FTC imposes big fines on dishonest bloggers

The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that the Federal Trade Commission, looking at cracking down on what it considers to be unfair advertising practices, has issued new rules that will require bloggers who are paid to endorse certain products to reveal these arrangements or face penalties of up to $11,000 per violation.

“Given that social media has become such a significant player in the advertising area, we thought it was necessary to address social media as well,” said Richard Cleland, assistant director for the division of advertising practices at the FTC.

The move – which is the first update of the agency’s endorsement rules in more than 30 years – has been applauded by consumer rights group concerned about what they considered to be abuses of the concept of “honest opinion.”

Our CEO, Pierre Zarokian, to Speak on Social Media Marketing

Our CEO, Pierre Zarokian, will be speaking on Social Media Marketing on August 6, 2009 at Tech Super Club in Santa Monica, CA.

Topics he will cover will include: major social media sites and usage stats; in depth look of Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin; Twitter Automation Tools; Social Bookmarking; Blog Strategies and more.

For more info visit:

http://www.techsupperclub.com/Social_Media_August_6.html