USAToday had an article in Friday's edition about bloggers being paid by tourism offices (or CVBs) to blog about local attactions or events to promote the area. One of the blogs mentioned in the article is Play in the City by Erin Leffelman. Erin blogs about events in Milwaukee, Wisconson. The Milwaukee Tourism Office provided her with a year's worth of high-speed Internet access, $1,700 in computer and camera equipment and free access to many of the outdoor diversions she'll be describing in her twice-weekly musings.

The big issue is that she does not disclose the fact that she's receiving support from the tourism office for her blog. Should she? I think so.

If I read on her blog that she was supported by the local tourism office I would take it under advisement, but I don't think it would change my view of her posts that much. Knowing that she does not disclose her sponsoship suddenly casts a little bit of doubt. According to her about page it says that Erin just received a degree in Journalism from UW-Milwaukee. Not disclosing sponsorship for her blog doesn't really show great journalistic ethics so far.

From the VCB's perspective:

The Milwaukee blog is "a hands-off relationship, and if Erin has a negative experience, we expect her to record that," spokesman David Fantle says.

I wonder what David defines as a 'negative experience'? There is a big difference between saying that an event didn't have enough port-o-potties and saying that it was a 'rip-off' or a 'waste of time'.

The USAToday article also mentions the blog effort that VisitPA is sponsoring. VisitPA has done a smart thing by selecting a number of blogger-tourists from various demographic backgrounds. Chances are that you will identify with one or more of the bloggers. It's also refreshing to see 'actual' people in tourism photos instead of models.