Comments on: Proposed FTC Guidelines & How They Affect Affiliates & Bloggers

By: FTC Guidelines (New) | Bob Howard Marketing

FTC Guidelines (New) | Bob Howard Marketing — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 04:57:37 +0000

[...] http://www.blogstorm.co.uk/ftc-guidelines/ [...]

By: gadget guy

gadget guy — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:31:17 +0000

I’m curious how this might affect pay per click advertising programs like adsense. I think for bloggers and other creators of online content it will be pretty simple to comply with a prominently displayed notice that the page is sponsored in part by displayed advertisements. I seriously doubt such a statement would have much impact on the earnings of most bloggers using pay per click. However what I think could have a significant impact on the advertisement earnings of bloggers is if merchants shy away from this type of advertisement due to a perception of potentially increased liability.
There is a good article here that describes what an official at the FTC said about how users of pay per click and other affiliate advertising programs may be affected by the new disclosure requirements.
http://hubpages.com/hub/New-FTC-Guidelines-Affect-All-Bloggers

By: Bloggers, Affiliates, the FTC and Disclosure - 5 Star Affiliate Blogs

Bloggers, Affiliates, the FTC and Disclosure - 5 Star Affiliate Blogs — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:27:59 +0000

[...] Proposed FTC Guidelines & How They Affect Affiliates & Bloggers [...]

By: Matthew Oxley

Matthew Oxley — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:33:17 +0000

Interesting.

I think it mostly depends on the vertical involved. A blogger is going to find it really hard to credably recommend, say, double glazing, if he/she states he’s being paid for this. Whos is really going to believe this review?

Also, I could see this hurting UK bloggers more than the US if rules were enforced over here. The feeling i’ve always got is that people in the UK are less trusting and uneasy at the idea of other making money off them than in the US.

By: BLOGERCISE

BLOGERCISE — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:31:29 +0000

Interesting point. For what it is worth I always disclose affiliate links. On my community sites I ensure there are prominent sticky posts within the forum that outlines all the info. I actually find that when people understand it they choose to support it and enjoy the transparency. Loyal members will actively buy through your links repeatedly so it is worth explaining how you benefit.

On other sites I always ensure there is a “terms/privacy/blah” page which outlines everything. Many schemes, including Adsense for example, insist that you print such disclosure and even if no authority is watching you might risk getting cut off by your partner and losing commission.

I would question anyone who is actively trying to hide their affiliate status. As a reader I would lose trust if they were trying to be secretive. It would make me wonder what they have to hide.

By: Patrick Altoft

Patrick Altoft — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:48:01 +0000

They won’t see drastic losses – they just need to disclose what they are doing.

By: Richael | Domain Marvelous

Richael | Domain Marvelous — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:34:45 +0000

Wow, does this mean that the big names in blogging, whose income stream is from affiliate marketing and paid reviews, would suffer drastic losses in their income? Does this regulation apply to bloggers outside of US and UK?