December 1st, 2009. Today marks the start of a new era for bloggers everywhere. The FTC has ruled that starting today, all bloggers must disclose whether they receive some form of compensation for the products they review. As you can imagine, when this regulation was announced several months ago, the online world was abuzz with speculation and indignation: why was the FTC singling out bloggers for a practice that has been common in print media for decades? Opinion were expressed, angry words said, and complaints lodged. But now that the smoke has cleared and bloggers have had a chance to reflect, the FTC ruling doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.
After all, weren’t the unsponsored voices of bloggers supposed to provide an independent alternative to the biases of the establishment, including Madison Avenue? As a consumer myself, I often turn to blogs for realible reviews and unrestricted criticism. It’s reasuring to know that the person behind the screen is not on anyone’s payroll. However, as a blogger, I realize that that’s not always the case.
So, to give our readers a better sense of what the blogging world is all about, we are inaugurating a new feature: Blogging Behind the Scenes. This series will explore the world of blogging from every possible angle. How do bloggers test and review products? Why do PR companies reach out to bloggers? What are the rewards of this new medium? In order to answer these questions, we’ll be interviewing bloggers and public relations executives, brand managers, and readers alike.
Stay tuned and make sure to send your questions to productpasha@gmail.com.
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