Blogging from a readers point of view

I had a long winded post in my head but my opinions can be summed up in a few short points and also my laptop is not cooperating.

• Its a free country if you do not want to read, see, hear something you do not have too.  I exercise this right on a daily basis.  Enough with the negative commenting.  If you do not like something click away or change the channel etc. 
• Who does not want free stuff or money?  Why should bloggers be an different.  Seriously I would love to meet anyone who would turn down anything for free or money in exchange for trialling it and writing about it.
• Brands need to embrace bloggers more.  Example - I need a storage system for my house I am choosing an expedit from good old Ikea not because someone reviewed it but because I saw it "in action" in a photo on someones blog (sorry i cannot for the life of me remember where).  Everything looks good in a stylised photo I am the kind of person who needs to see something in real life especially big things like furniture.  Seriously brands the options are limitless.
• I am also a big fan of "word of mouth" especially again if something has worked, you got a great bargain or a business has done a good job.  In saying that I mean from the mouth of a person and not  the companies mouth.  I love reading reviews where the blogger has put their own unique spin on it.
• I would like to see reviews that are honest.  If something does not work or you get dodgy service I also want to know that too.  Nothing like a bit of balance.

This is part one as my computer has had enough!!