How Do You Avoid An FTC Blog Endorsement Fine?
Blogging has become a habit for many, and a business for many more. Those who have been making money at reviewing products, including books, will be under the scrutiny of the new Federal Trade Commission blogger endorsement rules starting December 1, 2009. If you are a blogger, you may want to protect yourself from the possibility of a fine for violation of the new blogging rules. Here are some ways to avoid the fine. Step 1 Full disclosure is now required. Make full disclosure of any material connection you have with the company or product you review. The disclosure must be made at the time of the writing, not after the fact. If you get products free for reviewing, or if you get some benefit from endorsing a product, you must make conspicuous disclosure of this information. Step 2 Decide what products to review. Review only products that you have no connection to the maker, distributor, or anyone connected with the product. This is an alternative, and will always be the safest method
