Is the FTC Monitoring Your Blog?
Blogging has created a lot of opportunities for people to make money online.
Women wanting to stay home and raise their children themselves are able to earn an income from home through their blogs. Most of the topics our audiences are interested in are about things going on in our daily lives.
Other bloggers are building blogs in support of their businesses….whether bricks and mortor or an online home based business. Whatever the money making goal is behind the blog, it is important to add value to the blogger’s niche community. Bloggers should be offering advice, tips, and educational pieces to attract readers.
A blogger can make money with a blog through
- Affiliate programs like Clickbank
- Selling space to advertisers
- Google Adsense
- Being paid to write product or service reviews
- Promoting their own products
Recently, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has taken an interest in the money making activities of bloggers.
The FTC plans to start monitoring blogs in the areas of product or service testimonials and endorsements. The FTC has received numerous complaints from consumers who were looking for impartial reviews of products or services just to find out later that the blogger was paid by the company or received the product or service free in exchange for the review.
So, what could this mean for moms who blog to creat an income for their families?
Take a look at this news video on Mommy Bloggers Cashing In.
Are moms working from home through blogs criminals? Are Mommie Bloggers breaking the law?
I don’t think so…at least not intentionally.
The concern the FTC has, and the blog readers, is that bloggers are being honest with their readers. When writing reviews, recommendations, or testimonials, the FTC wants the Blogger to disclose when being compensated in some way by the product/service’s company.
Sounds simple enough.
But how much government regulation actually simplifies our lives? Every drop of regulation to protect has the potential of restricting our activities and rights. We must be aware of any unfair restrictions disguised as part of these consumer protections.
It turns out that this law has far reaching consequences beyond anyone writing reviews on their blogs.
Take a look at the MLM Watch Dog website and read what Rod Cook has to say about this FTC proposal at MLM Watch Dog.
According to Rod’s article, the FTC proposes…
- not allowing paid blog reviews
- not allowing product reviews when the product was supplied to reviewer for free if it isn’t disclosed the product was received for free
- posts made on forums or message boards by affiliate without disclosing they are an affiliate
- testimonial section also including negative testamonials
You can read Rod’s editorial notes on the above and on the FTC’s statement at the MLM Watch Dog website.
The concern raised is that the FTC’s monitoring would unfairly restrict the web marketing activities of Network Marketers and MLMers.
The Network Marketing Industry is full of bad deals and scams. But it is also full of legitimate companies offering realistic income producing opportunities.
Another factor to consider is that Network Marketing (and Direct Selling) is designed to offer business opportunities to the average person who has no prior business or marketing experience. This creates a segment of the Network Marketing community made up of novices who do not yet understand the proper methods and ettiquette of marketing behavior.
Some of these novices…along with a portion of experienced network marketers…may spam or misrepresent themselves, either intentionally or not. This behavior creates distrust and suspicion in the community, and causes people to file complaints to the authorities.
I suppose the government, the Federal Trade Commission, is doing the best they can. However, buerocrats are notorious for over regulating industry, especially when they have no personal experience in the field. Somewhere we have to be able to strike a balance.
My thoughts are that Network Marketers must act as a community to educate each other on how to do this business effectively and ethically and conduct ourselves as examples of effective and ethical behavior.
Lastly, it is easy not to notice our liberties being taken away from us when it is done drop by drop. Unfortunately, it is only when the gallon buckets are full that we cry for justice.
Wishing You the Success of a Lifetime!
Karen Miller
karen@mlmnetworkingwomen.com
skype ID: karen.j.miller
If you are writing as part of your online marketing campaign, creating a Squidoo lens is a must.
