I just caught this article on CNN… “FTC targets bloggers, celebrities”
Starting on December 1st, Bloggers as well as users of Social Websites will have to reveal if they are being compensated in any fashion when endorsing a product.
Which is good news for us customers, and has been the “norm” for some time in other mediums: i.e. “Full Disclosure”
As I write this post, the thought occurs to me…
What about sites that host “Customer feedback”, sites like Amazon, Target, Walmart, etc.
In the CNN article, the author states that some companies create their own Blogs, and then post comments as “objective”…
That got me thinking about Companies letting Employees use “non-company” email/account to write “reviews” of products.
This could also go the other direction…
An Employee of Company A, using a “non-company” email/account, writing a negative review of a competitors product on a Blog, Social Website, or Online Store site.
In either case, it would be next to impossible for the FTC or anyone else to track down a “post’s” original author or intent.
Most operators of hosted email accounts (AOL, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, etc.) will not easily reveal the identity of the users, which is good, but just add one more layer to the complexity of the possible situation.
Combine that with the ease of setting up an email account anywhere in the world…
All the above just emphasizes the old saying “caveat emptor”…
Final thought, since I use Google for several things, AdSense, Analytic, Blog, etc., and I earn money via the AdSense program, will that mean, come December 1st, that I have to disclosure this fact?
– Andrew
Full Disclosure: I use AdSense and Google…
Embedded video from CNN Video