As for whether you should take freebies, I don’t think you should, but each blogger has to decide what’s right for him or her. For me, it’s all about providing good content focused on the reader. I guess most bloggers who take freebies are convinced their editorial content doesn’t suffer, and that’s how they rationalize their philosophy. But since reviews online are overwhelmingly positive, I’d have to take issue with that idea.

At first I wondered, as Howard Baldwin did, would it be diferent if it was a food company? How is it different than a food company sponsoring recipes contest winners to go to a Foodbuzz festival + hotel room + car + all the food?

What would I do? I turned down offers before, but the more I see other bloggers doing it, I feel tempted to do it too, as long as I don’t expose my blog and its readers to too much commercialism. I need to be convinced it won’t turn them away as I sometimes feel being sold to on some blogs that have turned to be more about promoting products than providing good contnet.

Celeste, I don’t think it’s so easy to disregard. We’re talking at least $600 you wouldn’t have to shell out to attend the event. Kind of tempting, don’t you think?

Howard, that’s my thought too. Why would I want to spend that much time at Buick promos?

It’s a tricky topic, and I’m glad you’re getting the conversation going.

Derek, you are most welcome, and I’m glad the book has helped you. Here’s the thing about taking the car/room/tickets: If I did so I’d feel compelled to attend all those Buick promo events. Would you? I wouldn’t feel right about blowing them off.

Re Walt Mossberger, because he writes for a newspaper, there are very strict rules about what he can keep, return or purchase for his own use. I’m sure he’s very ethical about it, or he wouldn’t have lasted this long.

Re whether bloggers should be held to the same standards as journalists, that’s been a continuing source of debate on this blog. As is the subject of bloggers writing only positive reviews, I don’t believe that’s a good idea, and have laid out my ideas previously.

Seems a little out there for sure, but is it any different than someone getting sponsored by a car dealer for a year, like a sports personality, for example?

Boy-wondering who is getting these offers and what they will do.

Nani

First off, I’d like to thank you. I have a dog-eared copy of your book on my nightstand, and I still return to it frequently for guidance. In many ways, your book is responsible for improving the quality of my writing on my site.

With respect to the Buick offer, I would see no problem accepting the car/room/tickets, but would feel absolutely no obligation to mention any of it. Buick obviously wants as many food bloggers as possible to attend the festival and, yes, it would be good publicity if they would write about it. I don’t really think Buick expects them to write an entry on their food blogs about the merits of the car – any more than one would expect a job applicant to, say, Google, to blog about the airline, hotel, and lunch spot that Google paid for in an attempt to woo them to join the company. If Buick sincerely thinks that food bloggers would devote entire paragraphs to a car, then that’s their mistake.

I believe the controversy over blogger ethics is blown way out of proportion. Journalists, especially those who cover technology and gaming and music, have received complimentary review copies of merchandise all the time. Do you think Walter Mossberg pays for a new mobile phone to review whenever the latest and greatest comes out? Why should bloggers, who, 90% of the time reach a far narrower audience than the most popular print journalists, be subject to a different standard? If companies want to give freebies to bloggers who reach, at most, a few thousand people, then that’s their error to commit.

I receive offers of free merchandise on a fairly regular basis. If I feel that the product would be of interest to my audience, then I accept it. If, on the other hand, the product is not a right fit (such as an offer of Broadway show tickets), then the offer is declined. In general, I advise each representative that I will only write about a product if I really believe in it and enjoy it – and if they don’t see a mention of it, that means it didn’t really do it for me. To me, there’s little difference between having the products come to you and visiting a trade show and taking free samples.

Derek
The Best Food Blog Ever