Audiences are no longer disillusioned by product placement in movies (Reese's Pieces in E.T.), TV shows (Doritos on Survivor), sporting events (Michael Johnson's golden Nikes), or even novels (Fay Weldon's The Bulgari Connection). But some in the Web-logging community worry that their attitude toward Web logs, or blogs, may change, now that some bloggers are being paid to mention specific products.

Of course, bloggers have been debating the role of blogs since the medium was born. But the latest controversy flared up in December, when a Portland, OR, company called Marqui announced that it would pay select bloggers $800 a month to publish at least four entries per month about its software, a Web-based system for automating marketing-campaign management.