While some people might think that Ashton and Oprah on Twitter is the only news, the real social media story happening at the minute involves the FTC (the Federal Trade Commission). Their announcement that they want to regulate social media advertising has been met pretty negatively by many in the social media field, particularly bloggers and advertisers. The feeling is bloggers will refuse to publish content that could see them being sued for false advertising, meaning a reduced social media-led…

So there’s been plenty written about why bloggers hate PR people. From lazy pitches to not knowing names and audience, there’s a veritable mish-mash of scorn poured on us PR nuisances from a lot of bloggers. And, yes, some of it is warranted and trust me, I’m the first to call out bad PR practices. But you know that just like anything, there’s always a flip side. Here’s an example. I was speaking with a very good friend of mine…

Brian Carter, a guy I admire immensely, raised an interesting question on Twitter today. He asked: My own answer was, “It’s a moot point. If I like something enough to endorse it, I’d do it anyway for free. I wouldn’t sell my trust away.” Yet even as I said that, I wondered if I was looking at Brian’s question properly. Is an endorsement any different from a recommendation, or sponsorship? Looking at the answers that Brian received, there was a…

For bloggers, paid or sponsored blogging is becoming more widespread as brands recognize the value of major league bloggers and their audience. Get the right review and it could mean a spike in sales. Yet does paid or sponsored blogging take away the authority of the blogger in question? Or can a blog post still be transparent and honest even if it’s paid for?