FTC-ruling story at Ragan.com

This is a piece I wrote for Ragan Communications:

Published: 10/12/2009 Bloggers, relax—FTC rules aren’t revolutionary By Ari B. Adler They’re simple disclosures and easy protocols you should have been following in the first place “The FTC is coming! The FTC is coming!” Like some kind of modern-day Paul Revere, bloggers have been preparing their lanterns. They are ready to hang one if by e-mail and two if by snail-mail if they are hit with the highly touted $11,000 fine for failing to disclose compensation for a post about a product. Enough already—this is nothing worthy of a revolution. The Federal Trade Commission ruling doesn’t appear to be all about levying massive fines, trying to make mommy bloggers choose between some cool free products for the home or their kids’ college education. The basics behind the new guidelines are as follows: Endorsers and advertisers can now be held liable for false claims; Endorsers and advertisers must disclose material connections with their sponsor; Bloggers are now considered endorsers if they receive compensation, including free products; Firms that engage bloggers with any form of payment in order to receive endorsement of a product must disclose that relationship. Celebrity endorsers must now disclose advertising relationships; The “results not typical” or “results may vary” caveat is no longer a defense for advertisers when their product doesn’t work the way they said it would; and Sponsorship for research cited in advertisements or endorsements must be disclosed. As a former journalist and one who still believes in the journalistic code of ethics, I’ve been frustrated for some time now how bloggers are posting their opinions with a smattering of facts and expecting the world to take it as gospel. When I write blog posts, I think it’s clear they are my opinion. They are based on facts but also are influenced by my personal opinion, and I don’t hold back when commenting on the facts I’ve uncovered. It’s been liberating, actually, to be able to write about things and offer some analysis and a few snarky comments. It’s something I was unable to do as a journalist, because back then it really was just about the facts. I learned the hard way that no matter how well intentioned you are as a writer, if you are given special treatment, provided a product or compensated in any way, it will influence how your story is written. When I was a young editor at a weekly newspaper, a trip to Mackinac Island, Mich., to check out a refurbished hotel came across my desk. I figured it couldn’t hurt to take a trip north as I hadn’t been there in a while, and I was determined to give a fair and accurate review of the facility. I took the free trip, spent a couple of days gathering notes and came home to write what I thought was a great travel piece. It was factual. It was fair. It was positive about some things and critical of others. I was very pleased with myself for having pulled off a junket and still managing to write an ethically acceptable news story. Then the story was printed, and I got a visit from our publisher. His first words were, “I hope we got something for that Mackinac Island story.” I explained that we weren’t a pay-to-play publication so, of course, there was no advertising connected to it, but that I did get a couple of days on the island for my efforts. “Ah, OK, he said—well as long as someone got compensated in some way for that promotional piece.” See, it’s not that the FTC or the buying public don’t want journalists or bloggers to get free stuff. It’s not that people don’t trust your ethics. It’s that they understand that no matter how objective you think you can be, there is no doubt you are going to be influenced by compensation in any form when you sit down to write about your experience. In the textbook “Mixed Media,” by Thomas Bivins, it’s noted: “The subjective view of reality is relative to the observer. …We must remember that, as human beings, we still tend to view the objective world through a subjective lens. The trick to being objective is to recognize this inclination and understand that there will be different accounts of reality that must then be judged as either adequate or inadequate based on facts and reason, not on personal perspective.” How are we, as readers, expected to be able to judge adequately what your perception of reality is if we don’t know all the facts about how you may have been influenced in your writing? If you receive a free product in order to review it—take advantage of the opportunity. But be forthright enough to admit that it may influence your opinion. After all, your hard-earned money isn’t on the line if the product works like a charm or not quite like you expected. If your readers are going to spend their money based on your review, you owe it to them to be as transparent as possible on how you arrived at your opinion. In the end, the FTC rules boil down to being upfront about what you are doing, why you are doing it and whom you are doing it for—whether you’re a journalist, an advertiser, a public relations professional or a blogger. In a memo to members of the Public Relations Society of America, PRSA Chairman & CEO Michael Cherenson wrote: “From an ethics perspective, the new guidelines parallel key transparency principles in the PRSA Code of Ethics, as well as Professional Standards Advisory PS-9 condemning ‘pay for play’ practices. However, for practitioners, the guidelines go beyond ethics to recommended practice to avoid legal liability. While the ethics are clear, the triggers and nature of adequate disclosure are not fixed. As I recommended in a recent PRSAY post, thorough understanding and self-regulation can help public relations professionals avoid legal repercussions.” In short: Do the right thing and do it where everyone can see it, and you’ll avoid any trouble. Now there’s a revolutionary concept.

