Some of you (especially if you are US-based bloggers) might be aware of the updated guides concerning endorsements and testimonials set out by the US Federal Trade Commission (which will go into effect on December 1st, 2009). You can read the guides here.
According to the guides, bloggers who receive free products to review on their blogs will need to disclose, in a clear and conspicuous manner, that they receive these products. This also applies to bloggers who receive monetary compensation for posting an article on their blogs. (Carleen at Beauty and Fashion Tech has written a very informative article on this. You can also read the shorter version here.)
I am not a US-based blogger, so I am assuming these guides do not apply to me. (But I could be wrong, since Blogger, which hosts my blog, is US-based) However, I do think it is a good idea for all boggers to be more conspicuous about the disclosure.
For the past two years or so (of my nearly three years of blogging), there has been a statement at the end of my blog about reviews of products that I receive from cosmetics companies (and about which articles are reviews of such products). From now on, reviews of products that I receive from cosmetics companies or PR firms will include disclosures within the articles.
(A side note: I have never received monetary compensation for my blog articles and I do not write paid (sponsored) posts.)
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Good post PJ! I just linked to it in my own post. I agree, bloggers should have already been disclosing when they receive free products. I don't think that the FTC needed to make this a ruling though, as consumers should already be wary and for most bloggers, blogs are a past-time thing. A past-time shouldn't need to be governed like this.
Hi Ti_Amo,
Thank you very much!
I think the guides certainly try to protect the consumers. The guides imply that, when bloggers receive products from a (commercial) brand, their relationship with the brand changes. Essentially, the guides require that bloggers disclose this relationship.
On the other hand, I do think most blog readers are able to tell which bloggers try to review products as honestly as they can.
Thank you for posting your comment and linking to this post from your blog! :)