This is a long running debate ever since blogs started gaining popularity as a point of reference; and it is one we will not see the end of for a long long time 🙂 But what do you think?
Do you think bloggers or blogs are credible?
Let’s not limit this to beauty blogging, but expand it to blogs in general. If you read my blog, you’re likely to read blogs in general so you are a prime candidate for this! 😀 Do you think blogs any more credible than say, newspapers or magazines? Do you think blogs are less credible?
Personally, I actually don’t read many blogs. But when I do, I attribute credibility depending on the blog content, the blogger, and the topic at hand. Oh and I don’t read many personal blogs either unless they belong to friends so I guess the topic at hand relates mostly to niche blogs 🙂 In general, I find more credible, blogs that speak from experience, that give proper attribution and credit through links to sources (surprisingly few you might be interested to know), that are honest and true to themselves, that use proper language and grammer grammar (pet peeve), and bloggers who blog with consistency and passion.
For example, I take anything published in news and political critique blogs with a very large pinch of salt. There is no middle ground in that genre and this is reflected in the blog posts that swing wildly depending on which side of the fence the blogger sits. A blogger who advances insightful arguments for or against a point of view is likely to be given more credit in my book, than a blogger who just rants and raves irrationally like a maniac 😛 The former in this genre are however as easy to find as a needle in a haystack. So in this genre I don’t think bloggers any more credible than print media.
For food review blogs, which I use as a jump point for research for new places to eat, I give more credit to blog posts that aren’t based on an invited review. From experience, food at an invited review are usually better (portion wise or taste wise) than food you pay for. I had a tummy upset after visiting a restaurant I’d visited before for a food review that I liked, so that was not pleasant. But I do value the information I get from reading food blogs, sponsored meal or not, because it could be a new place I’d never tried or that I’ve wanted to try. Also, I give an allowance for individual tastes, because not everyone loves the same food. But if its a recipe blog, then I give the bloggers and the blog full credibility because some of these bloggers are crazy talented cooks! In the food blogging genre, I attribute more credibility to bloggers than print media for whom most “restaurant reviews” are complimentary anyway.
Ditto with beauty blogs. I give some beauty blogs the due respect and credit because I identify with the blogger, or I enjoy reading their posts or because there is so much useful information in there. Others, I give less credit to because there isn’t enough information, or its just like reading classifieds (ads after ads after promos after press releases). But I do allow an element of individualism because we all have different ways of expressing ourselves and what I like may not be what you like. Everyone contributes in their way. When it comes to product review, I just believe some bloggers and blogs more than others and I lend credence accordingly. Sometimes, its just that gut feel y’know? 🙂 Compared to print media (which I don’t read much of) I think some bloggers more credible in terms of reviews – ever really come across a print mag that has negative reviews? Thought not. They’d lose their ad revenue 😛 But print media have more funds at their disposal in terms of creating content so they can come up with more interesting reads sometimes.
For travel, I definitely give blogs more credibility because they usually have more information on how to get to a location, and places they stay at and restaurants they frequent will be viewed more critically. But for hotels, my to-go resource is tripadvisor.com which is where everyone should check out before you travel or book a hotel! 🙂
From a blogger’s standpoint, I must confess to being a little harder on a product if its been sent to me for consideration. If its something I’ve purchased, I’m usually a little more effusive and more forgiving but if its a service, I’m also less tolerant of shoddy service. Perhaps its just my way of balancing things out, and I realize that like myself, readers may not find anything I say on my blog credible either 😀 But there you go! Win some, lose some 😀
So really, I believe that good bloggers are just as credible as the next journalist who’s paid to do their job, and the two mediums can co-exist. The biggest thing going for bloggers is that most bloggers do it out of passion and interest, not because its just another job; and that, I think makes the world of a difference 🙂
Your Say: Do you think bloggers or blogs are credible? Or what makes you think a blog or blogger more credible? Lets not name names. We aren’t here to bash or put anyone on a pedestal 🙂
Paris B
It depends on the blog and blogger. Some blogs are just like print ads, all sunshine and roses about a product. I trust the words of one who can point out both good things and bad things in a product. For me it means they’re really tried it out and thought about it. Not just post something, “just because”.
I guess for some blogs, they treat it as a “information site” where they post up news without reviews. It can be very helpful if you’re in the market to learn about what’s new 😉 But less so if what you’d really like to know is how it looks or if it works. I guess how we feel depends on what we’re looking for in a blog right? 🙂
When it comes to beauty and style,I prefer reading blogs rather than print media/magazines because
-I find magazines to be more homogeneous in terms of what is seen as beautiful-they focus on what’s trendy and “in” rather than accept that different people perceive different things to be beautiful. On another note-I find it sad that so much focus is put on being trendy at the expense of individuality and personal style.
-Blogs tend to be more detail-oriented (even with small things e.g. how difficult is it to open the jar lid!) and point out things that print media may gloss over (e.g. mascara brush-the shape may be unique but it’s still difficult to apply, or how hair turns to straw after applying hair dye!)
-And of course,the fact that more often than not,bloggers use their own or friend’s resources to come up with reviews instead of being sponsored big-time!
Ahh… wouldn’t it be nice to be sponsored though 😉 But you have given us lots of good points and yes I do tend to agree with you that mags do tend to tell us what’s “In for spring/summer” without realizing that many of us just want to look good, not only to look good for one season! 😉
It’s sad to say that many bloggers out there are not credible and are highly driven by compensations or plain sucking up in hope to gain something in future. Of course, there are a handful of blogs out there that I do trust but even then, I’ve come to terms with the fact that what may work well for one person may not work for me. In the end, I make my own decision to buy or not to buy.
I think blogs are mostly credible, since there aren’t that many bloggers who post for a living. Blogging is a hobby that starts with passion and the desire to connect to others who share the same view. Of course there are those who start for the fame it can bring, but those usually don’t last – content matters and good content takes time and effort. And a good grasp of the language.
God! There are so many blogs that grate my nerves with their typos and just bad, BAD grammar! Ok, I know I’m not that fluent in English, so I don’t fuss much over it. But when it comes to my own language… I get really murderous! 😀
Ah – I must confess I also hate those bubbly raves whenever XXX (not naming anything here! :D) launches a new collection. Pretty images and almost no text whatsoever in the entire blogosphere! It is as if everyone went out of their minds for a split second and started regurgitating ads. So I do what I always do when I come to repetitive ads in a magazine: I skip them!
About the food blogs: I find them way more trustworthy than magazines, even if they are sponsored reviews. And mainly if they aren’t mainstream blogs, but rather those hard-to-find-on-google blogs. Those are the best!
And I agree with you on TripAdvisor. The tips are invaluable and the community is very helpful! I always go fish there whenever I’m planning a trip.
All in all, I think we learn a good deal from the blogs we read, even the crappy ones. I try to take good practices home and avoid the mistakes others made.
So I think what makes bloggers credible is how they behave on a daily basis – whether their reviews are detailed and show not only the good points, but also the bad ones; how they deal with the comments; if they really know what the product they are reviewing is all about… It is also being consistent and standing by your principles. As my mother says it, “respect is built over the years and can be shattered in a second”.
Good points Mari! And I love your Mom’s principle. She is so right and you’re definitely on the right track so no worries about it. I just wish I could read your blog in something other than Google’s broken English LOL!