Yes, there are important reasons for such guidelines by the FTC. The question is: How long will it be before the FTC wrongly goes after many innocent Bloggers, who do not fit the description of the Bloggers you rightly speak of? I say, within 5 years or less, the FTC uses scare tactics, which will force many Bloggers into giving up blogging or restrict themselves to mundane blogging. Watch for the arrests and threats! They're coming, despite the good intentions of the new guideline.

Thank god for this rule change. The blogosphere needs to adapt to journalistic standards, and this area was priority number one.

Many bloggers unethically promote products and services they have a financial stake in. Many don't even know that doing so violates journalistic standards because they don't have a background in journalism. I'm thinking of one major "blog on blogging" in particular.

There's more to be done on this topic, but thanks for the running the segment.

Eric C
onviolence.com

The FTC can see their reason for being, regulating dying print and broadcast media, disappearing.

I would say they should start a voluntary program where a blogger could display an FTC symbol if they follow the rules. The FTC would have the right to arbitrarily and capriciously remove the right to display an FTC symbol for any reason the FTC wants to.

You did not specify what the punishment would be and who would be determining guilt.

Lets just say I endorsed epinions. And I once got $10 from them for writing opinions. Would I get busted? Jail, fines? The problem with applying broadcast media rules from the 1970s is bloggers and even the products they endorse are so tiny.