Home Blogging Tips How to Add a Disclosure Policy to Your Blog

How to Add a Disclosure Policy to Your Blog

May 9, 2011 By Filed Under: Blogging Tips, Videos 8 Comments

As blogging and bloggers come under closer scrutiny to disclose professional relationships or sponsored posts, one of the best ways to adhere to this is to have a blanket disclosure policy.

While it’s only the U.S. and the U.K. that require disclosure by law at this time, thanks to the FTC and ASA becoming involved in these countries, that doesn’t mean that bloggers in the rest of the world are exempt.

Especially if you deal with companies or vendors that offer you sponsored posts, and they inhabit these countries.

To help you create your own disclosure policy, thanks to the helpful folks at PolicyDislosure.org, I’ve put together this short video for you.

How about you – are you finding the need to disclose more? How are you approaching it?

YouTube Preview Image

Buffer
Filed Under: Blogging Tips, Videos Tagged With: ,

Subscribe by Email

Join over 25,000 smart readers every month and never miss a single post! Enter your email address below for free daily updates (we respect your privacy and will never spam you):

About Danny Brown

Danny Brown is an award-winning marketer and blogger. His blog is recognized as the #1 marketing blog in the world by HubSpot. Danny is also the author of The Parables of Business and the upcoming book Influence Marketing: How to Create, Manage and Measure Brand Influencers in Social Media Marketing.

  • http://www.wondermoms.ca Tamara McPherson

    Thanks Danny- I am going to implement this on my site!!

  • http://www.bestmoverealestate.ca Marjorie Canales

    Hi Danny: just found your blog… thanks for all the info! I am a beginner blogger. I am looking to customize my blog (graphic design) on WordPress. Can you recommend any designers that won’t break the bank or do it yourself resources. Thanks you so much.
    Marjorie Canales.

  • http://www.deadbeatmillionairechallenge.com Kate

    Danny,

    Thank you so much for clearing up the confusion related to whether or not the policy is implemented in only the US! So many people think they are exempt because they are operating out of country.

    • http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

      Thanks Kate,

      It’s definitely an area that a lot of bloggers (and companies) forget. Until they get the email asking about the non-disclosure…

      I’m a big fan of the “If n doubt, shout it out” approach. :)

  • GlenGilmore

    <strong>Danny, as attorney, I would caution that the FTC requirement of “conspicuous disclosure” of “material connections” is NOT satisfied by the presence of a “disclosure” tab or link.</strong> The FTC has opined that such static disclosure displays within the profile of a page may easily be missed by readers who are simply looking at a post or a tweet.

    The FTC mandate of “conspicuous disclosure” contemplates a disclosure within the context of the conversation, i.e., where the “endorsement” of a product or service appears, though a prominent disclosure at the beginning or end of an article might well satisfy the requirement. The FTC has said that such determinations are made on a case-by-case review.

    Despite this, a disclosure tab leading to a detailed list of disclosure information would add to the transparency of blogger’s connections and should benefit readers and the credibility of a blogger. A blogger, however, should not rely on such a tab as satisfying the duty of “conspicuous disclosure”.

    Now, for my own disclosure, I must add: <em>THIS COMMENT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL AND DISCUSSION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT OFFERED AS LEGAL ADVICE. ANYONE SEEKING LEGAL ADVICE SHOULD CONSULT WITH AN ATTORNEY FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE JURISDICTION AS THE APPLICATION OF LAW IS FACT SENSITIVE AND MAY VARY DEPENDING ON ONE’S JURISDICTION.</em> (I think I covered it!)

    <strong>Perhaps I should provide one more disclosure: I am a big fan of Danny Brown and his blogging!</strong>

  • http://dannybrown.me/ DannyBrown

    @GlenGilmore Cheers, Glen, appreciate the heads-up. Agree that the FTC or any other agency can (and do) find ways to circumvent a blogger’s best attempts to stay above the ;aw.

    Then again, they should make it a lot clearer on what it is they want, since many bloggers are confused as to whether it’s bloggers the FTC are “after”, or vendors.

    Cheers, sir!

  • Pingback: How to Add a Disclosure Policy to Your Blog | Twitter for business | Scoop.it