Creating Information Products and the Blogger Marketer Divide

Update 6/15/2012 This post has been updated to remove a broken video embed code and minor tweaking. I also renamed the post because there is no longer a video to view. Such is life. Prepare for change.
 
Tubetorial is a website that has videos and screencasts on Internet Marketing, Web Development and Content Issues. I viewed a video on steps to create an information product.

The screencast was well done, the point were clearly expressed and the narration was spot on. The information presented was truthful, valid and when it comes to writing either copy writing or non-fiction articles it did the job.

I have multiple feelings about this topic and I have some bias so bear with me a bit.

There is this tool called a blog. This tool is used by many kinds of people. Writers, Bloggers, Crafters, Business people and Internet Marketers to name a few.

We use this blog tool and have different reasons for using blogs. We have different expectations on the results. I know there have been contention between Bloggers and Internet Marketers. There probably will always be a uncomfortable relations between the two groups.

My Perceptions on The Divide:

On the Blogger Side:

• Bloggers write for their audience.
• Bloggers produce content that their audience finds interesting. The content may or may not support their non-blogging business.
• Bloggers may or may not choose to make money off of their blog.
• Bloggers can and do make money from the blog but the focus is on the content and the relationship.

On the Internet Marketer Side:

• Internet Marketers hope to attract an audience.
• They have products and services they want to sell.
• The blog is the vehicle for selling the product.
• They may or may not want an on-going relationship but that is secondary to selling.
• Internet Marketers create and sell content that their audience wants based upon needs.

The intersection is we both use blogs to communicate to our audiences. For the record, I am a Blogger. There are certain ever evolving points of view that I hold with the blogging community.

Have I Ever Purchased an Information Product?

Yes, I have. But only when I felt that the person knew the topic thoroughly, did not force me to sign in before I could investigate the blog or website.  I was allowed time to decide if I wanted a relationship between me and the content/writer.

I have to feel comfortable that the vendor wasn't going to skin me and sell my e-mail address down the river.

The Nexus Point 

There are Bloggers who make use of the skills and techniques used by Internet Marketers. Internet Marketers are bouncing in and out of blogs, researching keywords and checking out blog competition in certain topic areas to craft products and services.

There are times when the Blogger and Internet Marketer are the same person. I am not against anybody making money. Nope, not me.

I am against some of the shady, skanky, low down and bordering repulsive practices no one approves of such as seeding comments with links to spam sites, creating content with no conception of what you are talking about and flat out theft of other people's content.

Sometimes those cretins are associated with the term internet marketing. This is where a bit of the hostility comes from.

So as some of us in the blogging community are reviewing our practices and what is acceptable and not acceptable I would hope that the same conversation is happening in the Internet Marketing community as well.

Again, I don't have a problem with ethical Internet Marketers who are transparent, have a product that is well done and respects their visitors. It is the crumb bums that I don't like.

Let the peace process begin.


Other Posts of Interest

• More On Video Blogging Basics
• Geographic Affiliate Blocking
• I Hate Video Spam and Hucksters