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On October 5th, 2009 the FTC published and released to the public its final revisions on guides governing endorsements and testimonials.
What does this means for the Bloggers of the world that have affiliate links on their sites?
You will have to announce that you get paid a commission if someone buys from your affiliate link. quite simply, the viewers on your site will now see that you are affiliated with the products you are promoting because you will now have to state it were they can see it. I will more than likely give it like this, “Thaks for checking this out, just an FYI, if you buy from my link here, I will get a little commission so I’ll just say Thanks in advance. You may want to seek legal counsil on this subject. I am absuletly not a lawer and have no expertise in law. “Um, yes this is a disclaimer.”
This new ruling goes into effect on Dec. 1st, 2009. It is really not bad for the honest bloggers that have the consumers best interest at heart. What may be bad for you is if you do not follow the new guidelines.
David Goldman, staff writer for CNN Money notes in his article released on October 6th, that the existing rules carry a fine as high as $11,000 if product endorsers and reviewers don’t comply.
Frank Kern really rocked out an awesome article on this subject. you can do a search for him if you have not read his stuff already. In his post he reveals some pretty in depth content from pal that is a lawyer.
So, do yourself a favor and go to the Federal Trade Commission site and read the entire article.
Personally, I think it is great for bloggers that are truthful and want to give great content to help consumers make informed decision on a purchase. I also believe that this will help in the fight against the guys that are not being honest and will assist in getting consumer trust back.
Take Care!
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