In the opinion of some people, if a writer uses their talent to blog for a living, they're disingenuous, dishonest, and untrustworthy.

I recently read someone who I hold in high esteem say that they'll unfollow a person who is paid to blog because they can't trust that person anymore. I could have let that comment get to me but I didn't. You see, I am a professional blogger. A few companies pay me to blog on a regular basis.

I don't falsely evangelize a product or service, and I do not pretend to be someone I'm not. I merely discuss what I do with their product or service. I don't even get free products or services from the companies for which I write.

One of the companies is an internet provider. I've created a blog about what I am able to do with the internet, which is search for information about my favorite sport and team. I love European Football (soccer) and my team is Manchester United. So, I write a blog about Premier League Football, the games Manchester United plays, the teams they play against, the various injuries players sustain, World Cup qualifications, FIFA, UEFA, and whatever else is going on during the season.

Another company I blog for is a satellite television provider. I'm an Anglophile and I love BBC America TV shows. I write about Being Human, Dr. Who, Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, Torchwood. I also write about American shows on HBO like, True Blood, Entourage, and Hung. I don't pretend to know anything about satellite TV and I'm not trying to sell the service, or bash any other providers. I talk entertainment.

In any economy but especially in this one, I am out to earn money. I am a writer, it's what I do. I write words for a living. How does this make me any less credible? If I am writing an ad that says a certain mascara will make your lashes their longest ever, or that my client's burger is the best tasting on the market, am I selling out my credibility then? Where is this line in the sand, where do the black and white solidly meet to bang away the gray?

Do you honestly expect that every blog you read on the internet is going to be genuine? At least the ones I write professionally are not hard pitch sales tactics filled with made up reviews and comments. I have real readers that write to me and follow me. We interact with one another on Twitter and we comment on shows and games. We don't talk products and services. How does all of this benefit my clients? Their name is at the bottom of each post with a link to their site. The name of the blog is their company name. My readers trust me because they've gotten to know me as a person, which in turn has earned the client a measure of trust. The fact that I don't push the product onto my readers gives the client even more credibility.

I've done nothing to diminish your trust. I've been completely honest. This is my personal site and I'm pushing no agenda or product here. Follow me, or don't follow me. The choice is yours. I'm merely telling you a story about my style of blogging as a professional. I'm not standing with a foot on either side of a line, nor am I in the middle of black and white…hovering in a gray realm. In the blogs I post but am paid to post…I am still me. So again, I say…follow me or don't. I'm no more or less credible with or without your faith.