Paid reviews have always been a hot topic amongst bloggers. There are those who are all for it, those who are absolutely against it and those aren’t sure where they sit. Personally I’m all for it as I believe it’s a great way to generate income, and I must admit this has to be the strongest argument for it.

I would say the fact that Google disapproves of paid reviews and would Google Slap the PR off of any blog that would dare to partake of this lucrative money spinner is more than likely the strongest argument against it. I’ve even read some blogs where the bloggers are so against others doing paid reviews that they are quite willing to tell Google on them, something that is actually encouraged by the BIG G!

You have to ask yourself why Google is so against paid reviews, and they will tell you that it messes up their algorithms when paid posts passes on PageRank. Matt Cutts will also tell you that one of the reasons is that they do not want paid post passing PageRank to sites that talk about brain tumors, colon cleansing or certain loan companies as some of these may be less than honorable. The problem is if you search any one of these terms you will find that Google has it’s own sponsored links which would make one assume that the real reason is they do not want others to get in on the action. Think about it, every paid review is taking money out of their coffers. We must remember though that it is Google’s search engine and they can run it any way they want and if they want to penalize people for taking on paid post that is their right.

Another argument against paid posts that I’ve come across is, “What if I don’t support the site or it’s content?” The answer is simple, unless you are a member of PayU2Blog, you simply do not take the task, but don’t for a moment think that you are doing the world any favors because there is always someone out there who will take it and they may not put the spin on it that you would have, had you taken the post. Say for example the task was to review an online gambling site. Were you to pass it up the person who took it on may paint such a rosy picture of gambling online that it may well encourage some to take it up. I’ve done many such posts and I play it down some and always finish off telling people how they should gamble responsibly and not to gamble at all if they can’t afford to lose the money.

Then there are those who are worried that people will stop reading their blogs if they did paid reviews, and you know they would be right if there were more paid reviews than regular posts. That would be like watching a TV station where commercials exceeded the actual program. Paid reviews should not be the main focus of any good blog and where they do exist there must always be some sort of disclosure so that readers know exactly what they are reading.

Now don’t for a minute think that I am promoting paid reviews, because I am not. I am merely stating some arguments as to why certain bloggers, myself included, may want to take on paid reviews to supplement their blogging income.

Cool Blog Links came to life on December 12th 2008. I did a post about it called Cool Blog Links Now Live, and although it hasn’t got a huge membership I’m still quite happy with it knowing that I haven’t really promoted it. This post is partly an update but mainly I want to reward the top ten members of my blog links site.

1. Lolly Bolly Holly Feet: Now I knew that there were a lot of people who may have a feet fetish, but not to the degree that it has given this site the No.1 position ever since they joined. As you can guess the site centers on the bare feet of beautiful women, but it’s not the beauty of the woman that’s important as the emphasis is all on the bare feet.
2. Brad’s Tiny World: Isn’t all that tiny as it packs quite a punch and is all about Celebrity Rumors and Local News and Newspapers. Those of you interested in American Idol may be interested in the American Idol Results, 10 Go To 9.
3. Work From Home Business Blog: This is Peter Lee’s blog and if I’m not mistaken, he’s moved up a few spots in the last couple of days and you can find the explanation for this sudden surge in Latest Case Study On Twitter. Way to go Peter.
4. So You Want To Be A Banquet Manager: This is a very interesting blog and not that long ago was fighting Brad’s Tiny World for second spot. His post about his newest waiter just goes to show how sometimes the cuteness factor is all you need to help you keep a job that little bit longer.
5. What A Load Of Bullshit: This is one of mine and it’s doing consider it’s Google Slap. Just goes to show that PR isn’t everything. Speacking of Google and PR, have a gander at the 10 Reasons Why Google Took My PR!
6. I’m Just Sharing: My mate Mitch owns this blog, and just like our chess games we are in a constant battle to keep in the lead. Mitch, you may be in front of Wassup now, but you know it ain’t going to last! His posts are usually a lot longer than mine, Product Vs Advertising Ads being no exception, and have a lot of information, but they lack the Aussie flavor and that ain’t his fault at all, being a Yank and all.
7. WassupBlog: Yep, that one is mine, and as you can see I’m just behind Mitch, but not for long.
8. Scenic Adelaide: Wow, what do you know, another of my blogs. Hey, what do you expect. after all I do run Cool Blog Links, and I will have you know that my blogs make it to the top ten on their own merits.  This is one of my Photo Blogs, and the photos, just like this one of the Adelaide Convention Center, are all about Adelaide and the surrounding districts.
9. The Prompt Writer: This blog is run by Christine Senter, a cool blogging mate, who is very talented and has just made it In The Top 100 non design blogs. Other bloggers listed include Mashable, Copyblogger, and Matt Cutts. She’s so modest she hasn’t even told me about it yet. You just wait until I see you babe.
10. 21st Century Affiliate Marketing: The tenth spot goes to John Dillbeck’s blog which is all about ‘News and views about affiliate marketing in the 21st century’. I reckon that John must be one of the most verbose bloggers I know but only because his posts, just like Are Traffic Exchanges Worth Your Time?, are chocker block full of information.

Well, it just goes to show that being a member of Cool Blog Links can get you some unexpected, highly prized one way links to your blog, as I will be doing another update post at a later date to see whos in the top 10; It could be you. Membership is free, all you have to do is implement a small code on your blog which allows the site to keep track of visits and such, giving you another way of seeing how your blog stacks up against other members.

Cool Blog Links is hosted on Web Hosting Pad and once I get time I will be adding another site there to keep it company, as at the moment it’s all on its own.

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