What concerns me is that this is going to be like eBay and Google. People will get slapped with no reasonable explanation. We all know it is going to happen.

And I love having words on my site like "affiliate". Think that will help my Google rank?

It's about time the Gov shuts down all of those myspace/facebook spammers and their counterparts that produce phony review sites and blogs.

I have seen all of these conspiracy theories batted around previously when the gov introduced the cann spam act, and how did those changes negativly impact you personally?

My take is that if you are very worried about these changes then you are doing something that you KNOW is deceptive and don't want the good times to end.

Bob

How will this new FTC ruling work for something as simple as using adsense on our websites and blogs?

[reply from Jim]: I'm sure Google has sent a team of lawyers and spent millions addressing that very issue. The fact that the phrase "ads by google" appears along with the ad is probably going to be sufficient. Google is the one that needs to worry about that though – not you.

I can only partially agree with this statement "For those NOT under the jurisdiction of the FTC you just got a HUGE advantage over those of us that call the U.S. home!"

Yes, as an infopreneur living in Japan I am outside the clutches of any rabid FTC investigator who decides he dislikes the look of me (er, the wild hair and beard don't always meet favourably with the button-down polizei). However, even if I were to move all my sites to my non-US hosting service, I would still be following these new guidelines.

For one, I basically already do follow the guidelines and now simply have to make a few adjustments, such as disclosing affiliate links. Worded properly (I have disclaimers for this, and am upgrading disclaimers in info products) meeting the FTC guidelines won't be a hardship, and it maintains my professionalism.

For another, as one who teaches other Internet marketers to create and market info products (in a number of niches where the FTC could take interest – although I'm sure they'll target my members who create weight loss products before they go after a member who publishes knitting guides) I must set the example.

Now, although I agree that in some instances there is a need for a watchdog (let's face it, there are some marketers out there who the Internet would be better off without), I do not like the sweeping powers that are put in the hands of FTC investigators, and I must admit that I am very glad I don't fall directly under their jurisdiction. I sympathize with my numerous American fellow marketers who could be affected by this. All I can say to you is, keep your house as clean as possible and avoid attracting the attention of the FTC bloodhounds.