[...] of interviews, Zudaboss Ron Perazza had one with David Gallaher a couple days back at CBR; full disclosure: Gallaher is the creator of High Moon, which was one of the first Zudawinners. The interview is [...]

[...] up on yesterday’s post about the FTC telling bloggers to disclose when they’ve received comp or review copies. In all this discussion, several points (as I see [...]

On Okazu, my readers sponsor reviews (I don’t keep the books, I give them to the library, or to the AnimeNext Manga library ) or I buy my own. This way I can say whatever I bloody well want. I never ask for review copies and rarely, if ever receive them. If it is a review copy *of course* I’m going to note that. Readers deserve to know that I did not spend my hard-earned money on it.

If your prime motivation for blogging is to get free stuff, then do us all a favor and stop. That makes for lousy reviews.

Cheers,

Erica

The FTC tries to figure out a way to regulate bloggers every little bit, and they always back off, ’cause they know that the minute they try to levy a fine on someone, they’re going to get taken to the courts by the ACLU and another few dozen pro bono lawyers, and the courts will say, “Nope, FTC, private citizens, First Amendment, leave the bloggers alone.” And it’ll be official legal precedent.

The FTC will either back down, or they’ll never enforce. Put money on it.

[...] Some reax: Johanna has the will power not to title her post “TOLJA!”. [...]

[...] Ron Hogan offers a follow-up, as well as an open letter to the FTC, while Jeff Jarvis and Johanna Draper Carlson offer additional [...]

I actually would like this very much.

But yes, it is also the case that some publishers are too quick to cut off people — another reason it’s sometimes tricky for a reviewer to operate without these kinds of concerns affecting them.

[...] Johanna Draper Carlson examines the new Federal Trade Commission requirements for bloggers to disclose “material connections” related to the products they discuss. I’ve [...]

On the subject of pulling review copies due to negativity… I used to do videogame journalism for a fairly decent magazine. We gave a new Japanese RPG-ish game, which was very, very bad, a low score. Their PR rep assured us that that was okay, and they wouldn’t pull ads, and we’d still have a relationship with the company, etc.

The next month, we were notified that they were pulling ads and that they needed to “talk” to us before they’d send builds of anything for further coverage.

It sounds like the kind of thing that’s way more common than it should be. I can see the company’s rationale for it (“Why should we waste time shipping a game out just for a negative review?”), but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

[...] as I imagined she might, Johanna Draper Carlson has all kinds of smart things to say on this very subject. Go read what she has to [...]

So if I get a review copy, write a review, and post a link to Amazon, then I have to disclose…what, the review copy, or the fact that I’m linking to Amazon (which would seem pretty obvious), or the fact that I’m linking with an affiliate code?

What if I’m reviewing a copy that I bought through normal channels, and include an affiliate link to Amazon? Do I need to disclose that circumstance?

I’m not looking forward to reading that 80-page PDF.

But just you wait until the next presidency like the one that just finished. Give a positive review to a book that knocks the president, and you life could be hell, e.g., Dixie Chicks.