Question to the readers

 I fancy that I am not a purist when it comes to blogging. The medium has evolved tremendously in the past couple of years so it's really hard to set and expect a certain standard for bloggers and their content. So yes, I'm not a purist in the sense that I don't expect anyone's blog to be so and so. I can always simply stop following a blog that ceases to have value to me. 

I do however have preferences. The blogs I read are always about real, personal experiences by the blogger. I stay away from the press release blogs because I don't see the point - I can always find that information in a proper website, magazine, or newspaper. In other words I prefer content that I can't find anywhere else but a specific blog. 

Still, there are a lot of Philippine press release blogs that get a lot of traffic and event invites. I have a hypothesis about this phenomenon, one that tackles two different view points. From the reader's point of view, blogs have become an alternative, instant source of information that is usually found in official websites, newspapers, and magazines. People would rather read copy-pasted press releases on blogs than anywhere else because they don't really see the difference. A press release with a lot of pertinent information about a product is a press release with a lot of pertinent information about the product - wherever it's posted.

Consequently, PR companies would rather have their official releases copy-pasted on blogs than risk negative reviews. Because, hey, if the blog has traffic and it gets the word out, then mission accomplished right? They don't find (or feel the need) for genuine experiences about their products. Blogs are simply means for them to disseminate information.

So I have a question to all of you. What do you prefer to read on blogs? Press releases? Real experiences? Discuss in the comments.