The Commercialization of Blogging

Fascinating post on New York Times which adds further credence to the slow march of blogs into the periphery of mainstream media.

Here are some of the key points:

• Bloggers who started out for fun are now finding that they have full blown businesses on their hands.
• More and more companies are considering post product placement on blogs.
• It's important to be honest about advertising on your blog.
• However, in the words of Anita Campbell quoted on NYT "I also don't apologize for accepting advertising, and I make it clear that just like everyone else I have to earn a living and pay the expenses of keeping the site going." couldn't agree more with this sentiment.
• It's becoming apparent that more businesses are noticing the influence of blogs and have spent an estimated $50 million to $100 million this year on blog advertising and marketing according to Forrester Research
• Interestingly US Web an online marketing firm has paid people $5 to mention a company or link to it's site. Examples include Lussori.com and Terra Entertainment who offered MySpaces users a mention on film credits if they included a trailer in their personal profile pages.
• A Forrester Research survey found in February that 64 percent of US national marketers are interested in advertising on blogs.