WOMMA Marketer Guideline Comments from a Blogger/Audience Perspective
WOMMA has called for comments on their latest WOM marketer guidelines and I provided the following. They say it takes 24 hours for comments to post so mine should appear tomorrow. Given that WOMMA is directed at marketers (members include BzzAgent, Edelman, Amway and others), I'd encourage bloggers and audiences to cruise over and comment to make sure all sides have a voice in the result. Comments will not be accepted after November 14, 2006 so get moving -- at the end of the day, it's your blogs and influence they're after...
[my comment]
As a venture investor in various technology companies involved in online marketing and using online marketing, I think these guidelines are a great step in the right direction. I'm also one of the contributors at http://www.DisclosurePolicy.org/, trying to provide mirrored guidance to bloggers and a Disclosure Policy framework to help audiences learn the disclosure practices of the bloggers they read. This problem requires a match of marketer, blogger and audience expectations. I've provided some WOMMA marketer guideline-specific comments/questions below:
---
Overall comment:
[DR] Are these guidelines only for blogs, or do they apply to podcasts, vlogs, photo sharing, social networks etc.? If all of consumer generated media, then it's probably worth reviewing the guidelines with other media in mind.
[DR] How do these guidelines apply for offline marketing that mirrors online (e.g. BzzAgents)? You could probably replace "blogger" in each guideline with "affiliate marketer" to address offline/online.
1. I will always be truthful and will never knowingly relay false information. I will never ask someone else to deceive bloggers for me.
[DR] Great!
2. I will fully disclose who I am and who I work for (my identity and affiliations) from the very first encounter when communicating with bloggers or commenting on blogs.
[DR] Does linking to your company in the siglink of a comment (so audiences can always click for context) satisfy this requirement? Does this apply for every encounter or just the first (because comment discussions can spread across posts sometimes)? Does this apply to every blogger/blog or only those a marketer is trying to partner with?
3. I will never take action contrary to the boundaries set by bloggers. I will respect all community guidelines regarding posting messages and comments.
[DR] Given that guidelines #8-#10 leave room for various methods of disclosure, who controls the method (blog-wide, post-specific, in-post, sidebar, sentence, link to sponsor, video?, audio?, photos?). Because of the diversity of consumer generated media, this guideline (#3) seems to indicate that bloggers control the exact method, so long as the marketer can satisfy #8-#10. Is that correct?
4. I will never ask bloggers to lie for me.
[DR] Great!
5. I will use extreme care when communicating with minors or blogs intended to be read by minors.
[DR] It's not clear what "extreme care" means. How can a marketer know they have met this standard?
6. I will not manipulate advertising or affiliate programs to impact blogger income.
[DR] What is meant by "manipulate" given that advertising on a blog "impacts blogger income"? Is this directed at click-fraud -- so the focus is discouraging fraudulent behavior?
7. I will not use automated systems for posting comments or distributing information.
[DR] What is meant by "automated systems"? Is an affiliate program an "automated system", or AdSense or email marketing -- they all automate distributing information?
8. I understand that compensating bloggers may give the appearance of a conflict of interest, and I will therefore fully disclose any and all compensation or incentives.
[DR] Does this include ALL cash and non-cash compensation such as exclusive press releases, free passes, reciprocal marketing etc.? Presumably this includes affiliate programs since they incentive bloggers to write content that drives clicks/purchases -- does this apply to affiliate network terms (e.g. LinkShare) as well as brand-specific programs (e.g. Amazon)? Does it say "I [marketer] will disclose" on purpose, instead of "I will require blogger to disclose" -- what would it mean for the marketer to disclose if the blogger is not required (and how would requiring comport with #3)? Does this say that the exact type and magnitude of affiliate compensation must be disclosed? Is it relevant to readers (novice & pro) that affiliate linking bloggers disclose they get compensated specifically for convincing readers to click and purchase the product via an affiliate link? Is there a spectrum across personal sites, professional sites, journalistic sites and commercial sites where disclosure requirements differ?
9. I understand that if I send bloggers products for review, they are not obligated to comment on them. Bloggers can return products at their own discretion.
[DR] Does this say that sending product for review with a specific requirement of coverage is a violation of these guidelines? The language "I understand" sounds like hand-waving instead of an actual guideline.
10. If bloggers write about products I send them, I will proactively ask them to disclose the products’ source.
[DR] What does "I will proactively" mean if a marketer asks a blogger to disclose and they don't -- is that a violation of these guidelines? If so, how would that fit with #3 which clarifies that bloggers own the policies of their blogs. Does this guideline require that bloggers describe the value of the gift and what will happen to it after review? Does this guideline any specific method of disclosure or is that left up to guideline #3?
