New United States federal rules are due to be implemented on December 1st which state bloggers must disclose freebies in product reviews. In a more interesting twist, influencers who have a prominent following on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook are also obliged to follow the FTC rules.

What do the rules say in brief?

• If you receive a freebie, an incentive or a fee from a manufacturer, brand or company you are reviewing – you must disclose it.
• If you have an affiliation with a company, i.e you work there, or you’re a contractor – you must make this clear. Remember, if you have a large friendship base or followers on social networking sites this generally applies to you.
• In chat rooms and with comments you leave on other blogs, review sites etc – if you try undercut your competitors – or post a bias review, you must make it clear who you work for.