Attention Bloggers

[CJS]

 Not sure who this may affect specifically  but thought some of the comments were interesting  as I like to see educated people with a opinion they may have actually formed on their own .

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10269962-38.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5


The Federal Trade Commission is planning to crack down on bloggers who review or promote products while earning freebies or payments, the Associated Press reported Sunday.

This would, for the first time, bring bloggers under FTC guidelines that ban deceptive or unfair business practices.

"New guidelines, expected to be approved late this summer with possible modifications, would clarify that the agency can go after bloggers--as well as the companies that compensate them--for any false claims or failure to disclose conflicts of interest," the article explained.

The rules could be quite strict, even extending to the practice of affiliate links--for example, a music blogger who links to a song on Amazon MP3 or iTunes that earns an affiliate commission in the process.

The practice of free products for bloggers, most of whom are not bound by ethical guidelines that journalists have historically followed, has been making headlines for some time now. Microsoft, for example, created a wave of bad press a few years ago when it gave free Acer laptops preloaded with Windows Vista to several dozen bloggers.

Some companies have sprung up around the whole notion of blogger compensation and giveaways. The AP article mentions some of the marketing companies that have made a business out of offering bloggers incentives--free trips, products, gift certificates, or outright payments--for coverage. One of them, Izea, has been generating controversy in the tech press since it started PayPerPost.

Izea says that it requires bloggers to disclose what they've gotten paid for or what they've received for free. But with the proposed FTC guidelines, if a blogger fails to disclose a freebie or payment, both Izea and the blogger could be held responsible. The FTC could also take issue with the fact that for at least one promotion, Izea has said it avoided including bloggers who would be likely to give the company negative press.

Some bloggers, the AP article mentioned, are concerned that the FTC's efforts could go too far, possibly generating probes into posts that were written without any compensation, and possibly leading bloggers to post with more restraint. And some believe it would be better if bloggers created their own standards based on niche and industry.

Then there's this: does the FTC realize just how many small-time bloggers are out there? Championing business ethics is a worthy goal, but, um, good luck getting much done when there are hundreds of thousands of blogs out there and new ones popping up more or less daily. Ever heard of the expression "herding cats?"

[dalebert]

I have linked to Amazon products in a manner that would give me a commission if someone used the link to buy that product.

[FreelanceFreedomFighter]

Actually, the way these "guidelines" are written, they could shut down anyone against the Fed Reserve, anyone who is part of the 9/11 truth movement, and pretty much any non-mainstream position...

[John Edward Mercier]

Only if they try to 'profit' off of information that is not factual.
Journalist/Editors have been using selective reporting for some time to garner an emotive position with the public.

[AntonLee]

I hear a male radio host all the time talk about how he uses women's weight loss products.  So much for their standards.

[Kat Kanning]

I hear a male radio host all the time talk about how he uses women's weight loss products.  So much for their standards.

Can guys lose their "man boobs" that way?

[Pat McCotter]

There are so many sources for information available that if anyone is using just one blogger as their source, they are losing out on learning the whole story. Also, when somebody's blogs are influenced by the freebies he gets, it will soon be found out by readers and the blogger's credibility will be questioned in everything he writes.

[AntonLee]

I hear a male radio host all the time talk about how he uses women's weight loss products.  So much for their standards.

Can guys lose their "man boobs" that way?

maybe I ought to try that