There’s an interesting discussion going on, over at the Fitzroyalty blog about bloggers accepting sponsored posts etc.

It’s an issue that all of us who blog (dreadful word, call I use the old fashioned term web log instead?) should confront, and ideally, we should each have a policy to deal with it. The fact is, it’s easy to see which web logs are popular and the more popular you are, the more likely it is that you will be approached to post about a particular brand or topic or event, perhaps receive some freebies as a sweetener.

Sounds like a good opportunity to share with you Circa’s policy, because I frequently get requests, and my response is a simple one – Circa does not accept payments of any kind.

Now, let’s not forget that Circa is a business, although one with a strong community focus. I love vintage and in my fantasy world everyone would dress fabulously in vintage from the era they most identify with – or they would dress in vintage-inspired modern clothing or perhaps they would dress in second hand clothes sourced from garage sales and op shops. Perhaps they might even wear modern clothes from a fashion-forward local designer but the important thing for me, is that I would like people to consider their choices, appreciate that it is a choice, and that everything they wear sends a message out to the world about who they are, who they want to be, and who they want us to think that they are.

But back to Circa….Circa and I share a mission, but it’s not about buying from Circa. It’s about a lifestyle, a way of seeing and engaging with the world…and so I’m happy, delighted even, to share with you information that comes my way about things that I consider to be of interest. Sure, it’s nice if you would like to buy my wares (it makes my mission easier) but if you’re buying them from someone else, or going to see period costume in an art gallery or watching a film from the Golden Years of Hollywood – well, that makes me happy too.

So if you’ve got a product or an event that you’d like me to tell my readers about, by all means send me the details (and images, images are great) but added incentives are not needed, and if I run out of time and don’t get to post it, please don’t be mad at me. Circa’s web log is a kind of vintage noticeboard, made of well worn wood with a few scratches here and there. There’s a lot happening in this imperfect world of ours.

As an aside, I don’t mind those who do support sponsored posts – a web logger has bills to pay after all, and as long as they’re indicated as such, there is no confusion. It’s just that everything that’s posted to Circa in a way, supports Circa and her mission.