In the USA, it is now law that bloggers have to mention any gifts of products, books, licenses, etc. that might influence blog posts.
I think this is good!
I am an author, and I get comped a lot of books, and some software products. It just feels right to say something like, for example, "thanks to publisher Z for sending me a revue copy of book B" when talking about book B. If I get comped something that I don't like, then I won't talk about it.
Paid posters on Reddit, etc., are more insidious because you just have to guess if they might be paid by a company or government to push desired hype.
not actually a "law" -- more of an F.T.C. regulation
"The Guides are administrative interpretations of the law intended to help advertisers comply with the Federal Trade Commission Act; they are not binding law themselves." -- http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm
§ 255.5 Disclosure of material connections.
When there exists a connection between the endorser and
the seller of the advertised product that might materially
affect the weight or credibility of the endorsement ( i.e.,
the connection is not reasonably expected by the audience),
such connection must be fully disclosed.
Relevant example:
Example 7: A college student who has earned a reputation as
a video game expert maintains a personal weblog or “blog”
where he posts entries about his gaming experiences. Readers
of his blog frequently seek his opinions about video game
hardware and software. As it has done in the past, the
manufacturer of a newly released video game system sends the
student a free copy of the system and asks him to write about
it on his blog. He tests the new gaming system and writes a
favorable review. Because his review is disseminated via a
form of consumer-generated media in which his relationship to
the advertiser is not inherently obvious, readers are
unlikely to know that he has received the video game system
free of charge in exchange for his review of the product, and
given the value of the video game system, this fact likely
would materially affect the credibility they attach to his
endorsement. Accordingly, the blogger should clearly and
conspicuously disclose that he received the gaming system
free of charge. The manufacturer should advise him at the
time it provides the gaming system that this connection
should be disclosed, and it should have procedures in place
to try to monitor his postings for compliance.
I think this is good!
I am an author, and I get comped a lot of books, and some software products. It just feels right to say something like, for example, "thanks to publisher Z for sending me a revue copy of book B" when talking about book B. If I get comped something that I don't like, then I won't talk about it.
Paid posters on Reddit, etc., are more insidious because you just have to guess if they might be paid by a company or government to push desired hype.