Proposed New FTC Guidelines - This Directly Affects Us

[elime]

Yes, I occasionally read Alex Jones' news sites. I know a lot of you are skeptical about his viewpoints, which is fine, but I'd ask you to leave those issues aside regarding this article, as it is a considerably poignant overview of new internet/advertising guidelines being proposed by the FTC.

“New guidelines, expected to be approved late this summer with possible modifications, would clarify that the agency can go after bloggers — as well as the companies that compensate them — for any false claims or failure to disclose conflicts of interest,” states an Associated Press report.

Source: Feds To Get Power To Target Websites Making “False Claims”

Here's a brief excerpt of one of the examples from the proposed guidelines document, page 70:

"Example 5: A skin care products advertiser participates in a blog advertising service. The service matches up advertisers with bloggers who will promote the advertiser’s products on their personal blogs. The advertiser requests that a blogger try a new body lotion and write a review of the product on her blog. Although the advertiser does not make any specific claims about the lotion’s ability to cure skin conditions and the blogger does not ask the advertiser whether there is substantiation for the claim, in her review the blogger writes that the lotion cures eczema and recommends the product to her blog readers who suffer from this condition. The advertiser is subject to liability for false or unsubstantiated statements made through the blogger’s endorsement. The blogger also is subject to liability for representations made in the course of her endorsement. The blogger is also liable if she fails to disclose clearly and conspicuously that she is being paid for her services. [See § 255.5.]"

(emphasis added by me)

The FTC's document, PDF: http://www.ftc.gov/os/2008/11/P034520endorsementguides.pdf

Thoughts?

 

[elime]

Blah, sorry, there's already a thread about this. http://www.wickedfire.com/affiliate-marketing/62753-end-affiliate-marketing.html

 

[trueblue]

I love the start of the story

"...The Federal Reserve refuses to disclose where trillions of dollars in bailout money went and yet the FTC is more concerned about snooping into the financial affairs of bloggers who make a few bucks off affiliate relationships, according to new guidelines set to be introduced later this year that would give the government a foot in the door to regulate and shut down blogs for making “false claims”.

Anyway, how deceptive advertising on blogs is different from deceptive ads on TV. Why (insertename)weight-loss-story.com is different to the hundreds of infomercials, shampoo products, cleaning products, etc, etc. Where the results are always magnified ?

 

[GetYourWriter]

I love the start of the story

"...The Federal Reserve refuses to disclose where trillions of dollars in bailout money went and yet the FTC is more concerned about snooping into the financial affairs of bloggers who make a few bucks off affiliate relationships, according to new guidelines set to be introduced later this year that would give the government a foot in the door to regulate and shut down blogs for making “false claims”.

Anyway, how deceptive advertising on blogs is different from deceptive ads on TV. Why (insertename)weight-loss-story.com is different to the hundreds of infomercials, shampoo products, cleaning products, etc, etc. Where the results are always magnified ?

Way to sum it up true. The government always has to step in where they shouldn't even come close. Not to mention how hard it is for someone to get assistance when they're homeless since Obama became president. But that's another story altogether.

 

[darthmaul]

"...The Federal Reserve refuses to disclose where trillions of dollars in bailout money went and yet the FTC is more concerned about snooping into the financial affairs of bloggers who make a few bucks off affiliate relationships

That's because they get a really big kickback from the bailout shenanigans, but nothing from us.

 

[Sharksfan]

Not to mention how hard it is for someone to get assistance when they're homeless since Obama became president. But that's another story altogether.

Anyone actually trying to get this funding now can't blame Obama. All policy/budgeting for that stuff was set in place before Obama became President.

Not defending Obama but the blame lies elsewhere.

