New FTC rules make review websites more useful, I think
As someone involved in the affiliate marketing industry, I’ve been fearful but encouraged by some new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rules (guidelines?) regarding online advertising — especially online review websites and blogs.
The new rules, as I understand it, simply require that anyone reviewing a product or service on their blog/website be required to say that 1) testimonials on their website are not representative of typical results of using the product or service, AND 2) that they may have received products, services, and/or compensation for the products or services they are reviewing/using.
I’m no lawyer, so I doubt that’s accurate enough for you to rely on, and I’m certainly not offering it as legal advice. But it’s the way I understand and will implement the new FTC rules on my websites.
The good news about this is that, whether you’re reading customer reviews on Amazon, customer feedback at eBay, specific information at a hydroxy-cut reviews website, company created ads at Pepsi’s website — whatever the case, you can expect more “truth in advertising,” hopefully.
The bad news about this is — people will ALWAYS try to get around the rules and frequently succeed, at least for a time until they get caught. So continue to be vigilant. Don’t accept anything you read on the Internet with complete, wholehearted devotion. Be cautious. Be careful, whether with your money, your health, or simply your time.
Never forget the old adage that extends back well before the beginning of the Internet: If something seems really too good to be true, it probably IS too good to be true.
Then, whether the FTC rules work or not, you’ll probably be all right out there in the wild and weird online shopping world!
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