FTC: Bloggers Must Disclose Payments for Reviews (NYT)

The Federal Trade Commission on Monday took steps to make product information and online reviews more accurate for consumers, regulating blogging for the first time and mandating that testimonials reflect typical results.

The FTC will require that writers on the Web clearly disclose any freebies or payments they get from companies for reviewing their products. The commission also said advertisers featuring testimonials that claim dramatic results cannot hide behind disclaimers that the results aren’t typical. (Read more)

This includes flights, cocktail parties, free games, etc. The videogame blogosphere is going to be turned upside down. Why? Because it is filled with nothing but asshole fanboys that like one site and hate another. Therefore, the trolls will have a great time turning these offenders in. It will become a badge of honor. Seriously consider how much of the blogging world is nothing but bitter fanboys (not just gaming blogs) waiting to jump on the attack. On the other end, most gaming sites are finan… wait, let me rephrase that… All gaming sites of any size are financial nightmares and many are run by con artists that pay shit wages already and refuse to share any of the business with the staff. I know a few sites that do this.

So now you will have the added burden of bloggers having an about front on what journalism is. It will be much harder to review a game and have your entire website skinned in the theme of that game now won’t it? Yes, that shit happens in the gaming world and people think nothing of it. (I am not talking about a Gawker site here)

I personally think it is laughable seeing that Gawker especially is one of the groups calling out Julia Allison btw. They accept free shit like everyone one else. I’m not saying that they allow people to push them around or they feel a burden because of free items, just pointing out that maybe they dont understand Julia’s point of view either.

(Thanks SoupSoup)