On social media, I’m a sucker for a few things. Cats in boxes. Puppies falling asleep. Stories about real estate trends, near or far away. And social media tips and tricks. None of these things has ever gotten me any further ahead in life, but it’s all good fun!
One of the top tips from so-called social media gurus is to approach successful bloggers and ask if you can guest blog on their website. This is a way to get noticed and spread your links around until you build a following of your own. And it seems certain that people are taking that tidbit to heart.
They used to trickle in occasionally but in the past week, I’ve received several requests to post on my blog. A couple were likely scams, to be sure, but others were genuine, complete with links and samples of work.
In one case, an earnest request ended with – and it hurts me to type this out – Regard’s, Laura. Well if you know me at all, you know that a misplaced apostrophe is my major pet peeve so Laura got a no thank you.
Another woman wanted to share house-cleaning tips. She was up front about wanting to link to products she was selling. She has followers on Pinterest and Instagram…but why would I want to give this little piece of real estate away? What’s in it for me and more importantly, what’s in it for you?
I decided the answer to that question was: Nothing. This space isn’t about allowing someone to borrow, rent or buy a page to push stuff for sale in front of your face. Good or bad, for better or worse, it’s my patch of Internet land to be real about products (if I want) or talk about my brain farts, experiences, observations and what have you. (Or, what have I!) It’s an unspoken agreement we have, you and me.
That’s not to say that if Amazon comes to me and wants to buy a banner ad for $10-grand, I’ll stand on principle and say no! (I’m not crazy!) And I would be happy to allow guest-blogging from interesting people who want to share pieces of themselves in a genuine way. No sales. No sleight of hand. But for now, for those who have approached me lately, the answer has to be no.