When I am approached by folks who wish to engage my readers, I qualify them based on content, writing, and ability to pay the fee I charge for this kind of service. It's not much, trust me.

Brands are getting away from the concept of sponsored posts because they feel it makes them look bad - paying a blogger to post something about them. I don't suppose they feel that way about articles in magazines or the newspaper, though. I still see them everywhere and I know they paid a lot more for that ad than they offer to pay me for a post. The key is: which one actually gets to the market they hope to reach?

How do you feel - when you read a sponsored post (explained in the disclaimer a blogger must add to such posts); do you feel duped? Do you get annoyed, discovering the content wasn't created by the blogger? Or, do you accept the content as intended - to help educate or inform, even if it was a paid post?

I'm curious because I don't want to continue offering sponsored posts if the majority of readers think they're a bad idea. Lip-sticking is growing and I do hope to begin making money off of ads and sponsored posts or links, and sharing that revenue, but I want to do it in a way that doesn't make my readers think I've 'sold out'.

Let me know how you feel. It's important to me. I'm in the business of sharing information and if I can occasionally be paid for it, I think that's ok. Do you?

Thanks!  Yvonne