Ok, so as many of you have probably noticed, there is a relatively new trend among tech and design blogs to get their members to redesign their site, logo, etc.

Personally I am a bit conflicted about this tactic. I see both pros and cons and I am not sure which side of the fence I fall on.

On one side, the community gets engaged and gets to submit designs. The winner gets some great resume fodder…everyone else gets a say in the look of their favorite site.

On the other it seems a bit cheap. I mean, the site makes money off their readers already…now they get free work too?

The trend seems to be catching some steam. Devlounge, Smashing Magazine, even Slashdot did it a while back I believe. So what do you think?

You visit these sites to learn about design and development…do you think it is odd that they aren’t designing their own sites? Is there a better/worse way to do it? Where is the line between good for the community and just plain cheap?