Bloggers Beware - FTC might come after you

This might not sound so good to my fellow bloggers across the globe, but if reports are to be believed, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has now decided to scrutinize the blogs written on product reviews making false claims about the product. This is a bitter truth that blog advertising has become a very big business whereby bloggers are earning handsome amount of money by blogging about products or even providing a link that leads to that particular product. Bloggers are getting anywhere from $2 to $200 per post depending upon Blog's Page Rank and Alexa ranking. This new blogging trend has been benefiting a lot of bloggers across the globe where they have now started blogging not just as an interest but to enable them to have an alternative income source. But, now bloggers have to be very careful before blogging about a new product because FTC has now decided to very carefully scrutinize the blogs doing reviews about a particular product. They are bringing new guidelines which will allow agencies to go after the bloggers as well as companies who make any false claims about their products.

This might alarm the bloggers now openly writing paid posts and getting paid handsomely, but it will be really interesting to hear from blogging community about their feeling about this new monitoring practice being planned by FTC. I mean, it does sound a bit too much. Everyday, we see thousands of advertisements flashing on TV channels, newspapers, magazines, FM channel and those tele shopping network. Does anyone check if Dettol removes 99.9% germs as they claim or Peposodent 10 is a complete toothpaste for all your dental needs or if those height-growing sandals and weight-reducing sauna belts are actually able to achieve what they claim and if not, then what is the monitoring authority doing to go after TV channels that show such advertisements or programs. In fact, if they go by this policy, I guarantee 100% of TV channels, newspapers, magazines, and radio will have to be penalized for showing wrong information or making false claims. So, why this double standard? Why you are going only after poor individual bloggers who are just doing some creative writing but letting free all those media moguls and advertising gurus? Somebody should answer this basic question. Wat say guys...do voice your opinion on this burning topic.

© 2009 Ranjan Kumar