Move Over, Mommy. Daddy's Blog Is Now the Darling of E-Marketers.
Blogs can be substantial money-makers for enterprising mothers who are willing to describe the daily tribulations of stay-at-home parenting. According to the New York Times, blogs such as Dooce have become so successful that some writing moms have found their blogs' advertising revenue -- or outright endorsement revenue -- to be their primary sources of income.
The Times is reporting that while many companies do shill their wares via parenting blogs, they aren't just focusing on the moms anymore. Sony, specifically, is now engaged in a three-month partnership with blogging dads, "lending" the house husbands various electronic products to use with family members. The patriarchs are obligated to describe the gear to their readers, but are under no pressure to give positive write-ups. Sony spokeswoman Marcy Cohen said, "We expect the reviews to be very honest."
While that sounds good in theory, and call us jaded all you want, we have a hard time believing that a company would pay somebody to review a product without expecting a favorable review. Fortunately for our self-esteem, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) agrees. As we've mentioned in our coverage of pay-per-tweet marketing, the FTC may soon implement guidelines requiring that paid bloggers disclose the corporate sources of their paychecks.
If the ethics of this practice indeed hold water, then all of the at-home dads out there need to get blogging. It might not make you rich, but you could at least score some sweet schwag, maybe even that LCD TV you've been eyeing, just in time for football season. [From: The New York Times]
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