As a part of my EdTech 537 blog, “It’s Bloggin’ Time,” I created a disclosure page. I was reading about the need for a disclosure page and was shocked to find out that the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) governs some aspects of blogging. According to the FTC guides, bloggers that receive endorsements, cash or in-kind payment, must disclose the material connections they share with a product or service’s provider.
I was not sure where to start with my disclosure page. I read a few examples but as a student blogger, currently, those examples did not fit what I needed. My disclosure page ended up being a series of statements declaring ownership of the ideas and opinions expressed on the blog. It also included a clearly stated lack of compensation or outside influence to express thoughts and opinions in a particular way. The disclosure concluded with a few sentences about my intentions for the blog and the topics that I planned to cover.
All in all, I completely see the need for a disclosure page but am still struggling to wrap my head around it. I do not know that outside of this class I would have learned about the FTC’s regulation and the need for a disclosure page. Thank goodness for EdTech 537! 🙂
