Comments on: FTC regulates our speech

By: America’s memo to bloggers: don’t lie, or we’ll fine you | Richard Hartley

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:22:13 +0000

[...] has the right to start regulating what people say (even if it's misleading). That includes Guardian columnist Jeff Jarvis, who – despite his hatred of payola – calls it a "monument to unintended consequence, hidden [...]

By: screw machine parts

screw machine parts — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:30:42 +0000

SO bad.The FTCi s another Government agency apparently without any power to create law at will according to the Constitution.

By: Jackie

Jackie — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 17:11:56 +0000

I agree with the fact that people mainly use blogs to connect; however a lot of webmasters also use them to rank for SEO terms. I think most consumers are smart and savvy enough to distinguish between an authentic post and a spam post. We don’t need our hands held by the government/FTC as if we are a bunch of toddlers. It’s ridiculous.

By: Social media: the enemy of anonymity? « Social Jigsaw

Social media: the enemy of anonymity? « Social Jigsaw — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 20:34:03 +0000

[...] net is changing, mainly for the better, but if it is, as Jeff Jarvis has suggested, the real world transplanted online, a place where we live, only better-connected, is there a [...]

By: Steve

Steve — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 16:00:42 +0000

This type of fine reminds me of the strategy the Federal Communications Commission used to bully its opponents. Rarely used against everyday media outlets, it was brutally levied against radio broadcasters who dared to push boundaries and question its authority. Imagine waking up and finding you have been fined $495,000 for an alleged infraction.

By: FTC Guidelines Raise Big Blogging Questions | Zuitty Newspaper

FTC Guidelines Raise Big Blogging Questions | Zuitty Newspaper — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 12:04:50 +0000

[...] author/editor/publisher Jeff Jarvis makes a really good point. He says the FTC assumes that the Internet is a medium. "It’s not. It’s a place where [...]

By: Grant

Grant — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:06:14 +0000

You know, the definition of fascism is government joining forces with corporations. The latest round of this started with the Fed taking power of our money supply. Our laws clearly state that all direct (versus excise) taxes must be apportioned appropriately. The money the Fed collects via the income tax is NOT apportioned at all!

Fed, FTC, both have to go!

By: Link Round-up: The FTC and their new guidelines | The Online Blog

Link Round-up: The FTC and their new guidelines | The Online Blog — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:40:53 +0000

[...] from traditional media, turned blogging superstars, are virulently opposed. Those two being Jeff Jarvis and Dan Gillmor. The word “dangerous” gets thrown around a [...]

By: Fusenews: Dear Mr. LaRue « A Fuse #8 Production

Fusenews: Dear Mr. LaRue « A Fuse #8 Production — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:37:59 +0000

[...] have now lit up with discussions about whether or not this applies to podcasters as well. BuzzMachine has more. Thanks to @RonHogan for the [...]

By: Do You Disclose Relevant Info in Your Blog Posts? : Performancing

Do You Disclose Relevant Info in Your Blog Posts? : Performancing — Mon, 17 May 2010 11:33:12 +0000

[...] some benefit you’ve received. (Or maybe read the FTC guidelines; BuzzMachine has a post on how the FTC is regulating our speech, and has a bit.ly link to the 81-page PDF document.) By the way, the rules also apply to new media, [...]

By: Free Speech? « MaddMedic

Free Speech? « MaddMedic — Sat, 15 May 2010 14:04:47 +0000

[...] what about blogs? Social Networks? Well the FTC would like to control them also, thereby controlling Free Speech, well at least as far as I am concerned! Which leads me to another [...]

By: The wondrously wacky world of online logo design | Snippets | The Logo Factor Design Blog

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:32:37 +0000

[...] some resistance. Seeing the move as an assault on “free speech“, some positively hate the idea of the Feds barging into the wild-west nature of the internet. Others think it’s a worthy [...]

By: Internet Marketing in 2010: Are We All Screwed? | Not A Pro Blog with Jordan Cooper | Not A Pro Brand & Projects

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 09:49:32 +0000

[...] want to be shilled and they don’t want payola; they want a web that they can trust. – comment from Matt Cutts of [...]

By: Reactions to FTC Blogger Guidelines | Open The Dialogue

Reactions to FTC Blogger Guidelines | Open The Dialogue — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:26:32 +0000

[...] Double Standard? – Why are bloggers being singled out? As Jeff Jarvis points out, “The FTC also concedes that it treats critics at publications differently – less [...]

By: Lessons From a Year of Citizen Journalism « The Levisa Lazer

Lessons From a Year of Citizen Journalism « The Levisa Lazer — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:13:56 +0000

[...] surprisingly, the FTC Guidelines generated a bit of an uproar. While some of the criticisms are well founded, there also are plenty of misunderstandings and [...]

By: FTC Guidelines Raise Big Blogging Questions | Moe Tamani's Internet Marketing and SEO Blog, Articles and Search Engine Optimization Tips

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 05:00:28 +0000

[...] author/editor/publisher Jeff Jarvis makes a really good point. He says the FTC assumes that the Internet is a medium. "It’s not. It’s a place [...]

