The Google Smack-down and PayPerPost/Izea’s Responsibility To Its Bloggers.
First things first, I’m back to blogging after a much needed week-long break. The job is going-sort of, they’ve had issues with software companies, getting my security settings-well, set and I worked a few hours here and there last week. Monday morning I shall be full-time, as promised and I am determined to do my best in order to be hired direct by the company, since the job I am doing pays $45,000 a year-if you’re a non-contract employee. I can accomplish this, I have no doubt.
The second item I would like to address is the recent Google smack-down on my blog to a PR0. I have never denied the fact I write paid reviews and accept advertising. Google will not dictate how I manage my blog and considering, even after not blogging for a week, my page views only dropped slightly, it goes to show people are still coming to my blog for whatever it is they are searching for. What I am about to blog will cause a backlash on myself and my blog, but it needs to be said. Regarding PayPerPost/Izea, or whatever they are calling themselves this week.
While, yes I do utilize the service to make a little money here and there, I have never spammed my own blog with paid reviews or posts. I never chose opportunities that I did not find either useful, interesting to myself, or what I thought may be of some benefit to my readers. I have won items, (the iTouch and a t-shirt I have yet to receive for being one of the bloggers to send the most clicks to the site I reviewed), but beyond this I have only made a little over $3000 in a year and a half. Yes, I have written few posts for 2 other services, a year ago. I allowed 4 out of over 45 advertisers to purchase text links for 1-3 months because I have standards and felt the services being advertised were beneficial and not “bad neighborhood” links. I’ll continue to do so at my own discretion. Many high quality blogs lost the PR several months ago. I was lucky and only went from a PR5, which I had kept for 2 years, to a PR3. I was hit this time and, quite honestly, I’m not 100% sure as to why, which brings me to the point of PayPerPost/Izea and how they work.
I keep track of quite a few blogs. Most, I read and comment when I have something to say, a few others I track mainly to see what advertising methods work and those which do not. I noticed one blog, I won’t link to her, because, after all it is my blog and I reserve the right to link or not link to whomever I so choose, but if you are involved with PPP/Izea I’m sure you’re familiar with her. Why? Because she is the top earner of all time. And guess what? Although she uses services other than PPP/Izea, sells text link ads and other forms of advertising, which are all do-follow, she still managed to dodge the PR witch hunt for yet another round. Part of me wonders if it’s because she’s the top earner, pure luck, or something else. When you read through a blog in which every other post is paid, with posts in between that amount to little more than filler material, you do begin to wonder. Is this considered spamming/splogging the blogoshere? Is this not the type of content Google has been after for several months now?
At the moment, I will write paid posts because, and I am being totally honest, without PPP I would never have been able to pay for gas, food, utility bills etc. I don’t accept advertising, or write for compensation so I can take a trip to Las Vegas, or buy a new wardrobe. It was out of necessity-as it is with a lot of people. Unless you could afford to go to Las Vegas for the little “Postiecon,” or if you aren’t in a certain circle, you’re left out of a lot of new features the company has planned, such as Social Spark, (I’m sure some of you have seen a select few people who are privy to using the Social Spark adverts on their sites). One would think some of us who are in the Top 100 of the RealRank system, would at least be able to try it-considering we’re higher trafficked blogs. Some of us would like to see how it works, if it works and if it would work for us before opening the gates and allowing over 100,000 bloggers fight for advertising as we do now on the regular PPP opportunities section and magically-seeing some of the top earners grabbing the highest paid opps first. Coincidence? Maybe it is-maybe it’s the fact some people sit and refresh the site all day waiting for the big payouts, which, by the way, bogs the system down for others. Come on PPP/Izea-some of us had faith in the company and as the months pass and our Page Ranks disappear, we’re beginning to wonder- do you really care about all of your bloggers, or only a select few?
You are voicing my exact thoughts!
Sandra’s last blog post..Have a nice weekend
Well said sistah! You and I share the same views. It’s very refreshing to read! (I am So linking you to both my blogs.)
I am so tired of the big earners gobbling up ALL the good opps, while the lower end ones are still sitting there – untouched. I too have only done a few reviews because I am picky too. And I want honest reviews- not money motivated ones. A few people I even removed from my blogroll because I noticed they were all just blogging “reviews”
My new site is: http://www.theblogsearcher.com
Tammy’s last blog post..Fitness challenge – week 3.
I don’t write paid posts (yet) but Google gave me a big fat zero anyway. Whatever, Google.
Lis’s last blog post..7 Deadly Blog Sins
Sandra: I’m glad you agree!
Tammy: What I see as an odd situation are those blogs who-for reasons unknown other than pure greed, who are PR6+ blogs who are now taking over the system, while watching those of us who had PR5+ blogs LOSE that PR- why are THEY not afraid it will happen to them?
