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On October 5^th, 2009 the FTC published and released to the public its final revisions on guides governing endorsements and testimonials.

What does this means for the Bloggers of the world that have affiliate links on their sites?

You will have to announce that you get paid a commission if someone buys from your affiliate link. well, the visitors to your sites must be informed that if they buy from your link you wll get some sort of compensation. I will more than likely give it like this, “Thaks for checking this out, just an FYI, if you buy from my link here, I will get a little commission so I’ll just say Thanks in advance. You may be able to find answers fast in legal forums on line. I have no legal training and am not a lawyer. “Of course this is a disclaimer.”

This new ruling goes into effect on Dec. 1^st, 2009. It is not a horrible situation for the blogging community that keeps it real. What may be bad for you is if you do not follow the new guidelines.

David Goldman, staff writer for CNN Money notes in his article released on October 6^th, that the existing rules carry a fine as high as $11,000 if product endorsers and reviewers don’t comply.

Frank Kern did an amazing job writing a post on this subject also. you can do a search for him if you have not read his stuff already. Franks article gives some cool stuff that he learned from his lawyer buddy.

So, do yourself a favor and go to the Federal Trade Commission site and read the entire article.

Personally, I think it is great for bloggers that are truthful and want to give great content to help consumers make informed decision on a purchase. Additionally I think it will cut down on the deception out there and give the consumers a better sense of security and good feelings about buying on line again.

Be well!

The Bloggomaniac