|
pnbsp;/p
divspan class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "
p style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color:
initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font: inherit; margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; background-position: initial initial; "img src="http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/624824_restrained-150x150.jpg" alt="624824_restrained" title="624824_restrained" width="150" height="150" class="alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-10046" align="right" style="display: block; " /Does anyone else hear Judas Priest after reading that headline? No?/p
p style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font: inherit; margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; background-position: initial initial; "Um, anyway, the FTC has beennbsp;a href="http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2009/04/ftc-and-viral-marketers-may-square-off.html" style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(183, 22, 24); background-position: initial initial; "cracking down on the newer methods of marketing/a, and social media marketing is not immune as SEOmozrsquo;s general counsel, Sarah Bird, pointed out recently in annbsp;a href="http://www.stonetemple.com/articles/interview-sarah-bird.shtml" style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(183, 22, 24); background-position: initial initial; "interview with Eric Enge/a. The new guidelines, availablenbsp;a href="http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/guides/endorse.htm" style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(183, 22, 24); background-position: initial initial; "from the FTC/a, appear to threaten the future of SMM. The bottom line?/p
blockquote style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; quotes: none; background-image: url(http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/wp-content/themes/mp-two/present/img/bg/mp_bq_bg.gif); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: rgb(246, 246, 246); margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; background-position: 0px 0px; "
p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; font: inherit; background-image: url(http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/wp-content/themes/mp-two/present/img/bg/mp_bq_p_bg.gif); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; background-position: 100% 100%; "strong style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: bold; background-position: initial initial; "If yoursquo;re being compensated to talk about someonersquo;s product, then you need to disclose it./strong/p
/blockquote
p style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font: inherit; margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; background-position: initial initial; "a href="http://www.seomoz.org/blog/is-social-media-marketing-illegal" style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(183, 22, 24); background-position: initial initial; "Rand Fishkin/anbsp;(you know, Sarahrsquo;s bossman) summarizes a few important points for us:/p
ul style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; list-style-type: square; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 25px; background-position: initial initial; "
li style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font: inherit; background-position: initial initial; "strong style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: bold; background-position: initial initial; "Most SMM is okay/strong: ldquo;Want to create accounts for your client or project at social sites, interact with the community under those accounts or build up popularity/followers? Yoursquo;re in the clear, and can do so without saying whorsquo;s paying you or why yoursquo;re engaging in those activities.rdquo;/li
li style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font: inherit; background-position: initial initial; "strong style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: bold; background-position: initial initial; "This doesnrsquo;t apply to link building/strong: ldquo;itrsquo;s not relevant to the consumer that an agency or consultant is doing link acquisition, this doesnrsquo;t fall under something the FTC cares about.rdquo;/li
li style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font: inherit; background-position: initial initial; "strong style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: bold; background-position: initial initial; "Nofollow isnrsquo;t good enough for the FTC/strong: ldquo;you need to label links that have been purchased in visual ways on the page (rdquo;sponsored links,rdquo; ldquo;advertisements,rdquo; ldquo;supporters,rdquo; etc.) to clearly indicate the financial relationship. Googlersquo;s guidelines donrsquo;t request this human-visible disclosure, but instead want those links to use rel=rdquo;nofollowrdquo;quot;/li
li style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font: inherit; background-position: initial initial; "strong style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: bold; background-position: initial initial; "Most linkbait, viral content and microsites are okay/strong: ldquo;Since viral content is typically free, generally not specifically endorsing a product/service and doesnrsquo;t fall under the ldquo;paid linksrdquo; issue, itrsquo;s pretty safe to engage in without disclosurerdquo;/li
/ul
p style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font: inherit; margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; background-position: initial initial; "Rand also offers an important clarification:/p
blockquote style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; quotes: none; background-image: url(http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/wp-content/themes/mp-two/present/img/bg/mp_bq_bg.gif); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: rgb(246, 246, 246); margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; background-position: 0px 0px; "
