ATTENTION BLOGGERS - New FTC Guidelines for Free Product Disclosure

Contributor: Ansley Ansley
So it appears our fanatical government is up to its usual shenannigans of putting sticks in our spokes and there are new FTC guidelines for free product disclaimers. This is very important so please click through this link to comply with the new regulations!

Thanks!
03/15/2013
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Contributor: spiced spiced
Looks complicated at first...but she breaks it down nicely for bloggers:

"For receipt of products for review:

1) Place your disclosures early in your post, above the fold if possible, and before any outbound links, especially if the links are to a page associated with the products.
2) Place it as close to the endorsement of the product as possible.
3) Repeat your disclosure at the end if the post is long or if you continually repeat an endorsement. For good measure, I will likely start placing the disclosure in text near the start and also always repeat it at the end."

As a consumer, I find it VERY helpful to know whether a review is sponsored or not. I wish Eden put the disclosure for reviews at the beginning of the review in addition to putting it at the end.
03/15/2013
Contributor: AliMc AliMc
Does this mean we have to go back over all our old blog posts which feature free products we reviewed, or can we leave them as is and just start doing our reviews differently from now on?
03/15/2013
Contributor: anonymous1298304 anonymous1298304
Quote:
Originally posted by Ansley
So it appears our fanatical government is up to its usual shenannigans of putting sticks in our spokes and there are new FTC guidelines for free product disclaimers. This is very important so please click through this link to comply with the new ... more
ty! I had not heard anything about this until i saw this thread
03/15/2013
Contributor: anonymous1298304 anonymous1298304
arrghhh....there is stuff in there that seems as if it also affects sponsored posts and affiliate links.

here is a link to article on the ftc website. it includes a link to a pdf "how to make effective disclosures in digital advertising. it's 53 pages, lmao
03/15/2013
Contributor: Heather Shadrick Heather Shadrick
It's pretty rediculous, but some other review sites I work on require the same quidelines.
03/16/2013
Contributor: GONE! GONE!
Thanks for the heads up!
03/16/2013
Contributor: Incendiaire Incendiaire
Stuff like this makes me eternally glad that I'm not an American.
03/16/2013
Contributor: Sera26 Sera26
Thanks for the info.
03/16/2013
Contributor: jr2012 jr2012
sheesh. Our poor bloggers have been getting picked on so much in the past few years.
03/16/2013
Contributor: jennifur77 jennifur77
Does this also apply to onsite Eden Reviews? I'm assuming so.
03/16/2013
Contributor: Deedra007 Deedra007
Thank you for letting us know.
03/16/2013
Contributor: Do emu Do emu
Oh goody...
03/17/2013
Contributor: 1001 Pleasures 1001 Pleasures
Thanks for sharing this info, Stormy. What a damn pain. The FTC must be in cahoots with the IRS to beef up their forms to ensure they are too long and completely confusing.
03/17/2013
Contributor: Real or memorex Real or memorex
Thanks for posting this. What is a shame is that there is no easy way to find this on the FTC's web site. Seems like a news release or brief guide would have been in order, given how many people this affects.
03/17/2013
Contributor: anonymous1298304 anonymous1298304
Quote:
Originally posted by Real or memorex
Thanks for posting this. What is a shame is that there is no easy way to find this on the FTC's web site. Seems like a news release or brief guide would have been in order, given how many people this affects.
there is a news release and pdf guide on the FTC website, but it's not brief. lol. the links are in my previous comment on this thread. what i'm hoping to find is a forum thread of bloggers discussing the changes, their interpretations, and what changes they are personally making. it would be great to hear and see some examples.
03/18/2013
Contributor: anonymous1298304 anonymous1298304
when i do an internet search on the subject, everything i'm finding is from the changes back in 2009. arrghh. anybody find anything about the latest one besides the ones already mentioned on this thread?
03/18/2013
Contributor: anonymous1298304 anonymous1298304
care to discuss? i started a thread under the eden bloggers forum

*sarcastic disclosure: the above link is not an affiliate link because I am too confused and leery about the changes...had it been an affiliate link perhaps i should of placed this at the very beginning of my comment saying it was an affiliate link and then explaining what an affiliate link is

*edit, the thread was removed by ef, i am awaiting response as to why
03/18/2013
Contributor: anonymous1298304 anonymous1298304
Quote:
Originally posted by anonymous1298304
arrghhh....there is stuff in there that seems as if it also affects sponsored posts and affiliate links.

here is a link to article on the ftc website. it includes a link to a pdf "how to make effective disclosures in digital ... more
that is not the correct link to the ftc article, and now i can't find the right one.

but the pdf is here
03/19/2013
Contributor: anonymous1298304 anonymous1298304
my original thread was removed, now it's here

and the link to the FTC announcement from 03/12/13 is here
03/21/2013