News from my Neck of the Woods; Federal Trade Commission Suing Bloggers?

Let's start off with the story about the Federal Trade Commission Suing Bloggers, shall we?

Parenting Blogs May Be Held Liable for Product Reviews

Meet Colleen Padilla. She's a mom. She started blogging about being a mom and the products she's tried. Her blog, Classy Mommy, became a big hit. So big, that corporations started asking her to review thier products. Dream come true, right? You get to stay at home, spend time with the kids, and still be working! So far, she's reviewed over a thousand products, ranging from what I lovingly call baby butt cream to toys, and even takes opinions from her fellow parents into account in her blogs. Seems great, right?

Not so much. The Federal Trade Commission has decided that bloggers like Padilla and her peers might be in violation of good business practices. Evidently, because she writes reviews of the product and people then might go buy the product, she should list her blogs as advertisements, not reviews, because she gets paid to review the products she is given. Nevermind that many moms share this kind of information with each other already, and Padilla doesn't charge the moms anything to read the reviews, and she certaintly isn't forcing them to buy any of the products.

The Federal Trade Commission said that the punishment a blogger might face would be about the same as a company would get for false advertising, which could be anything from a cease and desist order to reimbursing the customers that bought the product.

I think what Padilla is doing is a great thing, something that us moms do an a nearly everyday basis anyways, she's just put it into print form. Is the FTC going to sue me next because I verbally tell another mom about a product I like, only she doesn't like it as much as I do after she decides to buy it? Poor form from our federal government, once again!

Now for the news from my neck of the woods:

Disney Texas Coming to Abilene?
Polnick to Retire from AISD
Abilenian Soldier Dies of Unknown Illness
Tax Day Tea Parties in Abilene
Area Ranked Number One in Wind Power