what do you think about the new FTC book blog laws?

[haley mathiot]

what do you think about them? good idea, or bad? stupid and unnecessary, or a good choice? what are you going to do about it?

personally i think it's dumb, but i can understand why they did it. i've put a disclaimer on my blog.

here's the url of the FTC

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33177160/ns/technology_and_science-tech...

[Kate Pinn]

I'm not sure what to think. I'm a UK blogger so I'm wondering whether or not this applies to us?

[Jaime Huff]

The FTC is a United States governmental body. So it would have no bearing on you, unless your country makes a law in regards to this specific issue. You are not bound by the same laws as we are.

[Kate Pinn]

Oh okay, thanks for replying. It sucks that they are making you disclose whether or not you received the book from a publisher. I trust bloggers to be unbiased.

[Jaime Huff]

An honest book reviewer should be unbiased regardless of whether the books were purchased or given. If the reviewer can not remain unbiased then they shouldn't be reviewing books. It doesn't bother me to disclose that the book was received for review, I think the big issue is whether the reviewer was PAID to review. The big crackdown is not really because of book bloggers, but due to the excess of review bloggers who are receiving cars, computers, tvs, cookware, and all the other big ticket items.

I assume anyways that a reviewer (regardless of the product) has been GIVEN the product to review.

I have a disclaimer at the end of my reviews. Pretty simple, really. I don't understand why every body is so upset about adding a sentence to their review.

Here's an example of what I put: http://booknerdextraordinaire.blogspot.com/2009/10/benny-and-shrimp...