FTC Guidelines for Blogging and Tweeting

Are you left scratching your head how the heck you can comply with the new FTC “Endorsement” Guidelines when sending a “tweet” that is limited to 140 characters?

Do you have any idea how you are supposed to comply with the new FTC Guidelines when doing something as simple as updating your facebook wall, or posting something to your blog?

Well, you aren't alone.

Since the new FTC Guidelines went into effect last December people have had thousands of questions but very few of them were ever answered.

Chicken little might scream the sky is falling, but believe it or not, the FTC has been busy answering those questions on their website.

Go to the FTC Guidelines by clicking this link and scan the hundreds of questions and answers for some of your own.

It really boils down to truth in advertising and practicing integrity and the honor system as the revised Guides – issued after public comment and consumer research – reflect three basic truth-in-advertising principles:

1. Endorsements must be truthful and not misleading;
2. If the advertiser doesn’t have proof that the endorser’s experience represents what consumers will achieve by using the product, the ad must clearly and conspicuously disclose the generally expected results in the depicted circumstances; and
3. If there’s a connection between the endorser and the marketer of the product that would affect how people evaluate the endorsement, it should be disclosed.