Bloggers Expectations To Fellow Bloggers and Events

Here’s the deal, I don’t understand why some bloggers (and even PRs and mainstream media people) are trying to be holier than thou when they criticize bloggers who earn from their blogs or bloggers some would bluntly ask what compensation will they get from attending an event or posting a press release on their blogs.  If your practice is to have a pure personal blog where  you post everything you want (family, relationship and experiences related) keeping that online diary origination of a blog then do it.

On the other hand, if there are bloggers who think and practice differently from you wherein they ask the PR who invited them if they will be compensated or get a token out of posting a press release or attending an event, don’t judge them.   Like you,  it was the event organizer or PR that approached them first (when they sent out invites or asked someone to invite their fellow bloggers to go with them) .  If they rant about not getting what they expected maybe because they were told to expect something.  Otherwise, they will pretend they had a great time no rants whatsoever.

Understand that to each his own.  Sometimes some people don’t have the luxury of time or money to simply waste for nothing.  Please, don’t belittle their financial status or lifestyle either.  You have no right.   You don’t know how they live their life and what their problems are so shut your mouth.  If you have a better life than they are you are lucky, good for you.  Thank God.

Now for the bloggers event-ing (as Rowena Wendy Lei of Animetic.me put it) and expecting something, In addition to what she mentioned here is what you should expect from the events you are attending depending on the “category” .

Food Related Events:

Which involved restaurant review, food product launch and the like.
I once was a food blogger, I even had a separate blog for that Matakaw Ako which has not been updated for ages! Haha! But I stopped attending food events and declined invites as I’m getting fat already. Plus I believe I can blog more freely about the food I ate if it was not from an event since sometimes more often than not the restaurants/food establishments put their best food forward for blog events to impress bloggers but when you come back for seconds not as a blogger you will get disappointed.
What to expect:
A lot of food! More food than you can ever take and even some food you won’t dare touch even if you paid for it! Sometimes owners or PR (depending on who invited you, they will give you GCs so you can go back and try their food again after the event. Some other tokens like corporate giveaway type with the restaurant logo or brand image.

What the invitee expects:
Blog about their restaurant and hopefully write a good “review”.

Lifestyle Consumer Product Events

This includes events on product launch related to personal hygiene products, vitamins and health supplements, home items, kids items, makeup, and anything you can pick-up from the grocery/department store and your suking tindahan.
What to expect:
Most of the time expect to get the product that is being launched. But, if the product is way to expensive, expect sample sizes but if not available in small sizes you get other tokens like probably a GC of certain amount from their sister company or from their store to get something from them that is less expensive. Or most likely expect corporate giveaways (probably a notebook, pen, hat, shirt or eco bag)

What the invitee expects:
They expect you to blog about the event including the product they launched . You may or may not opt to post a separate one for the product review or include it one post.

Tech

Although I am not a tech blogger I have and is invited to tech related events from cellphone , laptops, PC, camera, software, TV,  etc.
What to expect:
A preview of the product they are launching, you can play with the gadget on the event itself. If the invitee has a budget each invited gets a lower model of the brand. I have attended several tech events in the past and they gave out lower models of cellphones they are launching. Most often than not they will raffle a few units to attendees. Most of them will offer for you to review a unit if you have the patience to wait for your turn and return the gadget after two weeks. This is mostly what happens to tech blogging, they don’t usually get free units but instead get their turn into test driving a review unit. Tech glossies and bloggers who reserved a slot to get a review unit with matching MOA so you’ll return the gadget in time or pay some fee if the gadget is not returned in time .

Movie

I used to religiously attend premiere nights and advanced screening. But as time went by. I just got tired attending because the venue gets further and further away from where I live and the movie time is always scheduled very late at night (Last Full Show skeds mostly). As much as I enjoyed attending these movie premiere, I get a lot of traffic from advanced movie review with no spoilers mind you! I feel going home very late at night alone is risky especially now.
What you get:
If it is hosted by the main movie outfit and it is an advanced screening or premiere night, you’ll get the movie ticket a collectors item really as you can’t get it anywhere but there! That’s one of the major perks I love to get when attending such premiere. Plus premiere movie items you can’t get anywhere else like T-shirt from the movie makers themselves! There is always free food and drink before the showing! There are also a lot of celebrities watching the movie with you so it’s super fun to celebrity watch and find out who dates who! Haha! There’s also games before the screening where they raffle out premiere limited edition movie items! Check your ticket numbers!

What the invitee expects:
They expect you to blog about the movie with the play date in it. It’s your choice of you want to post spoilers or not (I don’t post spoilers!) or just post about the production details. They will provide all the pictures you need about the movie!

Live Performances/ Entertainment Related

Concerts, Theater, Carnival shows and the like. Sometimes I have my fan mode cap on and if I want a celebrity or a band coming I go especially if they’re international artists!
What to expect:
Meet the celebrity up-close via press-con before the show or at the meet-and-greet. If you are uber close to the PR who invited you at the presscon they can arrange for you to have a one-on-one photo ops with the celebrity and get VIP seats to the actual show and concert. I had a couple of concerts I attended where I had full access to the backstage and dressing rooms The Masssive Concert with Jojo, Timbaland, Diana King, All-4-1, Tupac etc etc. Remember my Sarah Jessica Parker moment, And that Concert ng Bayan with Coca-Cola moment with Cloc 9, Parokya ni Edgar, Sarah Geronimo, River Maya , Eraserheads etc where I was even invited at rehearsals! However when the handler of the celebrity is very stricts all you get is chance to see them up-close at the presscon (like David Gandy) or the show itself (Justin Timberlake!). They give out sampler CDs of the artist if they are singers/bands or CDs of the other artist from the same company. And yes corporate giveaways and tickets to the concert/event itself.