 

[turbolapp]

K. here's the deal. Everyone should be worried. Not just bloggers/floggers but anyone who advertises on the internet. People are irrational creatures and, irrationally, this stuff makes them irate. They are mad as hell that people put up fake blogs and trick them into buying products (nevermind that they're really mad at the idea that they're too ignorant to have seen through the obvious ruse) Why do you think that spammer in Sweden? (or was it Norway? Switzerland? wherever) was sentenced to jail for sooo many years? For fucking what? Email? Christ! But that's what this stuff does to consumers, it makes them mad as hell and therefore that gets passed along to the elected officials. Why does this happen? Who knows? You'de have to dive deep into social pychology to answer that (I'm thinking along the lines of people have looked to the internet as a source of knowledge and this is viewed as a corruption to that source). But I don't think the answer matters, the point is if you want to beat it you have to at it's own game. Bloggers need some really good PR right about now so that they could then point to those blogs and say, see? The FTC wants to undo this. I'm thinking along the lines of Freedom of speech, but still that's probably not strong enough. Needs to be highly emotionally charged.

Regardless, it's probably too late. Teh peoplz want teh blood.

 

[mycountry]

K. here's the deal. Everyone should be worried. Not just bloggers/floggers but anyone who advertises on the internet. People are irrational creatures and, irrationally, this stuff makes them irate. They are mad as hell that people put up fake blogs and trick them into buying products (nevermind that they're really mad at the idea that they're too ignorant to have seen through the obvious ruse) Why do you think that spammer in Sweden? (or was it Norway? Switzerland? wherever) was sentenced to jail for sooo many years? For fucking what? Email? Christ! But that's what this stuff does to consumers, it makes them mad as hell and therefore that gets passed along to the elected officials. Why does this happen? Who knows? You'de have to dive deep into social pychology to answer that (I'm thinking along the lines of people have looked to the internet as a source of knowledge and this is viewed as a corruption to that source). But I don't think the answer matters, the point is if you want to beat it you have to at it's own game. Bloggers need some really good PR right about now so that they could then point to those blogs and say, see? The FTC wants to undo this. I'm thinking along the lines of Freedom of speech, but still that's probably not strong enough. Needs to be highly emotionally charged.

Regardless, it's probably too late. Teh peoplz want teh blood.

or you could try making money not using a blog/flog... wait... what?

 

[xmcp123]

or you could try making money not using a blog/flog... wait... what?

Read the actual document you fucktard. It affects a lot more than flogs.

 

[mihnea007]

or you could try making money not using a blog

Just replace Hitler with FTC and Jews with Affiliate Marketers - see where that takes you!

Did Hitler get elected on Monday, and start throwing people in the ovens on Friday?
No, it was a gradual process.
The first thing that Hitler did was start to write newspaper articles,
"everything that was going wrong, was the Jews' fault. They're the ones that caused all these problems."
Did the Jews write their own newspaper articles and go "I disagree?"
So then, the Jews had to wear the Star of David.
So we can tell who you are.
Did they say "No, that's a violation of my privacy, I don't have to tell you?"
No, the Jews decided, "well it's a religious symbol. We love God, we should be proud to wear the Star of David."
Eventually, the Germans came in and they broke all of the windows in all of the Jewish businesses.
In one weekend.
Saturday night was known as kristallnacht, German for Night of Glass.
Did the Jews rise up and say "Damnit! You're violating my property! You shouldn't do that!?
No, "Gosh, we don't want to make the Germans any madder than they already are! Don't piss 'em off! They've got guns!"
Eventually, the Germans are loading 'em up in to cattle trailers on the trains.
Where do you think you're going, on vacation?
Where do you think they're going to take you??
Well now you're cold and naked and they're walking you into the ovens where you're taking part in mass execution.
Is it time now to raise your hand and say "you know, I tend to DISAGREE WITH ALL THIS."
BANG.
You're dead, it's too late to complain.
You should have complained at the beginning, when you at least had a chance.
How bad, do things have to get, before YOU do something?
Do they have to take away all your property?
Do they have to license every activity that you want to engage in?
Do they have to be throwing you on cattle cars before you start to say "Now wait a minute, I don't think this is a good idea!"
How long is it going to be, before YOU finally resist and say "NO. I will NOT comply. Period."
Sooner or later, you've got to draw a line and stand your ground.
Whether anyone else does or not.
That, is what LIBERTY is all about.
​

 

[turbolapp]

Just replace Hitler with FTC and Jews with Affiliate Marketers - see where that takes you!

