Bloggers must disclose sponsored posts

[brooklynite]

NEW YORK - A company that helps advertisers connect with bloggers willing to write about their products for payment will now require disclosures amid criticism and a regulatory threat.

Before this week, advertisers were barred by PayPerPost Inc. from telling bloggers they can't disclose the sponsorship, but bloggers were able to decide on their own whether or not to do so. Under the new policy, bloggers must disclose that they are accepting payment, either in the write-up or in a general disclosure policy on the blogger's Web journal.

"Ever since we launched, there's been a lot of controversy about disclosure," said Ted Murphy, PayPerPost's chief executive.

Besides other bloggers questioning the ethics of receiving payments without disclosure, the Federal Trade Commission said in a Dec. 7 staff opinion that failure to disclose could, in some cases, violate consumer-protection laws on deception. The FTC did not single out PayPerPost or say whether it would launch any investigation.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16302831/

[babylonsister]

1. Wouldn't it be nice if that worked for the wh as well? Armstrong Williams,

anyone?

[Kagemusha]

4. It damn well should.

And I said so at the time re: Armstrong, not just when this became a blogger issue.

[Straight Shooter]

2. IMO, this is a good thing.

:thumbsup:

Now let's see which blog is the first to ignore the rules of disclosure.

[sandnsea]

3. Lots of sites will fizzle away

Ive long suspected that a lot of the comments, like on Amazon and TripAdvisor, are paid posters. Be interesting to see how this pans out.

[Kagemusha]

5. You sure? I thought this was re: the bloggers themselves,

not posters on blog sites. I don't see what anyone can or ought to do about paid posters.

[sandnsea]

6. Based on the comments to mine

Yeah, people are getting paid to post commercial comments and opinions, as well as promote on their own blogs.

[MADem]

7. So, what does this mean to us? Will we see a sig line from some asshole who types

Hillary Obama Edwards name-your-Democratic-frontrunner will NEVER win because (fill in some farfetched gloom and doom scenario) that says: Paid For by the RNC? Will this cut down on the hit-and-runners and the trolls? That would be nice.

[sendero]

10. Or conversely..

... those who are paid to continually tout a certain (Dem) candidate(s) and try to spin away their negatives?

Perception management is alive and well and it is not practiced only by Republicans.

[Tellurian]

11. There are Operatives everywhere..

It would'nt be a bad idea for the DU if posters who are working and being paid to post
here DISCLOSE that little factoid publicly.

[MADem]

13. I think it would be great, myself--I'd listen to a paid Democratic operative, certainly

And I'd probably listen more politely if I knew they were being paid, because THEY wouldn't be so damn rude about other candidates when they are "on the record" as it were, and speaking for their candidate.

As for GOP operatives, if they were forced to out themselves, they'd likely stop coming round here anymore. That would be grand.

[Tellurian]

15. A WIN-WIN situation..

it seems...

[MADem]

14. Yep, out them all. Why not? If they can't sell their candidate openly, then they can't sell him or

her at all, really.

[ShockediSay]

8. and somebody affiliated with a lobby, blogging the established

talking points??

[Warren Stupidity]

9. Hmmm... wonder how that would change things around here. nt.

[Tellurian]

12. Interesting, and should be seriously considered..

after the holidays..

[some guy]

16. I see this as a good thing. n/t