Lis: This is one of my peeves. I know at least 8 bloggers who contacted me before I lost all of my PR and asked how I managed to keep a PR3-even though I did paid posts and advertising, while they had never written a paid review/post or had any type of advertising and were knocked down by Google. Is this a situation where, “who you know,” matters?
Yeah, I’ve seen a few blogs that are at zero even though I don’t see paid posts on them. The funny thing is when I was still on Blogspot, my blog was a PR4. I had another craft blog there that was updated maybe once and twice a month and it was PR2. Plus, there’re so many splogs there with PR. It’s baffling.
Then again, Blogspot’s owned by Google.
Lis’s last blog post..7 Deadly Blog Sins
I totally agree with you! I saw the top earner and totally agreed, it’s all about the “rockstars”. I lost my pr 4 on my blogspot, so I took the opportunity to change to my own.com
I made a tiny sum with ppp but I really was disgusted with the battle royale, nobody even commented on something I really took a lot of time to do and left it up to popular opinion which leaves us smaller foks out.
thanks for voicing what most people are thinking!
I’m over PPP. I haven’t been able to take an Opp in forever.
B’s last blog post..Color Me Confused
Well said (written) I couldn’t have done it better myself.
Like you wrote there, I wonder how “she” could keep on writing a crap blog with tons and tons of paid post without getting affected.
Malin’s last blog post..Free Neil Gaiman Book!
There was a recent $90 opp on PPP that I actually managed to grab, but after some research I determined it came from a fake review site belonging to an affiliate spammer and rejected it. I let other PPP members know about it but I basically got flipped the bird.
Used to be that kind of integrity would attract a sea of women banging down my door for some lovin’ and huggin’. Now everyone thinks I’m a weenie instead.
I miss the good old days when refusing to sell out for money was still considered cool and sexy.
There is a clique at PPP. I do not think it helps you escape getting slapped by goo-goo, but I do think you get special treatment (like the Social Spark and your blogs in advertisements).
I check by the site once or twice a day to see if I may pick up and opp and I do go to the forums because I find useful information there.
I lost PR4 on three of my blogs, but I was so transparent I made it easy to get slapped. I thought if I disclosed on each post, had the disclosure and blogging ethics posted, it would be enough. It was not.
If you want to be a b*tch, you can report any blog via the G website.
For me, I banned goo-goo. I do not blog about them, use their ads, or use the search engine. As soon as I can, all my blogs will be off blogspot.
I hope to see your blessing here next Sunday. LOL
CyberCelt’s last blog post..Blog Your Blessing : Time
I wrote ads for PPP for about a year. Near the end of 2007 there was an opp for Alzheimer’s that paid $35. I wrote my post per usual and could not get the dang thing to be accepted. I finally gave up and decided that PPP is not worth the effort for me. I made about $1500 with them in that year, and by the end, after the Google slap down #1 I went from PR5 to PR0. I feel like PPP slapped me too, after I was good enough to write for them for almost a year, and then to only offer me worthless opps I couldn’t take…? The extra money was nice, but I am not going to stress about PR and RealRank and all that crap. I now write a genealogy blog, and share information that I think is helpful. Whether I get ranked or not, I can live with myself. Ooooops! Sorry to get long-winded. Guess this hit a nerve with many people, huh?
I blogged for PPP for nearly a year, made less than $100 in all that time because I was so limited in opportunities.
I worked REALLY hard and my Alexa is now down to 100K (from 2G!) and still get crap for opps. I’ve resigned from PPP and don’t recommend to anyone they join especially since the latest TOS says they’ve lowered the standards for new blogs applying!
Sorry, I do not want to be part of that. PR or no PR!
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Thanks for the words of advice.
I left PPP and deleted all of the posts I’d written for them last October, when my PR5 blog went down to a PR2. (Google’s since upped it to PR3 but it still hurts.)
I did notice, however, that the top earner you mentioned actually *has* gone down in PR. She used to be a PR5, too. Now she’s a PR3 on one blog and PR0 on her others.
Meanwhile, I have to tell you that I outearned her over the past 9 months: I just did it with different companies.
Hi Beth,
If “you know who” can do it, we need to analyse her site!!! As simple as that.
She is not earning at the same paste as she used to do, and some of the top 10 seem to be death. Yet the top posts don’t seem to be as high as they used to be either.
RealRank is a Real Joke: I have had RealRank 1 before I “unplugged” the counter as it just didn’t bring in big bucks.
PPP just lowered the bar : 30 days, 10 posts and you are in… they are in need of new victims or so it feels.
Looking with different glasses: they give good bloggers with PR zero the chance to get a blog up and running with decent PR withing the PR upgrades…
looks like you got your page rank back… how did you do that?
Glad to see you’re back and as feisty as ever. I’ve had this problem and … my own pet theories, mainly having to do with PPP stealing $$ from Google, i.e., losing advertising money to them and their ilk.