The FTC Is Going To Regulate Blogging
The Federal Trade Commission ( FTC ) Is Getting involved in internet
blogging. The commishion is expected to approve the blogging guide lines
late this summer of 2009. Included in these guide lines with possible
modification will be the abbility to investigate bloggers as well as the
companies that pay them or offer some other perk for indorsments. It is
the FTC’s belief that bloggers who are compansated for blogging
indorsments are missleading consumers. They point out that people go
online to get reviews of products and services befor purchasing them beleiving these reports.
It is the belief of this committee that these reports are tainted. The Federal Trade Commission pointed out that in other medias Journalist who work for broadcasters, newspapers and others are usually not allowed to be compensated by the companies they are writing about or their marketers. They say the consumers frequently do not relise that bloggers are paid by linking to products, or receiving perks including gift cards, trips, or free laptops or even direct payment for articles that endorse the merchant, so they have decided to set guidelines.
They state that bloggers frequently do not disclose this to the buyer and that this practice is misleading. So they want the ability to go after the bloggers who endorse products for compensation as well as the companies that support them. This will be a first for the regulation and the patrolling of what bloggers say and do on the internet,and in Internet Marketing.
The way it is now being put together the common practice of even putting
a link to a retailer and receiving a commishion would be enough to trigger
a FTC oversight investigation.
These statement where made by Richard Cleland Assistant Director or the
FTC’s division of advertising practices.
“IF you walk int a department store,you know the (sales) clerk is a clerk”,” Online, if you think that somebody is providing you with independent advice and …they have an economic motive for what they’re saying that’s information a consumer should know.”
They believe these guideines will bring about uniformity to the blogging
community. The FTC believes that bloggers are a type of community journalism
without the ethical practices typically found in traditonal media.
This regulation if passed will be make it interesting to say the least.
The freedom we now have as bloggers will be lost.
How will any type of compansation be made considering bloggers are not
employees.
Will blogging as a sales media even be able to exist?
Yes the truth about a poduct and even its weaknesses should be told, and
if it is bad do not support it.
However should Blogging be regulated to this extent?
They state that bloggers frequently do not disclose this to the buyer and
that this pracice is missleading. So they want the ability to go after the
bloggers and the companies that support them. This will be a first for the
regulation and the patrolling of what bloggers say and do on the internet.
The way it is now being put together the common practice of even putting
a link to a retailer and receiving a commishion would be enough to trigger
a FTC oversight investigation.
These statement where made by Richard Cleland Assistant Director or the
FTC’s division of advertising practices.”IF you walk int a department store,
you know the (sales) clerk is a clerk”,” Online, if you think that somebody
is providing you with independent advice and …they have an economic
motive for what they’re saying that’s information a consumer should
know.”
They believe these guideines will bring about uniformity to the blogging
community. They believe bloggers are a type of community journalism
without the ethical practices typically found in traditonal media.
This regulation if passed will be make it interesting to say the least.
The freedom we now have as bloggers will be lost.
How will any type of compansation be made considering bloggers are not
employees.
Will blogging as a sales media even be able to exist?
Yes the truth about a poduct and even its weaknesses should be told, and
if it is bad do’nt support it.
However should Blogging be regulated to this extent?
Tags: bloggers, Blogging, FTC, Internet Marketing, regulate blogging, The Federal Trade Commission
Blogging, Laws & Changes That Effect Internet Marketing | Nancy Nikolauson | 
June 26, 2009 4:48 AM | 
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