I saw a post today from a seasoned Blogger that I’ve always had great respect for about a Free Sample of a Clorox product. I’d not heard anything about it, so I visited her site to check it out. I was very surprised at my finding and just felt lead to share with readers, as well as bloggers.
It’s a fact that there are times when we can be compensated to promote something or offer a deal to our readers, even a free sample. I consider this to be a very small payment considering the amount of time spent to hunt down deals, write posts, etc. Yet, every extra penny I can make from doing what I love so much is greatly appreciated.
Regardless of any type of compensation, I feel a huge obligation to all that read my posts to make sure that what I’m posting is the absolute truth. If I am recommending a link, that I myself have visited and verified it’s validity. If there are any type of “abnormal” requirements to get something, say a freebie that you will not get unless you refer 5 friends or jump through another 10 hoops, I’m obligated at the very least, to let you know this upfront.
I’ve put countless hours into building my blog and value the trust my readers place in me. If I were posting offers that were not exactly what I said they were, I doubt they would continue to heed my suggestions and recommendations and ultimately, my time spent posting would have no value.
Flash Back to the blogger/post for a free sample I saw today. This blogger posted a very quick and undisclosing link to get 2 different “free samples”.
Clicking through the links I saw this morning took me to PrizeVenue. PLEASE pay attention when you click through a link to see what site you are being redirected to. As a blogger, I’m aware that I could post TONS of Free Sample offers from “Prize Venue” and I would get paid for everyone that signed up with them. I never have and I never will. Let me tell you why.
Prize Venue is not promoting the free sample. They are using it to get you to signup and participate in their sponsor offers (offers they get paid to refer you to) Most of those offers require you to purchase something. PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT. Under all of their offers they DO disclose the terms (unlike the blogger that disappointed me today) and let you know that you must : “agree to register, participate in and satisfy the requirements for 5 sponsor offers as described in the “Gift Rules” that require sampling and purchasing products of interest, (6) remain an active member of the required Sponsor Offers for at least 30 consecutive days…”
Any blogger that would post a photo of a product and link you to PrizeVenue to get a Free Sample, without explaining the requirements to get the freebie first, well…all I can say is it boils down to ethics.
I spend so much time tracking down Legitimate deals, freebies and offers and would never abuse the trust my readers place in me. Any website can link to the million and one “offers” out there, but I hope that it is the quality and not the quantity of my posts that gain and keep the trust of my readers.
I hope this post makes you aware of the PrizeVenue links that you should NOT signup for.
For my readers specifically, I promise to always disclose terms such as those above and hope you know that I will never post a link and recommendation if I have not fully investigated it myself.
I’m so grateful to all of my readers and facebook fans and thank you all for your continued support and participation! Your emails, posts and comments make me smile daily and make it all worthwhile! THANK YOU!
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