s a real danger that my blog will degenerate into a billboard of inane babble about crap products that I – and probably most people who surf on in – don’t give a toss about.