FTC to go after bloggers - but it's an AP article so I can't freaking link it!

[wiccawench]

 

Virtually anyone who makes use of online word of mouth to advance marketing or branding efforts might soon end up in the crosshairs of law enforcement.

damm. Good article Slow_dazzle u n n e r v i n g though.

[JurisDoctorOfDoom]

Here you go Matt. Click "ignore this advertisement" at top r/h side of page if the link doesn't open to the article directly. I posted this in financial earlier today.

LINK

Thanks, that's a very lucid explanation of what they're trying to do.

[TLR1138]

There's no way the FTC has the manpower/resources to monitor millions of blogs and other websites. Especially those outside the US.

And what about all the millions of reviews people write on Amazon for products? You know full well some of those people have financial ties and so they flood a product with favorable reviews. Is the FTC going to regulate all of that too?

[slow_dazzle]

There's no way the FTC has the manpower/resources to monitor millions of blogs and other websites. Especially those outside the US.

And what about all the millions of reviews people write on Amazon for products? You know full well some of those people have financial ties and so they flood a product with favorable reviews. Is the FTC going to regulate all of that too?

Agreed TLR, but, one or two high profile cases would be sufficient to scare most bloggers. There was a very recent judgement over file sharing (music I think) that resulted in huge fines. Bet you illegal music d/loads will drop off after that one.

All they need to do, is to go after a really small blogger, to show that even innocuous sites can be targeted.

[Chesyre]

There's no way the FTC has the manpower/resources to monitor millions of blogs and other websites. Especially those outside the US.

And what about all the millions of reviews people write on Amazon for products? You know full well some of those people have financial ties and so they flood a product with favorable reviews. Is the FTC going to regulate all of that too?

if you want to make the herd cower  you only have to execute one of them.

[haniel]

If you make people think twice about endorsing a product, they also think twice about criticizing a product.

Soccer mom gets a free sample and promotes an "all natural cleaner" over "Giant Business Chemical."  "Giant Business" makes correct campaign contribution and suddenly the soccer mom is in trouble because she did not disclose the free sample and worse still, gets to pay the injured party (Giant Business) for lost revenue.

[wileyE]

Might be time for a re-read of 1984.  It's all there.

Wait, was that an endorsement?  I'm so sorry. 

Am I biased? 

Disclosure: Damn right I am -- biased towards the ability to adjudge situations based upon as original as I can find source data.  Maybe my tag should be "Dubito ergo cogito; cogito ergo sum."

[girlofcelje]

In Toronto you can be sued if you criticize the mayor and city council(most are NDP)
and the legal bill to sue you is payed for by you

[theozarker]

Here's a link to the pdf of the proposed guidelines which contains the link to the FTC website where you can make public comments on guidelines, if anyone wants to.  It's about 86 pages long (not all of it is guidelines; part of it is history of the guidelines that are being changed.)

http://www.ftc.gov/os/2008/11/P034520endorsementguides.pdf

Linda

[theozarker]

Dazzle, I'm going to merge this with Matt's thread in breaking news on the same thing.

Linda

[berkeley]

I know I'm going to step on some toes here, but what the hell, here goes.

If I have content that I really care about, such as original writings or facilitating some important discussions, my sincere interest in the public good will prompt me to (1) pay $40 for web hosting on a high-end virtual private server and (2) donate an hour a day managing the operation and/or writing content.  When the workload gets too much for my available time for philanthropy, I'd pull-in others who have an affinity for the subject and run the thing as a cooperative.  Anything worthwhile requires sacrifice, its almost axiomatic, so I'd have no problem offering up 30/hrs and $40 a month for something important for the welfare of others.

If you have an educational non-profit enterprise, you have at least few things going for you: (1) there's no money which is of interest to the big players, (2) you have the ability to reprint more things for educational purposes under Fair Use, (3) your free speech is in a much more protected category, (4) people recognize the nature of what you're doing and you slowly learn experientially about what some people call the "gift economy", (5) you get a lot more respect from people who can sense when something is really legitimate and sincere.

Now, people who are worried about losing part/all of their livelihood seem to be limiting their horizons.  There's other ways to "make money", online or offline.  If you have a need to work exclusively online, such as a stay-at-home-mom, there are thousands of options.  For example, I had a co-worker in the marketing department of a major corporation who was earning six figures; she then decided she wouldn't return from maternity leave (because her child was more important than her career) and started an online jewelery company for a niche market - she's doing quite well and her start-up capital was remarkably low.  I know another person who's managed to keep a decent standard of living through all this economic chaos by writing books.  I have a few part-time gigs, some in classrooms and some on my home computer, which allow me to spend most of my time as I wish - including working on a manuscript which is for such a specialized audience that it will probably never be profitable.

Getting locked into the idea "I've got to do this AND earn money from it" is a trap.  You can do what's important at a loss and do something else productive commercially at a profit at the same time.

[mtlouie]

Well, just remember, it isn't called Apocalypse (revealing) for nothing.......

[MOTM]

Can I just make one comment? THE FTC SUCKS!!!



My disclaimer: BITE ME FTC

I am so sick of this cradle-to-grave, let us hold your hand to help you with everything, including wiping your ass. Ugh. I'd say get me off this rock but there's only one way off and that's six feet under.

[Chesyre]

i dunno what they are worried about , rising unenjoyment is going to cut a bloody swathe through the ranks of hobby bloggers anyways.
 defacto net control via loss of income .

[wiccawench]

the issue for me is taking something relatively simple and making it so specialised and complex it no longer functions.

It's about making choices that with each new rule, regulation and decision takes so much time to even know about.....

Deliberately micro-managing everything.