Before I hit publish on my next post where I introduce my sponsors to you (which I'll pretty much do straight after I hit publish on this one), I just want to say a quick word on the whole sponsored post / sponsored blog and monetisation thing that has been blowing up of late in the blogosphere. I am doing this just so I am being completely upfront with you all on where I stand on this subject when it comes to Life Love and Hiccups.
I'm not going to buy into the debate, as I don't believe I can really contribute anything that hasn't already been said by those on both sides of the fence and well... since I lost the debating competition to a Snotty nosed diva who's mum was on the judging panel back in the sixth grade (rigged much???), I'm not really big on participating in the whole debating thing in general.
For me personally, this blog is a hobby, actually it's a hobby I have come to adore. It's not my paid daytime job, nor was it ever started with the intention of making money. However that said - if I can make a bit of money on the side to support my other great loves (shopping and vodka and shopping - in no particular order) then why the hell not! It helps to protect my family from my out of control shopping habits, keeps my lovely posties and delivery men in jobs and ensures there is always a bottle of wine in my fridge or a vodka in my freezer when I need it.
I know its not for everyone and I totally respect that, really I do - because you know, each to their own and all that. Every one is completely entitled to their opinions on the matter and I make no judgment on anyone's decision to earn money from their blogs or not.
For the benefit of my readers who are not bloggers and are wondering what on earth I am rambling on about, I just want to quickly explain if I may. Sometimes bloggers get sent stuff from companies to try or we get contacted by PR companies asking us if we would be interested in reviewing products or services. Companies know that Blogs generally have readers and those readers are individuals that may fit into a specific Target market they themselves are also trying to reach, and so they are keen to have those bloggers talk about their products online. Some companies are willing to pay for that service, others offer product in lieu of payment - that itself is a whole different discussion. Then there are sponsors - you will usually see their buttons and links on the side of blogs. These are usually companies who pay to be featured on a Blog as an extension of their advertising campaign and often the blogger will promote their products from time to time as part of the sponsorship arrangement they have with the company. Hopefully I have explained all that ok.
At Life Love and Hiccups I am very happy to have some fabulous sponsors and I also work with various PR agencies from time to time. But just so we are clear, I will only ever review and promote a Sponsor or Company's products or service that I would be prepared to actually buy or pay for, for my family, my home or for myself AND most importantly that I believe would be of some interest to the majority of you guys. Occasionally I may write about a subject or a particular cause I feel strongly about or I am interested in and sometimes the inspiration to write about it may be the result of an event I have attended.
Product reviews WILL NOT replace my normal posts. They may feature as a mention within a post, they may be a stand alone post in conjunction with a giveaway, or there may be none at all some weeks. And as you may already know, wherever possible if I review a product and I believe in it, I always try to ensure you guys have a chance to try some of those products out for yourself via a giveaway competition.
I don't generally do paid sponsored posts, actually I haven't done any and I don't know if that will change in the future or not. If I was lucky enough to be asked to do one for something I am truly passionate about, I may well consider it, but rest assured you will know about it at the beginning of the post and you will therefore have the option to read... or not.
So there you go, nothing much is changing around here and I suppose I didn't really need to write a whole post about it, but in the interest of being completely open and up front with you guys, I felt you deserved to hear where I stand on the matter in regards to my plans for Life Love and Hiccups.
I am not a professionally trained writer, I am what you would call an accidental writer, a happy casualty of one two many vodka and limes and a hyperactive finger that was itching to hit the 'Create a Blog' button.You will still get the same weird and wacky array of stories from me, extreme over sharing, photos of my totally cuckoo family and crazy life, the home decorating stuff I like to foof around with and some of the projects I love to attempt including the ones that occasionally fail more spectacularly than others. Most importantly there will still be plenty of the random stuff that goes through my head and gets regurgitated by my fingers - now doesn't that just sound so appetizing?
As always I welcome your thoughts or any feedback you care to share.
As far as I am concerned this blog is your forum as much as it is mine and I would love to hear your thoughts, opinions or ideas.
As far as I am concerned this blog is your forum as much as it is mine and I would love to hear your thoughts, opinions or ideas.
