The New Ftc Rules

The New Ftc Rules

Author: Derrick Wiley

The new FTC rules

If you're a Net marketer you have possibly heard over the last week or so about the new federal Trade Commission's new rules that'll be going into effect very soon. If you've not heard about the new FTC rulings you should do a fast google search and be sure to read the whole thing. I will provide a link to the FTC page later too. It is pretty vague so there are some interpretations of it out there.

WARNING DISCLAIMER ALERT

And before we start, I would like to make the disclaimer that it's not that I am a lawyer, do not claim to find out how to be a lawyer, etc . Everything is at your own risk ( and not mine ). I am just a lowly web and technology geek that does some internet marketing too.

There are truly only a couple of things that will affect net marketers but it'll doubtless affect you if you sell stuff on the web.

Change one :

First if you are an affiliate, you now need to make it very clear that you are profiting from the sale or recommendation. This could affect any person that has an affiliate link on their site to any affiliate marketing program.

I am going to try to find some sample disclaimers and post them up here. I'm sure there are potentially a number of them out there by now.

Sample Disclaimer for blog posting with link to an affiliate link

Paste at the bottom of the blog entry :

'Note : to obey FTC regulations, should you buy ( insert item name here ) by clicking any of the links on this site, I'll receive a commission from the product's creator/manufacturer.'

Change 2 :

The following major change the FTC is implementing deals with Testimonials. If you have a testimonial that provides performance quotes like'Make 3X the money' or'I Made $1 Million with this program in just four days' you have to have a disclaimer that states the results aren't characteristic and what the standard results really are. You should also have explanation somewhere on your site the outrageous claim is correct.

So in the above example, lets look at it this way :

Testimonial :

'I Made $1 Million with this program in just 4 days, Joe - Dallas, TX'

* Results are not typical, the average joe that buys this program and sticks it on a shelf while they lay on the lounger watching TV and eating potato chips will make $0. For details on Joe's non typical greatness in just 4 days click here.

Now if your testimonials do not make claims like that are far more of the flavor [*CO]'I love this program','Things are starting to look up since I acquired this program', etc are fine. They make no'claim' to success, etc but are more on the line of general well wishes.

Common Questions :

When does it go into affect? These changes go into effect on December first, 2009.

what is the penalty? Steep! $11,000 per incident.

Do I really have to go and change all of my sites? Well, after December first, yes. But any site or blog post that existed before December 1st, 2009 is exempt. ( as of the time of this writing )

The FTC is building a FAQ and should be available on the FTC internet site in the future.

Bottom Line :

Bottom line, if your being truthful and using REAL information you should be able to back up the claims with evidence. Show the proof and provide the average and you will be absolutely fine.

So, is the new FTC ruling a thing to be scared of? I say no. If you are a fair marketer that will back up the claims you are making then you could have no issues. If you are making bogus claims then, you better start worrying.

You can read the vague details on the FTC website and more detail give in my blog: http://mikemyers.me/the-new-ftc-rules/. Just so you know, if you are writing about a product and creating a link to it you are considered an endorser and must divulge that you are getting some type of compensation for the referral.

It is amazing that these rules have not been updated since 1980. A lot of things have changed since 1980, just think about it. 5MB hard drives were the size of cinder blocks in 1980. The timex sinclair was the hot computer back then. And to save a program you had to get your old tape recorder out and plug it into the computer and listen to the funny noises that were being recorded to that old button tape player.

*** If you learned something from my blog, your results are not typical. The average reader usually says, "I should have just watched tv". Absolutely nothing in this post should be considered legal or professional advice. Seek the care and advice of a lucid person, preferably one that likes you.


Visit My blog To read more about New FTC Rules: http://mikemyers.me/the-new-ftc-rules/

Article Source: Link

About the Author