Boris Asides

About DigComm
DigComm (The Digital Communications Group) specializes in developing and providing digital communications tools for PR Agency, Social Media Agency, Brand and other clients who are seeking creative solutions to manage their communications efforts across social, digital and traditional media spaces. DigComm is a division of the Begodo Holding Corporation. For more information, visit www.DigComm.com.

Interesting. CMP.ly is owned by DigComm, which also makes Blog Outreach Pro. Basically, DigComm makes tools that help agencies "manage" social media (aka pay for it), and rather than get dinged, they built CMP.ly to help keep their business legit.

(The pitch engine link will take you to the press release announcing the launch of CMP.ly)

Trouble is, targeted advertising is the norm on most websites today, and is often provided by third party services like Google’s. Both blogger and advertising service pocket revenue from readers’ clicks, but the blogger has no power to select his advertisers, while Google has no power to write disclosures or control content. Whom should the FTC hold responsible?

While Cleland agrees targeted advertising is a less cut-and-dry issue than sponsored content, he won’t rule it out as subject to the new rules: “It’s something we’d look at on a case-by-case basis.”

Bloggers like Jarvis say advertising should be off limits to these regulations, since consumers recognize ads as paid content, an implicit form of disclosure and since third party ad services, who make their money on clicks, have an incentive to keep ads relevant rather than fraudulent.

Other bloggers are less worried about the regulation’s impact. Says Amateur Gourmet’s Adam Roberts: “I don’t think they’d spend the time and resources to go after small blogs.” Roberts may have a point—the FTC has never sued a consumer endorser, but has instead historically placed the onus on advertisers to insist upon disclosure from their endorsers.

Still, the vagueness of the FTC Guides is troubling. “I’m not familiar enough with the way that things are working to be more specific,” says Cleland. If regulators aren’t familiar with the models they regulate, that may be the most worrisome thing of all.

Last sentence bolded by me. This seems like the FTC over reaching in pursuit of remaining relevant.

But while fairness and balance apply to civilians, they don't seem to apply to either the establishment media or major-party politicians:

These examples address what constitutes an endorsement when the message is conveyed by bloggers or other "word-of-mouth" marketers. The revised Guides specify that while decisions will be reached on a case-by-case basis, the post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement. Thus, bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service.

This blogger rule does not apply to journalists. Just in the opinion section of los Tiempos de Los Angeles, there is a table set aside for CDs, goodybags, DVDs, stuffed animals, samples and other free swag received from flacks and manufacturers. To the best of my knowledge Tim Rutten keeps parked outside his office a four-wheeled pallet stacked tit-high with review copies that don't fit in his office. That's just opinion. In the entertainment sections the swag is orders of magnitude more varied and valuable. Yet I don't remember any reviewer in any print publication ever disclosing that the record, the movie, the meal or the vacation was free.