the PPC Book|Pay Per Click Blog | Long Tail Thoughts in a Short Tail World

Attention: This is a sponsored post. Any money I am paid for this post donated to chucho.org

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ReviewMe is the latest in a short line of pay for review, or pay for blog marketplaces (payperpost.com is another). This is very controversial practice that is starting to attract as much attention as it is scorn. Admittedly, the part of me who believed in the utopian “do no evil” internet (that guy died when my options vested underwater in 2000) cringes when I see this sort of commercialization. However, when you take a step back and look at the big picture, you see that this is really just an evolutionary process in making the internet a more mature and commercially viable playing field. If there’s anyone still around who is harping on how the internet should be a purely benevolent all-knowing resource that is free for everyone, I say, go to your local library, if it’s still open. We had a company who tried that benevolent angle, they were called Google. They just scanned the entire library system into their database and slapped Adsense on it.

Anyway, enough with the dennis miller rant. Here, with reviewme, we have an example of an innovative idea combined with good execution and timing. The previous attempts at this market were executed with mediocre skill and an “i need to wash my hands now” dirty feeling when I logged in. Their failure is an opportunity for Reviewme.com.

Here is why this site will work and thrive in the long run:

1. Transparency - For this type of service transparency is a must in order for it to survive the inevitable scrutiny. The bottom line is I am being paid for a review, but it’s just a review, I don’t have to advocate the service. My strength is in my readership, not my advertising. I am economically incentivized to write for my readership, not the advertiser. Therefore, in theory, I am a neutral and honest reviewer, which benefits everyone in the long run.

2. Execution - Clean 2.0 design, fast site, great navigation. The registration process took me 30 seconds and everything is laid out intuitively. I have absolutely zero questions about how this process works.

3. Leadership team - The guys running this site are experienced and have demonstrated the capability to execute successfully in this marketplace on multiple occaisions.

I like this site and I think it will work in the long run. I am going to place an order in the next week and will report back with the details.

Would you use this service? Do you think it’s ethical?