p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; font: inherit; background-image: url(http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/wp-content/themes/mp-two/present/img/bg/mp_bq_p_bg.gif); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; background-position: 100% 100%; "It only gets hairy if/when yoursquo;re leaving comments or content that endorses a product or company thatrsquo;s paid you to do so. For example, if SEOmoz hired a social media crew to go say nice things about our tools or post a link to them in every forum on the web where SEO was discussed, theyrsquo;d need to state their relationship with us each time they engaged in that fashion./p
/blockquote
p style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font: inherit; margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; background-position: initial initial; "Irsquo;m gonna come right out and say what Irsquo;m thinking:nbsp;strong style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: bold; background-position: initial initial; "Did anyone seriously think it was perfectly fine to take money for talking up a product without mentioning yoursquo;re getting paid?/strongnbsp;This goes beyond the paid links/Google/nofollow polemic./p
p style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font: inherit; margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; background-position: initial initial; "I think the FTC is right to lay down these guidelines (but I do think itrsquo;s going to have anbsp;em style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-style: italic; background-position: initial initial; "really/emnbsp;hard time enforcing them). If they turned a blind eye to this, ultimately, it would undermine the foundations of social media marketing itself./p
p style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font: inherit; margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; background-position: initial initial; "When we pose as average consumersmdash;em style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-style: italic; background-position: initial initial; "even if we have tried the product and genuinely like it/emmdash;and go out to promote a product as part of earning our pay and purposefully gloss over that fact, can we really expect anyone to take any endorsements seriously?/p
p style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font: inherit; margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; background-position: initial initial; "Take off your marketer hat and letrsquo;s pretend wersquo;re on Amazon. Wersquo;re looking at a book/CD/$6000 television yoursquo;re thinking of buying. Better check the reviews. Hm . . . There are 10 reviewsmdash;all 5 star reviews. Must be a perfect product, right? Letrsquo;s say instead these reviews are posted across the web on various blogs, forums and review sites. Theyrsquo;re clearly written by different people. Convinced to buy that product yet?/p
p style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font: inherit; margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; background-position: initial initial; "Or maybe the company hired a social media marketer. Without disclosure, therersquo;s no way of knowing. Those posts look like organic feedback, genuine buzz for the product. (Hope that $6000 TV works out for you.)/p
p style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font: inherit; margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; background-position: initial initial; "Ultimately, someone, somewhere is going to figure out that all these glowing reviews are coming from someone with a dog in the fight. Once people realize whatrsquo;s going on, will they trust anyonersquo;s reviews? When you canrsquo;t tell the paid reviews (sometimes we call these ldquo;em style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-style: italic; background-position: initial initial; "ads/emldquo;) from the genuine ones, you have to discount them all./p
p style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font: inherit; margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; background-position: initial initial; "Is all social media marketing illegal or unethical? Of course not. Itrsquo;s one thing to buy ads on MySpace, to create a page for your brand on Facebook, to build an iPhone app. These are situations where it should be obviousmdash;situations the FTC likens to Tiger Woods pimping golf balls on a commercial. We all know hersquo;s getting paid, donrsquo;t we?/p
p style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font: inherit; margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; background-position: initial initial; "As Sarah and Rand pointed out, most SMM is perfectly okay. Itrsquo;s only when we start to pose as consumers while trying to generate buzz, leads and sales for our clients that we run into serious ethics problemsmdash;and now the law./p
p style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font: inherit; margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; background-position: initial initial; "What do you think? Is it unethical to promote a product without disclosing your relationships? Or is that just par for the course these days? And seriously, how is the FTC going to enforce these guidelines?/p
p style="background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 100%; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font: inherit; margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; background-position: initial initial; "a href="http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2009/05/are-you-breaking-the-law-with-social-media-marketing.html/comment-page-1#comment-73009"Comments/a/p
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