More Fuel For The Marquis Fire
This is sort of a first for me, but what the heck it's pretty interesting. I was recently trackbacked on a post written on the Read/Write Web Links Archive. What's ironic is that the author alludes to some comments I made regarding the Marquis "scandal", if you will. What's funny, to me, is that I completely forgot I had written on this issue previously - only to be reminded with my own words by someone else.
So here's an excerpt from the original SocialTwister post, "Blog Advertising Dilemma", dated April 27, 2004:
As I mentioned yesterday, time is money. Anyone who's tried to balance running their own business, comforting clients, and spending quality time with their families and friends can certainly attest to the need for the 25-hour day. That being said, earning income from the things you love is, as best I can tell, the preferred way to spend one's time. For most bloggers, the upkeep and maintenance of a blog is largely a labor of love. Unfortunately, the blogging world has not evolved to the point that it, in general, can provide enough income to support anyone except a college student on a full-ride.
So therein lays the rub. To move focus to one task over another requires a compromise of some sort. For most, blogging has ulterior motives as well. Some blog for fame, others blog for reputation, and some even blog for research. The "things" - and by things I mean those intangibles - provide a soft value to the author. For many, this soft value can be converted to hard currency. Many a blogger has received work or other forms of engagement as a result of being spotted in the blogosphere. Today, however, that audience still remains small.
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To conclude, I don't think the issue is ever really about the author selling out, as realistically business is business and expenses need to be managed. The tricker, finer detail is actually related to how the author implements that compromise and how effectively they manage user perception and impact.
I don't know that my opinions on the matter have really changed much. The Marquis approach is certainly unique at this point in time. The problem, however, is it does set a precedent that may be quite difficult to untangle. The current crop of supporters seems fair and balanced, but that's certainly not a guarantee for future participants, nor is the overriding principles and derived legal documents.