We the knowing, led by the unwilling…the copy

I don’t usually do this, but I’ve decided to copy a post I wrote for Digital Pivot over here to 5Ws because the issue is important and I want to share it with as many audiences as possible. Please consider joining the fight!  ~ aba

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Fear-mongering IT specialists and clueless executives just don’t get it. When it comes to social media, sticking your head in the sand just makes it easier for people to kick you in the ass.

There’s an old quote attributed to an anonymous author that goes, “We the unwilling, led by the unknowing are doing the impossible, for the ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing.” It’s time to update the quote.

Every day, you hear people complaining about companies doing their best to shut off their employees from the electronic world that is growing by leaps and bounds around them. It is these companies that will be left behind, wandering around, scratching their heads, wondering how their competitors got so far ahead of them.

Shel Holtz has started a tremendous web site dedicated to bringing an end to this nonsense. The description at StopBlocking.org says it best:

Companies everywhere are blocking employee access to the Net, fueled by questionable research and irresponsible pronouncements of self-serving individuals and organizations. This site is designed to serve as an information resource for those who believe the benefits of providing access far outweigh the risks.

It appears to be an incredibly useful resource and I encourage you to check it out and get involved. Of course, even though it’s designed to help you help your employer, you may have to access it at home since I know the site is now being blocked at some companies!

In honor of such a farcical management tactic as blocking access to the Internet and all its power, I give you my updated version of that famous anonymous quote:

“We the knowing, led by the unwilling are not doing what’s possible, for they are ungrateful. We have done so much work, for so long a workday, with so little support, we are now more qualified to do anything online but are doing nothing because we are blocked.” ~ Ari B. Adler

The Honorable Congressman Spammer — the story continues

Here’s the latest update to the discussion regarding blog comment spam, as posted over at Digital Pivot:

As you’ll recall from Chapter 2, I reached out to the staff member of the congressman who I felt was leaving blog spam by posting comments unrelated to the blog but fishing for supporters. I offered to enter into a discussion about the merits or detriment of taking such a tack and wondered whether the response had been positive or negative.

I’m going to let the staffer’s response speak for itself, but I’d also like to get a discussion started on whether blog comments need to be kept strictly to the topic at hand or if that section should be used for outreach. I think it’s pretty clear how I feel about it — that blog comments should be related to the blog post and not just some random method to conduct outreach. After all, bloggers generally offer at least one way to reach them other than posting a comment.

I have calmed down enough that I’m going to honor the staffer’s request not to identify which congressman this is involving because it’s not about calling someone out anymore — it’s about using it as a learning tool for all of us. In addition, I think the staffer is sincere in his desire to learn from this, too. Here’s the response I received:

Thanks for replying to my (spam) blog post.   It is good to get feedback on what methods we are using to reach out to new media and hear what annoys or pleases people.  I had no idea this was an issue with bloggers so it’s good you pointed this out.  I figured the only way to actually contact bloggers such as yourself is through the comments section as most (smartly) do not post their e-mail addresses on their blogs and so ways of connecting are limited.  That being said, no one wants to receive spam, either through e-mail or blog comments.  We get plenty of that from MUCH less reputable sources on our YouTube pages, as an example, and must constantly be checking the comments sections for such spam. I did not mean to provoke outrage by any means.  This is virtually the only method to reach out to new media right now.  As for your question as to whether or not I receive positive responses, yours is the first which could be termed negative.  Either the posts are ignored or the bloggers do e-mail me back asking to be sent regular updates and videos from our office, and many do post these as well!  It is not all in vain that I use this method, though your e-mail is of course making me rethink this.

So, what do you think? Should they rethink their method of outreach or should I just learn to relax and be happy that anyone posts any kind of comment on my blogs? 

The new home of 5Ws

5Ws is new to the WordPress neighborhood, having moved here from www.aribadler.blogspot.com

Due to time constraints, I imported all of the blog posts from Blogspot but did not import photos, etc.

Thanks for reading!

I’ve turned pro

OK, so it’s a bit of a stretch to say I’ve turned pro — but what do you expect from a blog entry being written while watching Monday Night Football?

Here’s the scoop: there’s a new blog site from Offset Media that is currently offering six different blogs with a different focus for six different audiences. Offset Media is a project from parent company Talent Zoo, the self-proclaimed “No. 1 site for ad, marketing and media professionals.”

If you get a chance, check out the various blogs, which include:

• 12 Point Type (for graphic designers)
• Beneath the Brand (for marketers)
• Beyond Madison Avenue (for advertising folks)
• Digital Pivot (about new media — the one I’m writing for)
• Flack Me (for public relations pros)
• SEO Shootout (focused on making organic search work for you)

Keeping up with the Digital Pivot posts means I’ll probably be posting to this blog less frequently. Of course, I’ll probably say that and then end up posting here anyway as I find things to write about that don’t quite fit the Digital Pivot brand.

I guess we’ll see what happens. That’s a motto that kind of describes my life lately, so it seems appropriate.

