No Pay For Play
October 13th, 2006 @ 1:55 pm by Mrs. Bee
Today I received the following comment on one of my posts:
I get so torn with these posts. On one hand, they’re so cute and affordable and do make a great gift.
On the other hand, will there be (is there?) a post from any vendor who sends you info? It makes the blog feel less about individual brides’ planning processes and more like a sales pitch.
This was my response:
we get emails every single day from vendors that want us to feature their products. when we feature products, it’s ones that we genuinely like and think the weddingbee readers might like. we never ever get paid or receive some sort of benefit for featuring a particular product. there is no pay for play.
we work very hard to keep that line clear.
I know the commenter had the best of intentions, and that her question was totally fair. But to tell you the truth, I felt a little sad because I wondered if people ever doubt my/weddingbee’s editorial integrity.
I always turn to Mr. Bee for advice so I asked him what he thought. He said, “Maybe we add a disclaimer to the bottom of those posts. ‘Weddingbee has not received any compensation for this post.’” I replied, “It would make me sad if I had to do that.”
And that’s why I’m writing this. Before we had ads on weddingbee, I wrote a post saying that weddingbee would never feature products because we received some sort of financial compensation to do so. Just this week for instance, we were approached by a vendor who wanted to have advertorial (an advertisement written in the form of an objective opinion editorial) posts interspersed between the bees’ posts.
I think once that line between editorial and advertising gets blurry, it’s easy to cross so I don’t even want to go there. When we do feature products on the site, we always state the source - whether it was sent by a reader, a vendor, it was featured on another blog, or we just happened to stumble upon it.
We want to make it clear - we never endorse or feature a product unless we think it’s really cool. There will never be pay for play on weddingbee.
What’s your sense for Weddingbee’s editorial integrity? Is there anything we can do to communicate our strict guidelines more clearly?
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24 Responses to “No Pay For Play”
I’m sure you get stuff that isn’t blog-worthy, and I totally didn’t doubt that you only post about the stuff you get that you like - and I don’t think it warrants a disclaimer or anything. And I wouldn’t want to miss out on all the great products you have featured (through one, I found my bridesmaid’s gifts!).
I guess I’m so accustomed to all the product pimping weblogs that I still get that tinge everything some “Great New Thing!” is talked about online, even with the best of intentions.
And, admittedly, weddingbee has definately gotten bigger and more notorious, so it’s good to be reminded (again…sorry!) about how you keep your editorials real.
I think you do a great job.
I can see the reader’s point - perhaps she didn’t read your earlier disclaimer. I’m sure she (or he?) didn’t mean any harm.
Lots of things you’ve featured have given me ideas. I like seeing new products or vendors you think are worth posting.
Personally, I have never felt like Weddingbee has been an advertisement - the personal feelings of the blogger have always come through. Even if someone is blogging about something they haven’t tried - I got the sense that they thought it was a cool concept that might be great and should be given a chance. I’ve never been offended at any of the content on the website.
As a blogger, I ONLY write about things I like and think are cute. Sometimes I include things that I might not end up using in our wedding, but I do it anyway in the hopes that someone else will find my “finds” interesting! 
To me, Weddingbee has been an invaluable source of information. It’s always the first place I turn to whenever I’m in need of ideas or have a question that needs an answer to.
Regardless of whether or not vendors are compensating the site, it doesn’t derail the fact that all the ideas given on the site are great ideas and are immensely helpful to the readers.
You’re not forcing your readers to purchase from these vendors. Why should it matter who’s product you’re endorsing or whether or not you’re getting any benefit from it?
The reader who initially posed the question to you even admitted that the products are “so cute and adorable and affordable and do make great gifts.” She already got what she came to the site for, why should it matter to her whether or not the site is gaining any sort of benefit from the vendor?
I just don’t see the conflict here. And I definitely don’t think that your editorial integrity should be questioned. Your site provides a valuable service and give brides-to-be a wealth of information that’s difficult to find anywhere else. Rather than question its integrity, people should just be thankful Weddingbee exists and for all the hardwork the bloggers put into it.
I’m glad that Weddingbee has such a strict policy. It gives me the heebie jeebies when sites promote product links with affiliate codes in them!
JW - I do think it’s fair to ask about editorial integrity… it’s becoming a bigger and bigger issue as more and more blogs start making money. I’m glad that Weddingbee is being a pioneer in making these lines clear!
i think the commenter above made a great point. if the reader who commented thought they were cute, well, thats the point of your posts anyway.
eiher way, i dont think your integrity has been compromised. i think that it is clear where you’re sourcing the product.
i think that the format of weddingbee is changing, compared to your xanga site… bee, i really liked the way that your planning and organizing and search processes were so transparent… i feel like almost every step of the way, i could see what you saw as pros and cons. a lot of times, i read posts here and wonder, how much did this cost? how did they come up with this design? how did they decide to go with this? what other optiosn were there? that said, i love the reference posts with lists of vendors, the short posts with cute little gift ideas, etc.
