I have been sitting on the sidelines watching and reading all about this stupid ass Kindle thing from Amazon and the one thing I expected to happen following the usual pro and con posts that flooded the blogosphere didn’t happen.

Everyone from Stowe Boyd to Robert Scoble and in between had something to say. Some of it was good, some of it was negative which again is pretty typical of the tech blogosphere even to the point of making recommendations on a product that hadn’t even shipped yet or was just coming on stream.

Through all the hyperbole I didn’t feel any compunction to jump into the growing echo chamber even though I personally think that the Kindle is one ugly piece of crap that will never replace the real reason we love to read books - that being the very act of reading. Then yesterday Robert posted a short little post about how you could support his purchase of the Kindle by clicking on the link in his post for which he would get $40.00.

When I read that I thought the blogosphere would explode. After all here was the voice of the tech blogosphere - the one person who could probably equal any of the new media blog conglomerates for advertising pull but has always stated he was doing it for the love of blogging - asking you to click on a help me pay for my toy link. I could just hear the cacophony of his blogging A-List peers and other assorted blogging purist (read - no advertising or receive any remuneration of any kind should grace a blog) lining up to start laying the smack down I was sure was going to follow.

And I waited, and waited, and waited.

I figured when I got up this morning FeedDemon would be full of posts from all over the blogosphere either condemning this blatant pay me post or using it to point out that even the high and mighty will gladly take the money when it suits them. Only there was nothing. Not even anything in the comments to his post. Absolutely nothing. Zip. Nada.

I am sure that Robert is not alone in taking advantage of this program from Amazon where they are paying a selected number of bloggers (I don’t know the full scope of the program so I am assuming they are selecting the bloggers who eligible for the program) $40.00 for every Kindle sold via the sponsored link - and that is exactly what it is and no amount of verbal justification will convince me otherwise. However regardless of how much of the A-List blogs; or other blogs for that matter, are littered with these sponsored links the point is that since it is okay for bloggers of Robert’s caliber/level to accept sponsored links it will be okay for the rest of us now huh?

Not a chance. You can bet that the next non top tier blogger that tries to slip in a sponsor link will be heaped with derision by those in the power set of bloggers. Well I have only one thing to say at this point to all those top tier bloggers who try and tell me that running advertising on a blog is wrong - screw you.

Oh and Robert … you might as well start running ads - you’ve crossed the boundary.

Listening to: Blackmore’s Night - Ghost of a Rose - Loreley

Conversation Tags: Amazon, Kindle, Robert Scoble