My first entry for Digital Pivot is now posted, so have a look. I ran onto the field during my first pro game by talking about the mishandling of the Joe the Plumber situation by McCain’s campaign. As I ask in that post, how can you hook your wagon to a shooting star before you’ve Googled it’s trajectory?

"Too fat" guy being executed

CINCINNATI (AP) — A double murderer who says he’s too fat to be executed humanely has passed a pre-execution exam and is cleared to receive a lethal injection today.

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I blogged about this issue in September, so I thought I should post this news update.

The good news for the victims’ families is that the Ohio Board of Parole and Gov. Ted Strickland have refused pleas for clemency.

The bad news is we still have this stupid philosophy in this country that people facing execution are entitled to their favorite meal just prior to paying the ultimate price. According to the Associated Press: “Cooey dined Monday evening on the special meal he ordered, including T-bone steak with A-1 sauce, onion rings, french fries, four eggs over easy, toast with butter, hash browns, a pint of rocky road ice cream, a Mountain Dew soft drink and bear claw pastries.”

That’s a nice message to send, isn’t it?

My heart goes out to the victims’ families. At least now, you’ll hopefully have a bit more peace by not having to hear about this guy anymore.

Can your hobby survive as a job?

“Never make your hobby your job because then it becomes a chore.”

I’ve heard that phrase a number of times over the years and I’ve always wondered if it’s true. It’s one of those things that people tend to just take at face value because they sound right and seem to make sense.

If you take up a hobby, it’s probably doing something you like to do just for fun and it was never intended as a way to make money. Heck, it was probably a way for you to escape the daily grind of the thing you do to make money in the first place.

I don’t know if blogging is really a hobby or a way to keep something that I like to do fresh. You see, I have always enjoyed writing. I don’t know when it started, but from elementary school on I knew I’d be a writer — a journalist to be exact. I held on to that childhood dream right through to my bachelor’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University.

I wrote as a journalist for several years, then I was an editor but made a point of writing a weekly column to keep my creative juices flowing. I’ve spent a lot of years since then on the public relations side of the industry and coming up with clever ways to say things is fun. Sure, there are days when I’m doing the mundane and it’s a bit routine, but that’s OK. Hanging on and writing a clever headline or suggesting a witty quote for someone is worth the wait.

Then, a few months ago, after watching others blog for quite some time, I decided to start this regular testament to the fact that I have something to say and people might want to hear it. I’m not naive enough to think people are subscribing or regularly checking this blog to see what I’ve had to say lately. There are millions of choices out there of things to read on the Internet and I’m surely not very high on most reading lists.

But it doesn’t matter. Writing this blog has been an outlet for me. It’s helped me stay focused on the communications industry — journalism, media relations, new media, social media — and that’s made me a better employee and a better teacher. Still, it’s really been all about me and what I wanted to write about.

Now, I have a chance at blogging for a paycheck. Oh, certainly not enough of a paycheck to quit my day job; not that I would want to. But it’s a bit of extra money anyway. I can’t help but think that if I’m going to write these blogs, maybe I should get paid for them. But, alas, that means this blog isn’t a hobby anymore — it’s a job. And that means it doesn’t matter if I “just don’t feel like writing today,” I still will have to do it.

Will that impact the quality of my work? Will that bring an end to blogging as a hobby? Will it take the fun out of it?

What do you think? Can your hobby survive as a job? Or, over time, will I find that I need a new hobby to help me escape from the chore that used to be a fun escape?

How do you define "leadership?"

With Michigan being a targeted state until a few days ago when John McCain decided to abandon all hope here, we’ve been seeing a lot of TV commercials about why McCain or Barack Obama should be our next leader. Well, that’s the message, technically, but primarily we’ve been seeing a lot of commercials about why the other guy shouldn’t be.

It’s been interesting to see how both supposed leaders and their minions have been trying to prove they’re ready to lead — and to compare it with a list presented recently by a true leader in the private sector.

At a conference in Grand Rapids a few weeks back, Rich DeVos, one of the founders of Amway, shared some ideas on leadership and it was a compelling enough list that I made some notes. Here, with all apologies to Mr. DeVos for butchering his wonderful presentation, are some highlights:

• Leaders set the tone and the atmosphere.
• Leaders understand that growth comes from within.
• Leaders are communicators.
• Leaders are innovators.
• Leaders are givers.
• Leaders are builders.
• Leaders enrich the lives of others.

Think about this list when you’re deciding who to vote for in November. If you’re like me, you’ll be shaking your head and wondering about the rules for write-in candidates. You also should think about this list when you decide whether you have a good boss or whether you are a good boss.

And feel free to chime in on this list. How do you define leadership? When have you shined as a leader? When have you found a leader to admire and why did they earn that admiration?

