FTC eyes social media endorsements

BarbaraBloggers, Consumer markets, Influencer engagement, social media

Bloggers who are compensated for endorsing products and services could be held liable for any false statements they make, if newly proposed FTC guidelines are adopted. I’m pleased to see some movement beyond voluntary blogger transparency. I’m a fan of voluntary transparency. It puts peer pressure on bloggers to tell you about sponsorships and other compensation. It has uncovered several … Read More

Blogs aren’t what they used to be

BarbaraAnalyst relations, Bloggers, influencer program, Public relations, social media

Duncan raises some good points about the evolution of blogs and microblogs (i.e. Twitter). Blogging is becoming the online publishing platform of choice in many industries, from politics to pharma. This has a couple of implications for influencer programs in 2009. Top of my list, is that 2009 should see the end of consternation over classifying influencers as “bloggers” or … Read More

Many ways to touch influencers

BarbaraBloggers, Influencer engagement, Influencer marketing

You would think that Chris Brogan, an impossibly wise and kind thought leader in social media circles, would never run into difficulties in engaging with influencers. Yet, he does. He shares a personal story about it, and how he succeeded, on this beautiful autumn morning. His story highlights one of the tenets of influencer marketing: human beings respond differently to … Read More

Oracle blends influencers into community

BarbaraBloggers, Events, Influencer marketing, social media

Vinnie Mirchandani is one the enterprise IT influencers not attending Oracle OpenWorld in the flesh this year. Instead, he’s plugging into event content and buzz through the new “Oracle OpenWorld 2008 Influencer Community.” Smart move by Oracle. Oracle invited media and bloggers alike to join this event-specific influencer community. That means bloggers don’t need to request access from different marketing … Read More

BuzzLogic converts influencer blogs into ad network

BarbaraBloggers, Influencer marketing, social media

Voices arguing that blogger popularity does not equate to influence lost a little more ground this week. A new ad network promises to deliver influential blogs to media buyers. My reaction is a mix of cheering and concern. What’s up: San Francisco-based BuzzLogic has launched its BuzzLogic Ad Targeting service. Essentially, the service enables companies to identify and place ads … Read More

Analyst Weblogs and AR Best Practices

BarbaraAnalyst relations, analysts, Bloggers, social media

A few industry analysts are experimenting with weblogs, or “blogging”, as an additional, more informal or more immediate vehicle for expression. For analyst relations managers, the greatest value of these first-generation analyst blogs is not in delivering influence or mentions for their employer. The value is in providing candid insights into analysts as normal, socially connected human beings. AR Benefits … Read More