Blog to win? Blogger beware!

There seems to be this new phenomenon occurring in the blogosphere. Every day my inbox seems to have an influx of pitches asking me to blog about a topic or product or service for the chance to win a gift card.

The latest “opportunity” was a call-out for bloggers to write about a particular topic. The first 50 QUALIFIED participants would receive a $50 gift card.

These are the instructions bloggers must follow in order to “qualify” to maybe get paid for their work:

• A thoughtful post of AT LEAST 400 words. In case you are new to the world of writing (DUH), this includes an introduction, meat in the body of the post, and a conclusion. Don’t forget – grammar and spelling count!
• Include a disclosure at the bottom of the post. Typical stuff.
• Install a campaign widget in your sidebar. Not on the post, but on your sidebar. A widget filled with code. Code provided to you, the blogger, by the puppet-master campaign managers.

Is that widget spying on you?

Now, this is isn’t the first time I’ve seen a widget included as part of a campaign. In fact, I’ve posted badges on my own blog in conjunction with campaigns where I’ve been a brand ambassador. I haven’t, however, posted a badge or widget filled with someone else’s code. Maybe I’m not as trusting as other bloggers, I suppose. I actually wonder what’s in that code.

Do you?

I wonder, if aside from the code being design specific, what else is in it? If you are not proficient in HTML or Flash, you don’t know. Is the code in there meant to mine data from your blog? Are they tracking your traffic? If so, what are they doing with this info? Using it to select winners? Selling it?  Giving it to the client?

Did anyone ask permission to collect data right off of your site? Now I know what you’re thinking: Jill, data is available through sites like Alexa, Compete, and others. Sure it is. But first of all, there’s serious doubt as to how solid that info is (i.e., it’s not accurate). And again, did you give anyone permission to grab info from your site?

Hmmm, I thought not.

What’s all that effort costing you?

This widget you’re hosting is not only possibly a lion in lamb’s clothing, it’s taking up valuable real-estate! You could host an ad network in that space! Take private ads! Or affiliate links. Something that brings value to you – not solely to the brand you’re bending over for.

So if you’re a newbie blogger – and I have to assume that that is who is engaging in these “blog for a chance to win” campaigns, at least ask the right questions. Inquire whether the widget has reporting capabilities. And decide if the time you spend writing 400 words, putting up a widget, and reporting all this back is worthy of your “chance to win.” What are your chances?  How many posts does a campaign like this typically attract? What are the odds of your actually gaining something from this “opp”?

Because it looks to me like everyone in this equation is getting value – the brand is getting cheap and plentiful exposure, the campaign leaders are getting paid. And when you are not selected to win a gift card, you might wonder – what value are you getting?

Jill Notkin blogs at The Daily Grind of a Work at Home Mom when she’s not tweeting @AlexCaseyBaby.

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