The Federal Trade Commission recently announced that they are now requiring bloggers to disclose any payments or freebies they receive from a company in exchange for a review. This is the first time that the rules on endorsements and testimonials have been updated since 1980 and the first time the rules have covered bloggers. (source Associated Press)

Astek has worked with many of our clients in crafting blogging and social media strategies. We’ve often stressed the importance of transparency online. Misleading “From” information and subject lines have long been part of the CAN-SPAM laws and as blogs become an everyday news resource for Americans I’m sure they will fall under more Federal regulation laws applied to “mainstream” media.

For the most part, I see these new regulations as a good thing – blogs and micro-blogging sites like Twitter have proven in recent years that they are a necessary and powerful source of news and information (and misinformation). And as Uncle Ben taught us, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Regardless of what the FTC or FCC decide to regulate in the future, I hope your company is already applying disclosure and transparency best practices long before they are enforced by the government.

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Katie Hawkey Categories: Marketing, Social Media, Web