What the invitee expect:
Sometimes they will request a pre-event and post-event post with the event date and venue as the most important detail to announce on your pre-post and just lots and lots of photos from the event itself.

Fashion Show / Fashion Related Launch (Clothes/Shoes/Bag/Accessories)

What to expect:

A great seat to be able to take nice photos at the event. GCs from the brand or other clothing items from the brand. Some PR handling brands will send out the fashion items they launch after the launch as the items are very limited during the show (mostly they only have what the models are wearing!) So more often than not corporate items from the brand. Some will give you the exact items they are launching. Some give you shopping spree!  But some tight budgeted invitees will give you a cap and some notebook or datebooks or mugs

What the invitee expect:
Post about the event and the items they launched. Wear the fashion items they gave you and post OOTDs and mention them in your post.

Services

Salon services and treatments (hair, nails, body treatments) Spa.
What you expect:
Expect to get the treatment available or what you would like to try out yourself for Free. Hair color or cut, RF, facial, massage etc. It depends if the PR is there or not and if you are close with the owner or not haha! Sometimes you get tokens related to the treatment like hair care products for the hair treatment or soaps and lotions for the massage and Spa or nail care kit for nail salon treatments. Sometimes they also give GCs to the salon/spa so you can come back again.

What the invitee expects:
Blog about your experience with nice photos of you may and invite your reader to try the services.

Travel

Includes events about hotels, tourist destinations and attractions and airlines
What to expect:
If invited by a hotel then expect free accomodations, more often than not you can bring a plus 1 or if stated bring your family if it is just around Metro Manila. F1 Hotel invited me and my family on Mother’s Day everything from food to services is free! FUN! If it is out-of-town most likely roundtrip airfare is included with free tours to tourist spots and destinations in the area, free accommodation of course, free food and services from the hotel like hat I had when I was invited to Radisson Blu in Cebu. Free pasalubong shopping sometimes (my Davao trip)
If it is an airline and a presscon expect corporate giveaways and a chance to win airline tickets on the raffle. If it is an exclusive launch event invite expect free trip and get included in maiden flights! Sometimes accommodation and tour is included like my Kota Kinabalu Trip sponsored by Air Asia Zest or just roundtrip airline ticket to your destination.

What the invitee expect:
For Hotels: A post about your stay at their hotel including promos, nice photos and rates.
For Airlines: A post about your travel with mention of your airline carrier. From time to time they ask you to post some announcement press release or two but you have the hand if you want to post or not.
For Travel Destinations and Tourist Attraction: A blog about your discoveries and experience including food, highlights, and everything else you see relevant in the tour/trip.

Advocacy

I am an advocacy blogger with more focus on autism awareness, children’s and women’s rights (education, RH bill, child abuse and the like) and environment . Most are by non-government organizations.  It can be any cause you support personally be it humanitarian, environmental or political.
What to expect:
There is a sense of fulfillment in contributing to raise awareness on the advocacy you are passionate about. Knowing you help in a way you could is very fulfilling . More often than not they give out corporate giveaways including T-shirt or Cap with the name of the advocacy . You can wear this anywhere anytime you want. You become a human billboard. It is a free shout-out about your advocacy and the NGO. If it is an environment advocacy sometimes you do tree planting or clean-up invites so expect to get whisked in places they will plant trees or do clean-up and sometimes immersion programs. This is actually the time you should not expect anything at all as this will be your charity work. It is more likely you will give than receive.

What the invitee expect:
Just blog about their cause and eventually reach out to many hearts who will in turn support and talk about the advocacy.

This domain will be 6 next year (January 2014).  That’s how long I have been in the Philippine blogosphere scene attending almost all kinds of events I mentioned above!   But since last year, I limited my events attending as I am way past that stage of wanting to be “IN” and getting excited about saying yes to every event invite I get.   I used to attend 4 events in a day for 5 days a week!  Now I only attend a max of 4 events a week and a max of twice a week because this blogger gets tired easily!

Unsolicited advice to my fellow bloggers:

Blogging ain’t complicated, It is the people who sees you as competition that makes it complicated.   Expectation can sometimes be disappointing especially when not met.  One of the greatest lesson I learned in life is never expect anything from anyone, even if they say it.  Only believe when it is there. What I recommend to all the bloggers out there just do what you love and keep your feet on the ground.   Stay true to your reason for blogging and always remember it. It is not your obligation to bring every blogger friend you know to an event you are attending the PR/brand/company/owners already determined themselves who they want to invite.  Don’t feel guilty if you are invited and they are not.  Don’t feel envious if they are invited and you are not.   If you have passion for blogging as the means for sharing your thoughts and experience people and see it and eventually you will get the attention you deserve.

Unsolicited advice for brands/PRs/ event organizers:

Do your homework and research. Check the blog if their content is relevant to your brand/company/services/event so as not to let the bloggers do your work for you. After all if you did not give the “permission” to the bloggers to bring/invite other bloggers with them the issues about “gatecrashers” or “lootbag” bloggers will not happen.

Happy blogging my fellow bloggers!

Stay gorgeous everyone!