The Business of Blogging Part 3 - Ethics

Net A Porter's Fashion Blogger Magazine issue, Spring/Summer 2011
Source: http://insidefmm.com

Personal style and style bloggers are taking the fashion industry by storm, many at the top have gained an international following with hundreds of thousands of followings across social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Bloggers nowadays are entrepreneurs more than anything. We, readers, have an insatiable need to gain an inside into the luxurious and fast-paced world that is the fashion industry, as these fashion bloggers become increasingly popular, it makes you wonder if they'll eventually turn into one of those celebrities which you see promoting a new 'quick and easy' weight-loss method or in other words, simply sell out.

When I attended Industry day at Melbourne Spring Fashion Week, one woman brought up the point to Phoebe Montague of Lady Melbourne that she was confused what a fashion blogger was, she thought it was someone who shared their opinions and insights into the world of fashion. While personal style bloggers do often carry that aspect, I do believe it has somewhat been more or less corrupted.

Through a personal style blog, a blogger creates a community. It is a community dictated by conversation and an intimate relationship between viewer and blogger is established the conversation. It's essentially a source of organic media. I say this because to be a blogger, no one is really paying you - although some bloggers are now earning money but to monetize your blog, you eventually fall under the category of entrepreneur rather than blog. However, no one pays you to stay up until 1 am writing a review of a show that you have just attended and assembling your photos for a post. There is a trusting equilibrium balanced between viewer and editor of a blog.

It is of course not wrong nor is it corrupted when a blogger decides to monetize their blog in an ethical manner. Nonetheless, some bloggers seem to forget the importance of blogging ethically.

Most bloggers these days are ethical enough to state when they have been sponsored for a post or if they've received a PR gift or sample (and although sometimes that may be hidden in a small corner) it is still stated. However, when bloggers monetize their blogs simply for the money and do not provide a transparent attitude towards their blogging ethics, it becomes problematic.

One blogger I truly admire for their ethical and truthful approach is Ivania Carpio of Love-Aesthetics. While I'm sure everyone is truly in awe of her amazing minimal style, one of the reasons why her blog is so independent and successful is due to the fact that she is truly open and transparent to her readers about sponsored posts and 'advertorials'. She writes, "independence, editorial freedom and honesty are the core values of blogging. It's what makes (fashion) blogs so relevant and sets them apart from other mediums." This transparent attitude to monetizing her blog depicts her to the viewer as an approachable and honourable blogger.

After reading Ivania's brilliant ethics page, I came across the blog PR Couture and their shop. One of the many things I came across something called a "Fashion Media Bundle". Something about this simply didn't sit right and so I became increasingly curious and wanted to find out more. As I read on about the "Media Bundle" it stated the following:

"Snatch up more than 200 of the most coveted fashion editors and bloggers in the biz. You'll get 36 Print & Online Fashion Accessories contacts, 50 Fashion Blogger contacts, complete with social media links... with more than 100 editor emails for a cool $297"

Let's talk about this for a second. From what I can tell, you basically just get a list of email addresses and URL's to social networking platforms of fashion bloggers and editors. Their guaranteed promise however says absolutely nothing about establishing relationships through this media bundle but instead guarantees the accuracy of the list. Wow! For $297 what a bargain for all this information! It's not like I could simply search up Vogue and look up the emails for their senior fashion editors? I mean that's just simply impossible right.

This is simply manipulative and preying on the weak. It leads consumers (assuming their target demographic is fashion bloggers who have just started a fashion blog) to believe as though they are buying a media relationship and not simply a list of names and email addresses. But than again perhaps, that's the point. They're trying to sell the idea of an established relationship with some of the most internationally recognised fashion magazines in the world. Nevertheless, this is simply unethical. I feel sorry for those of you who are willing to fork out a ridiculous $297 for a list which you could put together yourself with some dedication, time and effort. This is also selling public knowledge. These email addresses are not private and are easily accessible by anyone who knows what they're looking for as well as where to look.

I must disclaim that I have not seen this "Fashion Media Bundle" and so am not sure if it simply is a list of names, emails and URL's however, if you're willing to throw $297 away, be my guest!

This is simply wrong. It's unethical and it's deceitful.

Inevitably a fashion blog is concerned with it's readership and establishing a relationship with them. For this reason, transparency and honest are two of the most ethically valuable principles of a fashion blogger.