This Thing Called Disclosure

Sep 9, 2010 -

Okay, so there has been a lot of hype over the last few months about the Revised FTC Endorsement Guidelines, especially as they apply to bloggers.

Since I have gotten a few free books and other products to review on my blog over the past couple of years, I figured I’d better get my act together and write my own disclosure policy. I will be putting this up as an official page on my blog shortly.

I really wasn’t sure what to say though, so I checked out DisclosurePolicy.org first. They actually have a little wizard that will generate a disclosure policy for you to use on your site. Unfortunately, I couldn’t really figure out where I fit in for some of the questions and was a bit confused by the whole thing, so, I’m just going to tell you how I do things and hope I cover it all. If you have any questions about this information, you can contact me at trish1225(at)gmail(dot)com.

My Official Disclosure Policy

1. I do sometimes receive free books or other products to review for my blog. I always mention in a review if the item was given to me, and I will often pass it on via a giveaway if it is practical to do so (i.e. the book isn’t damaged or highlighted to death or it’s not a consumable product that I had to use to do the review).

2. All opinions expressed are my own, regardless of whether an item was given to me for review. I will admit, however, that I hate to slam anyone or anything and that, if I wasn’t a big fan of something, I will try to focus on the positive aspects of the book or product. If I really think something is not beneficial in any way, I will either post that opinion or decline to do the review at all.

3. I may publish paid content or sponsored posts or accept payment for a review. This will be disclosed in the post and will not affect the content of my review.

4. I am involved in affiliate marketing, including but not limited to Amazon.com and Future Horizons.

Okay, I think that just about covers it. I’m curious how many of you have a disclosure policy on your blog. I would love to take a look at what you have to see if I forgot anything important, so please feel free to leave me a link in the comments if you have one.