I agree with Lindsey. I love seeing posts on new products I probably would have never found on my own. It’s part of the reason I visit Weddingbee so much!! I don’t want to miss out on all the cool stuff out there I don’t know about.
You do a great job!
I always know that you are being truthful.
And I love seeing new products, that is a big reason why I log on!
i admit, when i read that tote post, i actually thought the same thing as that commentor…and i agree, in all honesty, it did feel like a sales pitch. but thats fine to me, it doesn’t take away from the fun and great ideas your site brings to your fan base. don’t be sad~ you’re doing a great job.
Was it just the tone of that particular post? Or do all product posts sound kinda salesy?
thanks everyone for your honest feedback! it really helps make weddingbee better.
I agree with Michelle - although there are many products and ads, I really do think they’re up there for a reason - to be helpful and to find good quality vendors rather than to make money, as opposed to sites like the knot, who will advertise anyone for profit.
I actually love all of weddingbee’s posts, particularly product posts with pics. You guys showcase a lot of cool stuff I would not have been able to find or even think of by myself.
You guys do an awesome job and I love reading all your posts!
i have 100% trust in weddingbee’s integrity.
I agree with Jill when she said, “Weddingbee has been an invaluable source of information.” Many of the weddings (or soon to be weddings) of the bloggers are more than I would ever want or could afford, but the resources and ideas are why I bookmarked this site in the first place. I might not ever buy something that is posted here directly from the source, but it has given me thousands of ideas to use and that’s why I’m here every day!
I have 100% trust in weddingbee’s integrity and I’m sure many others do too. Don’t be sad about your reader’s comment. It’s expected that any customer/reader might ask questions…especially if they’re new to the site or not familiar with the you and the other writers. Including a disclaimer would def help to alleviate any uncertainty though. You guys are doing such a fabulous job so don’t let it get you down.
i know that dailycandy is also very clear about not advertising. when they do advertise, they make sure that they tell readers that it is a “dedicated e-mail”. maybe if you ever do decide to advertise, just let readers know~ that way we understand that you get paid for some of the stuff, but not for others.
I think Weddingbee is one of a kind. It’s personal and informative and you get all different angles. You get the real deal, what can get better than that?
Even if the totes post did sound sales like, I don’t really think it’s a big deal. We’re here to promote things that we see and like (I think you were just trying to be short and sweet in your post), not because we’re being paid to do so.. I don’t think the commenter meant any harm but it’s good that you pointed it out. Either way, Mrs. Bee you are doing a great job and it should be commended that you cleared the air on this.
I don’t have any slightest doubt Weddingbee’s editorial intergrity. Since I’ve been reading Weddingbee for a long time, I know what your stance is in terms of paid endorsement. That is one of the many reasons why Weddingbee is so different from most other sites out there, and why I love Weddingbee so much! But it’s good that you made it clear again. Don’t be sad Mrs. Bee. You guys are doing a great job and certainly nothing wrong!
Perhaps you could just include a static link explaining your editorial policy? I am really not sure precisely what that is- but a simple explanation you could link to (something like: for an explanation of our policies regarding products reviewed in this blog, click _here_). You might also want to explain what you do with items received from vendors after they are tested, just to remove any lingering doubts.
regarding your question: not really the tone. just the one line about how sheila contacted you directly about the totes. bc usually im used to reading things the bees have discovered, tried and researched on their own… something they came across, a friend mentioned, googled or read online etc. And not something that was directly put into your attention. I guess thats the part that makes it feel like they had some influence in the post, rather than the usual brainstorm type post.
i think the above poster CC has a good idea if this is still bothering you. a static link of your editorial policy for all the newbies might be good since the dynamic of your page has developed and evolved so successfuly (congratulations! ) and now you have paid advertisements…its good to differentiate and just have it there.
i think it’s more personally and real if people have used the vendors themselves or if weddingbee brides, brides-to-be, and readers would genuinely like the products endorsed by the vendors. Otherwise, this blog becomes too much of a commercial site and it will lose it’s meaning.
I agree with C. The fact that you mentioned she contacted you made the post sound advertisement-ish.
Mrs. Bee, New York
Age and Occupation: 29, Weddingbee Publisher
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Internet
Engagement Date: May 7, 2004
Wedding Date: March 5, 2005
Venue: Westside Loft, New York
About Me: Yes, my name really is Bee! I love my blogging, wikis, and tabasco sauce!
i read her comment this morning as well. wasn’t sure how to take it, really.
however, i do love it when weddingbee feature products. it gives me a chance to view products i may have never found.