---
The more clarity WOMMA can provide to marketers on these guidelines, the more I can match with DisclosurePolicy.org's message for bloggers and audiences -- providing full circle awareness. I'd be happy to provide context on any of my questions above -- just call/email. Keep up the great work!
[/my comment]
[my comment]
As a venture investor in various technology companies involved in online marketing and using online marketing, I think these guidelines are a great step in the right direction. I'm also one of the contributors at http://www.DisclosurePolicy.org/, trying to provide mirrored guidance to bloggers and a Disclosure Policy framework to help audiences learn the disclosure practices of the bloggers they read. This problem requires a match of marketer, blogger and audience expectations. I've provided some WOMMA marketer guideline-specific comments/questions below:
---
Overall comment:
[DR] Are these guidelines only for blogs, or do they apply to podcasts, vlogs, photo sharing, social networks etc.? If all of consumer generated media, then it's probably worth reviewing the guidelines with other media in mind.
[DR] How do these guidelines apply for offline marketing that mirrors online (e.g. BzzAgents)? You could probably replace "blogger" in each guideline with "affiliate marketer" to address offline/online.
1. I will always be truthful and will never knowingly relay false information. I will never ask someone else to deceive bloggers for me.
[DR] Great!
2. I will fully disclose who I am and who I work for (my identity and affiliations) from the very first encounter when communicating with bloggers or commenting on blogs.
[DR] Does linking to your company in the siglink of a comment (so audiences can always click for context) satisfy this requirement? Does this apply for every encounter or just the first (because comment discussions can spread across posts sometimes)? Does this apply to every blogger/blog or only those a marketer is trying to partner with?
3. I will never take action contrary to the boundaries set by bloggers. I will respect all community guidelines regarding posting messages and comments.
[DR] Given that guidelines #8-#10 leave room for various methods of disclosure, who controls the method (blog-wide, post-specific, in-post, sidebar, sentence, link to sponsor, video?, audio?, photos?). Because of the diversity of consumer generated media, this guideline (#3) seems to indicate that bloggers control the exact method, so long as the marketer can satisfy #8-#10. Is that correct?
4. I will never ask bloggers to lie for me.
[DR] Great!
5. I will use extreme care when communicating with minors or blogs intended to be read by minors.
[DR] It's not clear what "extreme care" means. How can a marketer know they have met this standard?
6. I will not manipulate advertising or affiliate programs to impact blogger income.
[DR] What is meant by "manipulate" given that advertising on a blog "impacts blogger income"? Is this directed at click-fraud -- so the focus is discouraging fraudulent behavior?
7. I will not use automated systems for posting comments or distributing information.
[DR] What is meant by "automated systems"? Is an affiliate program an "automated system", or AdSense or email marketing -- they all automate distributing information?
8. I understand that compensating bloggers may give the appearance of a conflict of interest, and I will therefore fully disclose any and all compensation or incentives.
[DR] Does this include ALL cash and non-cash compensation such as exclusive press releases, free passes, reciprocal marketing etc.? Presumably this includes affiliate programs since they incentive bloggers to write content that drives clicks/purchases -- does this apply to affiliate network terms (e.g. LinkShare) as well as brand-specific programs (e.g. Amazon)? Does it say "I [marketer] will disclose" on purpose, instead of "I will require blogger to disclose" -- what would it mean for the marketer to disclose if the blogger is not required (and how would requiring comport with #3)? Does this say that the exact type and magnitude of affiliate compensation must be disclosed? Is it relevant to readers (novice & pro) that affiliate linking bloggers disclose they get compensated specifically for convincing readers to click and purchase the product via an affiliate link? Is there a spectrum across personal sites, professional sites, journalistic sites and commercial sites where disclosure requirements differ?
9. I understand that if I send bloggers products for review, they are not obligated to comment on them. Bloggers can return products at their own discretion.
[DR] Does this say that sending product for review with a specific requirement of coverage is a violation of these guidelines? The language "I understand" sounds like hand-waving instead of an actual guideline.
10. If bloggers write about products I send them, I will proactively ask them to disclose the products’ source.
[DR] What does "I will proactively" mean if a marketer asks a blogger to disclose and they don't -- is that a violation of these guidelines? If so, how would that fit with #3 which clarifies that bloggers own the policies of their blogs. Does this guideline require that bloggers describe the value of the gift and what will happen to it after review? Does this guideline any specific method of disclosure or is that left up to guideline #3?
---
The more clarity WOMMA can provide to marketers on these guidelines, the more I can match with DisclosurePolicy.org's message for bloggers and audiences -- providing full circle awareness. I'd be happy to provide context on any of my questions above -- just call/email. Keep up the great work!
[/my comment]
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