Wednesday Commentary: Where's The Line?

During the past few weeks I noticed something that had only been hitting me on a subconscious level before, many popular photography sites seem to be selling something. That is not always a bad thing, selling photos is part of the business. On the other hand I've become aware that some of the posts I read, seem to be pushing products on a regular basis. Even posts that are telling people to get back to the basics are pushing products. You'll often read, all you need is a simple DSLR, advanced compact, that bag, that filter, or photo editing software, and you'll be set. I consider myself guilty of this at times, even though I'm not sponsored to advertise any photography products.

That begs the question, where is the line between simply helping people become better photographers and being a brand advocate or free advertizing for a product? This is a tough subject to touch on, because there are many fascists involved. If I use a product and find that it works well, I want to pass that on, so that others can benefit from that product. On the other hand I am not here to advertise a brand, because the goal of this blog is not to be a free billboard for companies to sell more products. Talk about a tough spot to be in as a blogger!

Right now I don't have an answer to the question, 'where is the line?', but I'm getting closer. What do you think about the hidden, or blatant advertising that seems to happen regularly on many popular photography sites? Does that bother you, or do you find it helpful? Would you like to see a shift towards simply teaching about photography and less on reviewing gear or gadgets? Does our gadget filled society even care about this issue?