And, finally, if you’d like to see part of DeVos’ speech for yourself, it’s presented here, courtesy of the Grand Rapids Press:

Tag, I’m it

I’ve been tagged, thanks to Anna Hill, a person who truly represents how small this world is to me and others to whom I explain blogging, Twitter, etc.

You can learn more about Anna at her blog. She and I have never met, in person. We’ve become sort of pen pals in the modern sense of the word. We rarely write directly to each other, but we have had a number of conversations on Twitter and we tend to read each other’s blogs regularly. What makes the small world thing work is that Anna lives in the UK and I live in the states. The Atlantic Ocean has never seemed like such a tiny pond.

Anyway, Anna selected me to be tagged in a current blog trend in which you are asked to write six things about yourself that your readers may not know. Then, after you opened up and shared something personal, you tag six more people and hopefully they do the same thing. Anna said her reaction was mixed when first tagged, and mine was, too. Initially I thought it was a bit like the old-fashioned chain letters, except there was no threat of great personal loss if I didn’t tag other people. Then I thought it was cool to be counted among Anna’s friends that she tagged. Then I was a bit flustered, trying to figure out what I could share that people would even care about and worried that people I tagged would be upset with me.

So, I’ve decided to land in the middle somewhere and share things about me, but not tag other people. Hopefully, Anna will understand.

So, six things about me, if you care to know — and they’re in no particular order:

1. I was born in Atlanta, Georgia and have moved around more than any person I know outside of my family. Due to job changes and miscellaneous circumstances, my parents often packed up the family and headed off to new homes, new cities and even new states. I’ve lived in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Michigan. Maybe there were more from when I was too young to notice. I’m not really sure.

2. I’m a first-generation American born citizen on my father’s side of the family and only second generation on my mother’s side. My dad came over from Czechoslovakia after WWII and my maternal grandfather emigrated from Greece.

3. One of my favorite hobbies is driving off-road in my Jeep Wrangler. It was a childhood dream to own a “real Jeep,” and on sunny days in the summer, you’ll often find me tooling around in the Jeep with the top down and the doors off. I’ve gotten proficient enough to be a trail guide at Camp Jeep.

4. I’m a recovering work-a-holic. I used to think this only pertained to work at my job, and I’ve gotten much better about that. I’ve recently discovered that those tendencies can be a problem when dealing with blogging, home maintenance, lawn maintenance, car maintenance — that’s why I’m “recovering” and not “recovered.”

5. I gave up drinking alcohol a few years ago. No, I didn’t “have a problem,” as many people suddenly think when I tell them this. I just did it on a whim one New Year’s Eve and since then I’ve lost the taste for it — but I’ve also gained the money I used to spend on hooch. Not a bad trade-off if you ask me.

6. I was a bit of a local celebrity in Grand Rapids, Michigan back around 2000 when I was overseeing some public relations efforts for the state Department of Transportation. We were reconstructing the US-131 S-Curve that runs through downtown and I was on TV so much that the local NBC affiliate did a profile piece about me for an evening newscast. I still have multiple copies — I think that was my proverbial “15 minutes of fame.”

So, there you have it. If you continued reading to this point, thanks, I’m honored.

Now, it’s off to do some various types of work. This recovery stuff is tough to pull off.

Too bad screaming for attention works

It’s too bad, and perhaps a sign of why society is so dysfunctional and overpopulated with lawyers, that screaming for attention and threatening people works to get problems resolved.

In an earlier post, I lamented about the horrible customer service I was receiving from Comcast regarding an error on my cable TV bill. It appears the trouble has been fixed and, to Comcast’s credit, they are trying to make amends with me.

The problem is, I had to scream at them to get anything done.

The last straw was when I tried to reach customer service by phone again and was told, again, I needed a supervisor. I waited patiently and was connected to the supervisor’s line, which had an automated recording telling me they were busy and offered a call back. I took it, and about 30 minutes later I received a phone call from another automated system. When activated through the suggested telephone prompts, I was dumped into Comcast’s internal system and repeatedly asked to enter various codes based on which company call center I was working at.

During the 30-minute wait, I finally lost control and exploded all over Comcast with an angry email. It was the most venomous email I can ever remember sending to a business. It’s not my style and I felt bad after I hit send, albeit the venting rant helped release some tension.

Lo and behold, within a few hours, my problem had been resolved. Finally, after months of telephone and online battles via the normal channels and playing by the rules, I got some service. I also received a nice apology and am supposedly going to receive a couple of Pay Per View movies free to make up for my inconvenience.

The email I received last night was a welcome relief from the nightmare I’ve been dealing with. The bigger problem is it’s an email I should have received months ago. It’s an email I should have received while playing by the rules and without having to unload on them.

It’s too bad screaming for attention works. But it’s undeniable now that it can get something accomplished. How sad.