The attached post by author, David Meerman Scott, reports on a story worth watching. The US Federal Trade Commission is working on regulations that will cover blogs and social networking sites.
Personally, I’ve endorsed a number of products on my two blogs including a some of Scott’s work. I’ve never been paid for the endorsements on either blog and am not looking for compensation. I’m just a loyal customer.
For the record, I did receive a free book from David Meerman Scott through a recent promotion with Amazon’s Kindle product. I would’ve bought the book without the promotion, but was thrilled when the promotion came out.
The regulations are probably targeted toward those who try to make a living through social media and I think I have little to worry about, but it is important to pay attention to these types of regulatory proposals. Blogs and social network sites are great, but they’re not perfect either.
Filed under: books, consumer | Tagged: Amazon Kindle, David Meerman Scott, Federal Trade Commission, Social Media Regulations, Webinknow
John, this is a particularly interesting development to watch. I’ve received probably 200 or 300 books in the past few years from publishers and authors who want me to say something about their books. Sometimes I do (maybe 10% of the time) when I really like it. But I sometimes fail to say “I got this book for free”.
On the other hand, I have not accepted a big item such as a camera. I’m sure in that case, I would either decline the offer or be very careful to disclose fully what the arrangement was.
David