PayPerPost.com was a startup just last summer. "Advertisers pay to post details about their "opportunity," specifying, among other things, how they want bloggers to write about, say, a new shoe, if they want photos to be included, and whether they'll pay only for positive mentions. Bloggers who abide by the rules get paid; heavily trafficked blogs may command premium rates."

They were able to get $3 million in funding last fall. "...Josh Stein, venture capitalist with DFJ, who led the deal, and he’s steadfast in his belief that the company is doing a "good, valuable" service. He concedes it’s controversial: "Like many things, if you look at the most cynical interpretation of it, you could see how it could be a source for bad."

Something must be working, PayPerPost has now received an additional $10 million in venture capital. "PayPerPost has about 8,700 advertisers and 50,000 bloggers. Most advertisers choose neutral reviews because bloggers are more likely to take those, company officials said." ... "Videoblogger Loren Feldman has called PayPerPost "capitalism at its finest."

I don't know about capitalism at its finest. They certainly have done the job right to get $13 million in venture capital in a year. I'm working on my idea to get $13 million. I'll let you know as soon as I know what that idea is.