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Disclosure

The heady days and high times are over!

Bloggers who offer endorsements must disclose any payments they have received from the subjects of their reviews or face penalties of up to $11,000 per violation, the Federal Trade Commission said Monday.

In the nearly two years that this blog has been in existence, I have received one free book, which I did mention in a blog post. That is the sum total of my loot. Henry Farrell, on the other hand, gets oodles of free books and has much to atone for, no doubt. Henry, don’t deny it! I’m not bailing you out of the klink when the FTC hauls you away in handcuffs.

But seriously, manufacturers of high-end computing and electronics equipment, I would love to disclose that I have received free products in exchange for my positive reviews. Please call.

Posted by John Sides on October 6, 2009 09:17 AM |

Comments

I have also received one book in my six months since joining the Monkey Cage. With an N of 1, I am not yet ready to speculate as to whether book publishers find my posts more interesting than John’s, but let’s just say the evidence is trending in the right direction.

I have yet, however, to receive a free Premium Subscription to Rasmussen’s cross-tab service, but I am very much looking forward to the day when I need to report that as well.

Posted by: Joshua Tucker [TypeKey Profile Page] | October 6, 2009 10:51 AM

I agree on both counts.

1. Henry is the blogging equivalent of a cheap crack ho. He’ll blog for books, or even for pamphlets, or pieces of notebook paper with pencil marks.

2. The rest of us would do the same, in a heartbeat, if anyone offered. Sad, really.

Posted by: Mike Munger | October 6, 2009 02:19 PM

I’ve received a bunch of free books, several of which I’ve blogged about. A free book isn’t a payment, though, is it?

Oh, and Satoshi Kanazawa has been slipping me bags of unmarked tens and twenties in exchange for all the publicity I’ve given him.

Posted by: Andrew [TypeKey Profile Page] | October 6, 2009 03:44 PM