Speaking About FTC Rules and Ethical Blogging At Lavish!

Hello!

I have been neglecting this blog because I am so busy these days. Which is a good thing and I am not complaining.

So here is an update on my activities for the last month. I attended another social media conference, Blogalicious. It was a good time and of course I learned a few things. Most importantly, individuals are using social media in such creative and business savvy ways. It is amazing. There is a lot of intellectual property being created through social media and individuals have to become educated about protecting their intellectual property.

I was invited to speak at the Lavish Experience Conference. It is a conference conceived and produced by Shameeka Ayers of The Broke Socialite and focuses on the Lifestyle blogger. Lifestyle blogging is Big Big Business and mainstream media and corporations are taking note! I will discuss how to navigate offers of paid income to blog or advertise on beauty and fashion blogs while also adhering to the revised Federal Trade Commissions Regulations regarding disclosure of paid advertising and product endorsement on social media platforms. Yes disclosure is required on all blogs, Facebook updates, Twitter feeds, etc.

The conference will take place here in Atlanta, GA at Mansion Hotel from December 10-12.

If you can not attend, please follow my tweets on that day. My tweets will include all the good information you need!

Update: New FTC Rules on Blogger Product Endorsements, Effective December 1

Hello!

Previously I wrote a post about the "proposed" Federal Trade Commission Rules on Blogger Product Endorsements. Basically, the FTC was considering whether to require bloggers to disclose any financial relationship between themselves and brands whom products they endorse.

Well those proposed rules are now a reality. The FTC has established new rules on Blogger Product endorsement and they are as follows:

1. Bloggers must disclose if they receive a financial benefit when writing a post about a product or service. FTC views this transaction as an endorsement of the product or service.

2. Disclosure can be a banner or part of the review.

3. Diclosure must be clear and direct.

4. If there is no disclosure, FTC may send a Cease and Desist. If Cease and Desist is violated or ignored, then blogger can receive a 11K fine.

5. Rules go into effect December 1.

Although, the rules have been established, the FTC has admitted that they will not actively pursue bloggers. Most likely, the FTC will only pursue clear rampant violations and those will most likely be the result of a tip from a concerned consumer. Hopefully the new rules will encourage bloggers to be as transparent as possible regarding product reviews. Transparency allows consumers to make informed buying decisions.

I welcome your feedback!