Dance with the devil...

First off - it's been a blustery evening here Chez Potty. And not only because I've made the mistake of serving up chili con carne the very night after I gave the Boys chorizo casserole. (Will I ever learn?)

No, I'm being buffeted by more than the internal weather of my children, and I can't make up my mind about something. I need input, and here's why...

I'm at a bit of a crossroads - and so, it seems, are an increasing number of bloggers out there.

When I started this malarky, it was for a number of reasons, including (but not limited to); recording my darling Boys' antics (oh, how we laughed!); exercising the little grey matter I have left (could I still string a sentence together after 2 years of solitary confinement with my children?); to do something for myself; and not least, to connect with people worldwide that I would never usually have any cause to meet.

What it was not about, and what I was determined would never drive 'The Potty Diaries' was cash. Of course, if someone read my witterings and contacted me with an offer to be paid money for writing then I would have bitten their hand off, but I haven't written a single post with that aim in mind and have never really believed for a moment that it would happen. Which is lucky, because it hasn't.

What has happened, though, are two things.

1. Blogging is dead, apparantly. Wife in the North referred to it her most recent post - and check here on Wired for a pithy summary of why we bloggers are passe, according to those 'who know'. Apparantly the blogosphere has become a 'tsunami of paid bilge', and the cool kids can now be found elsewhere.

I take issue with this comment because as far as I'm aware most of the blogs that feature on my sidebar are neither bilge nor paid for, but who am I to argue against 'medja' opinion? However, whilst it may be true in general - and what would I know differently, being only a mummy blogger and all - the 'tsunami of bilge' is not the blogosphere that I inhabit, thank god. At least, not so far.

Which leads me very neatly onto the second thing.

2. Within the last 3 weeks I've been contacted by 4 or 5 separate pr and marketing agencies asking me to get involved in various panels and reviews of products, concepts, or ranges.

Now, I used to be in marketing myself. I like to think that I am not a complete idiot. There is clearly a current wave - you might almost call it a 'tsunami' of 'let's put the show on here!' enthusiasm going round these companies about this great new source of information and publicity that they've found in Mummy Blogland. And no doubt, the most exciting aspect for some of them (oh, alright, probably all of them) will be that it is mostly free. In my previous working life, I would no doubt have been presenting this concept to my clients with all the gung-ho 'it's a win-win situation' attitude I could muster.

At no stage have the parties who've been in contact offered to pay me. Should I agree to get involved, there is no obligation on my part to review these products or services favourably. I could be as rude as I like and not lose a night's sleep over it. But as someone who has not yet even made the jump and installed GoogleAds on my blog, it just doesn't feel right.

It feels more than a little bit like exploitation, and as if I would be adding to the seas of 'paid bilge' that those who are - ironically - paid to write refer to. (Not that I'm calling 'Wired' bilge, you understand...)

So yes, pay me to write (as if!), or be up front and pay me to review.

But expect me to do it for free?

I may be hopelessly naive, and ignoring the remote - very remote - possibility these offers could result in something more concrete and financially rewarding in the long term. I may write a blog that begs for ratification at every turn. But should I really be that needy?

What do you think?