Bloggers Should Disclose ALL Payola

Payola:  This isn't new.  This will not stop.  The internet is a capitalist's wet dream.  As it should be!

To be clear,
if you are trading your content area for any form of renumeration or consideration then you must disclose this fact.  IMHO, you are no different than an infomercial.  This disclosure should occur before and after the post - in an unambiguous manner.

While I prefer capitalism
to it's logical alternative, I'm one of those wacky people that believe government should only intervene once it is clear that an industry or trade group has failed to appropriately regulate itself.  If the blogging community (including application providers and hosts) at large fail to get a firm grasp on this issue then we have no one to blame but ourselves when various governments insert themselves into our affairs.  Ideally, major industry participants including Six Apart, Automattic, and Google would take an inconspicuous stand against undisclosed paid blogging rather than paying lip service to this problem.  I realize some steps have been taken.  It is my hope that providers and the community take more aggressive action against payola in the blogosphere.

Aside from the potential regulatory burden,
ignoring this problem will only serve to make the blogosphere just like commercial radio is today: full of crap.  Radio is a place where the best music is not played, a place where money rules all decisions, a place where spins have more to do with corporate relationships than with quality content.

Do you want the blogosphere
to be like radio is today? If not then you must take a stand against undisclosed paid content.