I have often driven by traffic lights with the random signboard that says, "Earn Money From Home". Sometimes I wonder whether these advertisements actually attract response. And of course, I also wonder about what kind of work is being done. Is the work legitimate, or illegal? Is the work dignified, or debasing?
Nowadays, there is a legitimate way to earn some pocket money from the comfort of your home. But first, you must have a blog. Just the other day, over dinner, a relative of mine asked me about "blogs", and "How do you start a blog?" He must have been amazed at the power of blogs at the recent general elections. His little 10 year old daughter overheard his question and loudly replied, "I have a blog!" We had a good laugh as his wife teased him, "Wah, see! Even your daughter can blog! You're outdated...."
Just what is this elusive method of earning money? Well, allow me to introduce you to a service called Smorty. Smorty is a service where you can sign up and get paid to blog. What better way to earn money from home than to be paid for blogging?
Basically, Smorty is a method for advertisers to find their "spot" in the blogosphere. Most retailers have their racks and shelves where they display their goods. But in today's world, cyberspace has become a place where goods are perpetually on display. Online services that run on automated scripts need only a server and a domain name. These would stand to gain more from online advertising than products and services that are based in the brick-and-mortar world.
Again, looking at bloggers, and the whole phenomenon of blogging, it is possible that people who read blogs, are more willing to accept the statements in the blogs as genuine and authentic. Smorty's take on the situation connects bloggers to advertisers by allowing advertisers to place "paid content" on the blogs. More importantly, the product is not an outright advertisement, but takes the form of a writing assignment. The blogger's voice is retained and it is easier for the reader to connect to the blogger. Yet, the aim of product promotion is met. Advertisers basically pay bloggers to write opinions on their products and to post them on their blogs.
Who would like to advertise on blogs? Does blog advertising work? Contrary to popular opinion, cyberspace and the blogosphere do shape public opinion somewhat. I have time and time again been influenced by movie reviews written by bloggers. I am sure that I am not the only one, and that there are many people out there who do the same thing. From movies, to mobile phones, blog advertising may be the way of the future.
Link to Smorty
Check out Smorty today.
Smorty is a service connecting advertisers with bloggers. Advertisers can pay bloggers to write opinion posts with links back to the advertisers site.
No comments:
Post a Comment