Did Hitler get elected on Monday, and start throwing people in the ovens on Friday?
No, it was a gradual process.
The first thing that Hitler did was start to write newspaper articles,
"everything that was going wrong, was the Jews' fault. They're the ones that caused all these problems."
Did the Jews write their own newspaper articles and go "I disagree?"
So then, the Jews had to wear the Star of David.
So we can tell who you are.
Did they say "No, that's a violation of my privacy, I don't have to tell you?"
No, the Jews decided, "well it's a religious symbol. We love God, we should be proud to wear the Star of David."
Eventually, the Germans came in and they broke all of the windows in all of the Jewish businesses.
In one weekend.
Saturday night was known as kristallnacht, German for Night of Glass.
Did the Jews rise up and say "Damnit! You're violating my property! You shouldn't do that!?
No, "Gosh, we don't want to make the Germans any madder than they already are! Don't piss 'em off! They've got guns!"
Eventually, the Germans are loading 'em up in to cattle trailers on the trains.
Where do you think you're going, on vacation?
Where do you think they're going to take you??
Well now you're cold and naked and they're walking you into the ovens where you're taking part in mass execution.
Is it time now to raise your hand and say "you know, I tend to DISAGREE WITH ALL THIS."
BANG.
You're dead, it's too late to complain.
You should have complained at the beginning, when you at least had a chance.
How bad, do things have to get, before YOU do something?
Do they have to take away all your property?
Do they have to license every activity that you want to engage in?
Do they have to be throwing you on cattle cars before you start to say "Now wait a minute, I don't think this is a good idea!"
How long is it going to be, before YOU finally resist and say "NO. I will NOT comply. Period."
Sooner or later, you've got to draw a line and stand your ground.
Whether anyone else does or not.
That, is what LIBERTY is all about.
​

Actually, that's pretty brilliant. If you can just somehow work matthew mcconaughey into it, you're golden.

YouTube - A Time To Kill Closing Arguement

 

[mihnea007]

There's no place for Affiliate Marketers where we're headed !

 

[Sticks79]

Just replace Hitler with FTC and Jews with Affiliate Marketers - see where that takes you!

Did Hitler get elected on Monday, and start throwing people in the ovens on Friday?
No, it was a gradual process.
The first thing that Hitler did was start to write newspaper articles,
"everything that was going wrong, was the Jews' fault. They're the ones that caused all these problems."
Did the Jews write their own newspaper articles and go "I disagree?"
So then, the Jews had to wear the Star of David.
So we can tell who you are.
Did they say "No, that's a violation of my privacy, I don't have to tell you?"
No, the Jews decided, "well it's a religious symbol. We love God, we should be proud to wear the Star of David."
Eventually, the Germans came in and they broke all of the windows in all of the Jewish businesses.
In one weekend.
Saturday night was known as kristallnacht, German for Night of Glass.
Did the Jews rise up and say "Damnit! You're violating my property! You shouldn't do that!?
No, "Gosh, we don't want to make the Germans any madder than they already are! Don't piss 'em off! They've got guns!"
Eventually, the Germans are loading 'em up in to cattle trailers on the trains.
Where do you think you're going, on vacation?
Where do you think they're going to take you??
Well now you're cold and naked and they're walking you into the ovens where you're taking part in mass execution.
Is it time now to raise your hand and say "you know, I tend to DISAGREE WITH ALL THIS."
BANG.
You're dead, it's too late to complain.
You should have complained at the beginning, when you at least had a chance.
How bad, do things have to get, before YOU do something?
Do they have to take away all your property?
Do they have to license every activity that you want to engage in?
Do they have to be throwing you on cattle cars before you start to say "Now wait a minute, I don't think this is a good idea!"
How long is it going to be, before YOU finally resist and say "NO. I will NOT comply. Period."
Sooner or later, you've got to draw a line and stand your ground.
Whether anyone else does or not.
That, is what LIBERTY is all about.
​

+rep.