FTC Releases New Rules That Affect Bloggers
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On October 5th, 2009 the FTC published and released to the public its final revisions on guides governing endorsements and testimonials.
What does this means for the Bloggers of the world that have affiliate links on their sites?
What if boils down to, is if you are endorsing or promoting a product with an affiliate link attached to it, you need to let the reader know you will be compensated by the product owner. In a nutshell the general public must be informed by you that you will be compensated either by a gift or by money from the product owner should the consumer purchase from your link based on your endorsement. You may do somethin as simple as saying, “Hey if you buy from this link I will get a little commission if thats alright with you” Something like that. If you have a lawyer already, he or she will most likely be able to give you ideas on what is best to do here. Im no lawyer by any means and have no legal advice here. “You got it, this is a disclaimer.”
This new ruling goes into effect on Dec. 1st, 2009. You are not in a bad situation here and should consider that this could help you by eliminating the bad guys out there that are not honest. What will be bad is if you don’t follow the rules.
David Goldman, staff writer for CNN Money notes in his article released on October 6th, that the existing rules carry a fine as high as $11,000 if product endorsers and reviewers don’t comply.
Frank Kern put together on of the best articles out there on this one. do a google search for his name and you will find tons of his posts. The post is absolutely terrific and shares information given to him from a lawyer he knows and trusts.
So, do yourself a favor and go to the Federal Trade Commission site and read the entire article.
Personally, I think it is great for bloggers that are truthful and want to give great content to help consumers make informed decision on a purchase. I also believe that this will help in the fight against the guys that are not being honest and will assist in getting consumer trust back.
Till next time!
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Tags: bloggers, compliance, filings, fines, ftc