I’ve been more than vocal about my stance on food-blogger freebies, so I won’t rehash my (sometimes unpopular) opinions here.
What I will do, though, is share this very helpful guideline to new FTC regulations, a must-read for any blogger who features sponsored posts, endorsements or reviews of company-provided products and/or services. (Also, if you’re not familiar with food-writing expert and coach Dianne Jacob, she’s a great resource.)
In my view, this is a good thing – it calls for more transparency and keeps bloggers honest, which then translates to more trust from their readership/audience.
Guidelines are good. There’s a real need for this in both the food and fashion blogging communities. I just don’t think real objectivity is possible if you’re getting something c/o.
I’m with you. There are others who don’t share my views but it’s their personal call to make. At some point you have to decide if you’re going to be a quality information source or just a shill.