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FTC, you don’t scare me

by tdhurst · 5 comments

We all like getting stuff for free. When I wrote for kontaktmag, we had a policy of never accepting a review product if A) we had to return it or B) we had to pay for it in any way. Why? Once money changes hands, it taints the relationship.

Instead of reviewer and reviewee, we become buyer and seller, or, even worse, loaner and borrower. The product or PR company giving the product, whether they admit it or not, expect a positive review for anything charged for or loaned. They have assigned it a value.

Not once did we ever, ever disclose the circumstances of how we received items to review. Never. Did we ever get accused of giving overly-favorable reviews? Nope, because we didn’t. We were fair. We were balanced. We were honest.

So, to the mommy, shady and greedy bloggers of the world who have prompted the FTC to crack down by your rampant whoring for free product, screw you. Thanks for making life a bit more complicated and ensuring that readers will trust bloggers a bit less just because YOU can’t resist the lure of praising free stuff. You’re amateur idiots at best, untrustworthy liars at worst.

Sure, I’ll abide by the FTC rules. Hell, maybe this will be my new disclosure statement.

But I won’t like it.

Tagged as: disclosure, ftc, mommy bloggers, rules

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  • Norcross

    My hope is that the new FTC rule washes out the bullshit bloggers (regardless of type) and we’re left with those who did it the right way all along.

  • Norcross

    My hope is that the new FTC rule washes out the bullshit bloggers (regardless of type) and we’re left with those who did it the right way all along.

  • Evo Terra

    Unless you’re providing an endorsement or a testimonial, you have nothing to worry about.

    Based on your assessment of kontaktmag’s review policy, there is nothing in the new FTC guidelines that should change that.

    And as a blogger, you already *do* abide by these new FTC rules, Tyler. Proof is here: http://tdhurst.com/140-characters-is-the-best-twitter-book-yet/

    So they shouldn’t scare you, as they weren’t aimed at you. Or me. Or any blogger I know. Why? Because we are honest. Screw “fair and balanced”, as those words don’t show up in the new guidelines. Honesty is important. And you, my friend, are many things, but “honesty to a fault” is on the top of the list.

  • Evo Terra

    Unless you’re providing an endorsement or a testimonial, you have nothing to worry about.

    Based on your assessment of kontaktmag’s review policy, there is nothing in the new FTC guidelines that should change that.

    And as a blogger, you already *do* abide by these new FTC rules, Tyler. Proof is here: http://tdhurst.com/140-characters-is-the-best-twitter-book-yet/

    So they shouldn’t scare you, as they weren’t aimed at you. Or me. Or any blogger I know. Why? Because we are honest. Screw “fair and balanced”, as those words don’t show up in the new guidelines. Honesty is important. And you, my friend, are many things, but “honesty to a fault” is on the top of the list.

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