While checking my backlinks, I stumbled upon this: BloggerProgram.i.PH
Of course I got curious, just as curious as any other new site/blog linking back to me. But this one got a little more of my attention. Apparently, this has been a running campaign by i.PH for almost a month now. A short brief of the program states:
i.PH has recently come up with a blogger program, in which we invite a handful of bloggers to blog about i.PH in exchange for a nominal compensation.
We basically operate on a full-disclosure arrangement because, well, we feel that it’s the honorable thing to do. Hence we are posting updates here, both to inform bloggers, i.PH and non-i.PH alike, who may wish to join.
Mechanics can be found in full here. It also has it’s dedicated blog which can be found here. The rationale behind this is that It’s because we feel it’s high time people learned more about the i.PH service, spread the word to their friends, and earn some money while they’re at it.
I thought i.PH is already very-well known locally? I’m not sure what exact market it is aiming its service at. Blogging is already the campaign itself and if you’re service is “the props”, you don’t need any better marketing campaign than the bloggers who are using the service. As they say, you have to believe in the product to be able to sell it.
In any case, a Php1,000 per week honorarium is much better than nothing. I just hope the bloggers who do review the service would come up with an objective and fair conclusion. :) And I trust they would. ;)
It’s called “distributed spamming.” Let’s wait ’til the biggies like Dave Winer hears about this.
@ Sassy
Oh I missed that part and I may have to agree that it’s still spamming.
Just read the mechanics.
“Participants are to post at least 20 comments each week on other blogs (may or may not be friends or contacts) referring them to the articles posted on their own blogs, and to i.PH as a service as well. So as not to be tagged as spam, these should be relevant and specific to the blog posts being responded to.”
That’s kinda skirting the issue. It’s still SPAM because the intention is not to discuss the blog entry where the comment is posted but to create a link to the i.ph entry in the commenter’s blog. Whichever way you look at it, it is unsolicited comment. SPAM pa rin.
bubble
We thought the US$800 per month Marqui was offering with its Blogosphere Programme was too darn expensive. Heheh.