Apr 29 2009
Let’s Get Ready To Hear My Opinion on the FTC changes for Bloggers
In case you haven’t heard the news, the FTC has some new proposed changes in store for blog reviewers. We can be sued and held personally liable just like a product company or brand for making false claims of products we are reviewing.
I agree we should not be making false and outrageous claims!!! But I still hear those types of “off the wall claims” in mainstream media today. Why FTC? So now the FTC is going to police the state of blogging for outrageous claims and full disclosure! If you need help FTC, you can hire me at a fraction of the price you will pay some “watchdog” group to police the state of mommy bloggers. I am sure I have some other mommy bloggers who can help too!
Note to readers: Always look for an opportunity in the middle of controversy!
Note to the FTC: You need to start cracking down on the airways of traditional, mainstream media to hold them to the same standard as “professional” bloggers. I find the level of media bias a joke in mainstream media. Allow me to illustrate. Again, in case you may have forgotten, this is my personal opinion: Media is funded by advertising. You have XYZ advertiser paying you millions and billions of dollars and you don’t bury stories or oversell positions? Right? On a television show you have a “so-called news story” and you are having your advertiser “pay to play” to be featured in that so-called news story and I don’t see you, mainstream media, saying this is a paid three minute human interest story featuring this company! What about those public relations firms that are “pay to play” meaning we will have you on if you pay this fee and we can get you quoted by this national media outlet???
Unsure what I mean by an outrageous claim?
The following is my made-up outrageous claim that in no way is a reference to any real or existing product that may make this same claim with the following statement as my personal opinion only and was not paid for by anyone for me to say and again this is just an illustration of full disclosure on a blog post by a mom blogger with the following example of an false claim: “this (made-up product for illustration) will make your four year-old read like a college professor in three days or less or your money back”; but again, how many times are you flipping though the channels and you hear those “type” of outrageous claims in our mainstream media???? Our mainstream media is getting a paycheck to have these type of claims voiced on their watch. Might there be a deeper issue at play here?
This is my opinion and not a paid endorsement from any third party: I think that the special interests groups from traditional advertising groups are fighting word-of-mouth and don’t want to lose money to grassroots word-of-mouth bloggers. Bloggers are a cheap way to advertise when compared to traditional pricing. Do you want to pay $50,000 for a social media package or hire some mom blogger for $25- $2500 for a grassroots approach? Do you want to pay some company to do the work for you that doesn’t even have kids that use your products or pay that same mom blogger who has been using the product for the last 15 years to tell others about her experiences at pennies on the dollar? I think tradition media is running scared! They are losing money to this new movement!
Speak up! Voice your opinion! WE NEED YOU if you are a mommy blogger!
The worst part about this is that a large number of “mommy bloggers” aren’t even paid for their reviews. An international homeschooling publication has an entire team of reviewers who receive ZERO payment. They have a contract that states you will get to keep the product(s) you review as a “gift” from the company supplying it. This practice is actually encouraged by people who a) are just happy to get something free or b) actively seek out anything and everything “Free” in order to “get stuff”.
Can you imagine being sued for a product review you didn’t even get paid to write?
I’ve also worked with periodicals who allow companies to provide “editorial content” - after they’ve paid for their ad space. While these publications are in niche markets compared to the mainstream media, I’m betting their readership isn’t aware of the policy. So MSM can’t tell me they don’t do this (pay more for front of the book/back of the book positioning, receive editoral space in exchange for ad purchases, etc) when the “little guys” learned it from them.
When I was a problogger I did some paid reviews but stopped short of actually endorsing things myself - I stated very clearly the review was paid and I stayed as close to neutral as possible. I can’t imagine being willing to make “amazing” claims about something - but I guess it’s my readership that keeps me in check there. I don’t need the threat of being sued - I know that if I make absurd claims about something my readers will call me on it.
Sounds like the FTC just needed some other way to pass the buck, frankly. (Oh wait - did they ever pass that thing that says you’re liable for the comments people make? OOPS. Sorry!)