August 21, 2006
Sponsored Blogroll
We’ve all seen the industry chatter about the impacts online media and media fragmentation is having on certain established outlets like the Washington Post. All of them are looking at new strategies to maintain and increase readership, as well as keep advertisers happy.
Washington Post has embarked upon what they describe as, “an experimental program(s) on the Web….to see what happens.” The basic gist is that they will allow approved B and C-list bloggers to appear in a special index located on the homepage. In return, those that choose to participate will allow advertisements to appear on their blogs. An approved blogger has the potential to capture the attention of any one of their 8 million monthly readers.
You can submit your blog here.
Kudos to Washington Post for trying something new. I hope it proves successful for them, and those that choose to participate in the program.
The section the blogs will appear in is classified as a Sponsored Blogroll, which in most minds equates to money exchanging hands. Does this somehow diminish the credibility of the Post or its participating bloggers? I don’t think so. Media has always accepted advertisements, and it has always been up to the individual to evaluate the legitimacy of this content. And, if a blog is self-expression on some level, isn’t that individual, business, or group advertising something whether it is an idea, product, or perspective?
I know I will be watching to see how this idea works out, as well as the others that I suspect are soon to come.
Technorati : Washington Post, blogroll, online media
Posted in Uncategorized
