Eagled eyed readers will notice there's now a Mumsnet Blog Network badge displayed in the right hand column of this site. This this daddy is now one of the certified bloggers on Mumsnet. I've only been involved for a week or so but the debate among the many bloggers that caught my eye during this time is over "mummyblaggers".

What is a mummyblagger? That's a blog where the writer seems to be going all out to get as much free stuff as possible, filling the site with more reviews - well let's be honest very thinly disguised adverts - for whatever free junk some lazy PR rep is willing to send them. I've written of my dislike for this kind of approach in the past.

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Since 1999 I have worked as a writer in the videogames industry; working as a journalist, reviewer, editor, manager and have written about games, reviewed them, and written PR material for games publishers. Over that time it was always clear which sites seemed intent on existing just to blag free games and the honest outlets that existed to give honest reviews to readers. And readers knew who to trust. Most gaming PR reps know the difference and are much more on the ball than those who fall under the mummyblagg spell. Videogames PR reps actually want to know if anyone really visits those sites and how high traffic really is.

It's a shame that many parent bloggers who write good prose, interesting comment and welcome adviceruin all that good work by also polluting their blog with numerous advertising features (that's a kind word for it) and adverts. Doing so really does dilute the message.

Perhaps mummyblaggers believe that they are creating a profression website, little different from parenting magazines or other commercial sites that rely on advertising. Unfortunately this is not the case. Good quality commercial sites show a clear deliniation between advertising and content. No one wants to read a magazine where every single page bears the words "advertising features."

Are some free bits of coloured plastic really worth your reputation and credibility? I suppose some people will answer yes to that question, that their site isn't really about communication and community but about getting as many freebies as possible. There will always be some rotten apples int he barrel.

In such hard economic times there's only so long this free ride will last, sooner or later the PR industry will weed out the lazy staffers who think sending expensive items to some rarely visited advertorial blog counts as doing some work. And those sites that are so advertorial they offer little independent content for a visitor will fall in popularity. This won't happen overnight, there are mummyblagger groups that seem to exist to charm PR reps and give a false impression readership levels and influence.

And the real truth is that in these days of Facebook and Twitter blogs just aren't important anymore, not in a commercial sense. The days of bloggers making big money are over. Social networks are where the real action is. I am happy enough with that, blogging for me has always been a vanity project, a sideshow. I'm delighted when people stop by and comment, but other than that, I really don't seek to gain anything else. Perhaps the rise of the social network will se a regrowth in good quality parent blogs that are more about the prose than blagging DVDs, toys, pushchairs and holidays.

If you want to write a blog to reach out to other parents and provide interesting content, do that - good content is everything. If you are offered items to review then by all means review them, but keep such reviews seperate on your site. And be honest in your reviews. If there is PR pressure to post a positive review then turn down the offer to review. If no such pressure exists, review honestly. Yes a tough but honest review of some Toy Story tat might stop you being groomed any further by Disney, but it will never lose you readers. And readers come before some faceless corporation, don't they?

I know it's easy to get seduced. I know it's hard to turn down free gear. If I was offered a new camera I would find it very hard to say no. But if I took a gift in return for some positive copy then years of work would be destroyed in an instant.

If you want to write reviews why not start by reviewing honestly things you have bought. Is your pushchair any good? No, then tell people the problems with it. What have you found to be the best brand of nappy? Which shops offer poor service to parents arriving with a double buggy? These are the experiences readers want to learn from, not from your all expenses paid trip to a Bugaboo factory. Keep it real, keep it honest.

Apologies for the many typos in this piece. It was bashed out using an Android tablet while my son jumped around on my knee. And no, I paid for the tablet, the interenet access, the sofa I'm sat on and the rent on the house. Nothing was blagged in the making of this post.