By: Links, 12/3/09

Links, 12/3/09 — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:28:49 +0000

[...] for bloggers and endorsements: Kikolani, “Do the New FTC Guidelines Affect You?” & Jeff Jarvis, “FTC Regulates Our Speech” – Jarvis’ take cites an enormous number problems with the guidelines. Do note what [...]

By: Netvalar

Netvalar — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:50:15 +0000

I am all for the reason and purpose of these guidelines. Especially as the primary focus is on advertisers not bloggers. However how many complaints does it take to start an investigation? How much of your time as a blogger will be wasted by this investigation? Oh and lets not forget this is the internet so how many enemies does it take to make hundreds of complaints? I will answer that last very easily it only takes pissing off 1 person.

This is the age of word of mouth. How many music fans are part of a street team? How often do they receive free swag? And now you tell me that all street team members have to disclose this in their limited character tweets?

But hey I have the answer. Everyone who receives free swag once they no longer need it for reviews or whatever. Then they need to send it to the FTC via COD. If the govt. says we can’t keep it well then instead of me paying to send it back let them.

By: FTC Regulations on Bloggers - A Brave New Bloggosphere | Webbosphere

FTC Regulations on Bloggers - A Brave New Bloggosphere | Webbosphere — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:36:47 +0000

[...] while the blogosphere has been all abuzz the past two days with criticism of the policy, the truth is that the FTC’s intentions should be [...]

By: FTC Guidelines Raise Big Blogging Questions » Submit Press Release

FTC Guidelines Raise Big Blogging Questions » Submit Press Release — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 07:04:41 +0000

[...] author/editor/publisher Jeff Jarvis makes a really good point. He says the FTC assumes that the Internet is a medium. "It’s not. It’s a place [...]

By: Looking at BuzzMachine (http://www.buzzmachine.com/). Professor Jeff Jarvis looks at new media issues in the context of current events. | Multi-Media Journalism

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:06:01 +0000

[...] interesting entry appeared on Professor Jeff Jarvis’ blog BuzzMachine. The blog “FTC regulates our speech” talks about how the American Federal Trade Commission recently released rules to regulate product [...]

By: New Federal Trade Commission Guidelines – An Internet Earthquake? | Internet Marketing Tips and Strategy To Make Money Online

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:21:12 +0000

[...] Jeff Jarvis of BuzzMachine wrote:“FTC regulates our speech” (Ah…I love this one).Google’s Matt Cutts is in the discussion [...]

By: Tracy

Tracy — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:36:06 +0000

Forced disclosure will be chilling on little-guy discourse. I already self-edit my blog topics to avoid giving the appearance of having sufficient assets to be worth threatening with a lawsuit (I try to appear poor so I don’t get robbed by a thug or a lawyer). I am a damned lot more independent than most reporters at my local paper. That is partly because of my anonymity; I’m not afraid to let the liars “have it” with both barrels. Often, my posts expand on the dearth of actual information in “professional” news reports. If I say I like Peet’s coffee, do I have to disclose that I got a free cup of coffee 15 years ago? Haul me off to jail then, because I don’t remember what I was doing 15 years ago.

Nebulous laws just give powerful enemies some rope to hang you with, while leaving the general public powerless to demand equal and fair enforcement. I make powerful enemies with my blog, because I speak the truth.

As a reader of blogs, I independently verify important facts. I do the same with paid news with a dedicated editorial staff. I don’t need the FTC to protect my silly little brain from believing everything I read. That’s my silly little brain’s job.

If Google supports this regulatory stupidity, Google can go to h-e-double-hockey-sticks. It is possible to write a search algorithm that filters out bogus content. It is possible to include a “flag this” link in search results and parse the result against a more stringent algorithm. It is possible for search users to use their little pea brains to disregard bad results. I know the concept of consumer responsibility is politically incorrect, but subjecting unpaid private citizens to complex regulations when they use their right to free speech on the internet is going a tad far.

I make not one red cent off my blog, but google advertises there, which makes it a commercial, money-making venture for google but not for me. My blog is a bulletin board, a place for me to offer thought-provoking information and ideas and for others to read, respond, or move on. Why am I being held to a higher journalistic standard than the hacks at the paid newspapers? Because I don’t have a lobbyist and a lawyer. When the standard for who to pick on, regulate, and restrict becomes “the little guy is the easiest target,” that’s not too many steps away from totalitarianism. The best blog ever posted was the Constitution. Government regulators ought to read it, know it, and obey it. I do.

By: FTC Rules – 50,000 bloggers move to Canada | Pagerank Checker Tools

FTC Rules – 50,000 bloggers move to Canada | Pagerank Checker Tools — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:10:10 +0000

[...] less than a firestorm with some embracing the new ‘clarification’, and others outright hating [...]

By: The Good, The Bad, and The Unconstitutional- Reactions to the proposed FTC guidelines – Topics in Digital Media - Fall 09

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:31:31 +0000

[...] there is some hyperbole at work. The blogs echo some of the panic of the headlines in the text. Buzzmachine blogger Jeff Jarvis claims that the rules are “a monument to unintended consequence, hidden [...]