From the number of Tweets, plurk conversation and MSN chatters. Looks like the talk is picking up. Started from an article on NYtimes – Soon, Bloggers must give full disclosure, bloggers, advertisers and agencies now have to step up their responsibilities and for some, wake up their idea of keeping things hush hush. Its the social media! How much more do we have to remind ourselves (and the companies) that full disclosure and transparency is utmost important in this new media economy?

Talks have been going round about credibility and integrity of bloggers in Singapore. Being paid to write = not credible? What about those writers who are hired by companies to run a content blog focusing on their products, services or campaigns? They may look and behave just like any other blogger out there, but the blog they run is due to the payment of Company X for a campaign. And if being paid to write means tarnishing the credibility of a blogger, isn’t it worst if one is being paid to write but doesn’t disclose it? Bloggers have to understand that there is a great difference between an advertorial (e.g. paid post by company or agency) and an editorial (e.g. a blog post crafted at own free will). Though the line is blurred in many situations, but if full disclosure is made, wouldn’t it be more credible as you are being truthful to your readers?

The thing now is to draw a clearer line between a paid post and a genuine review or post. If there’s direct monetary payment for a blog post, then its clear that it is an advertorial, be it the content coming from the blogger himself or an agency crafted content which the blogger simply copy and paste onto his blog. But what if there is no direct monetary gain on the blogger’s side? Does payment in kind, for example, Company A provides the latest camera for Blogger A to try, write a personal experience review on it and later get to keep the camera for good. An advertorial? Or perhaps better crafted as a sponsored review?

However, if let’s say Company B provides the latest camera to Blogger B to try and keep, doesn’t requite him to post a review of it, but in return through his blog runs a campaign where Blogger B will have to spend time and effort to manage it. If then Blogger B decides to later write a review as he likes the camera a lot and wants to share it with his readers and friends, does Blogger B then have to disclose that the camera is a payment in kind for a campaign which he did earlier and the post is in no relation and hence now classified as an advertorial. Imagine having to disclose all these in his post! A paragraph will have to be dedicated to disclosure already isn’t it?

So I guess the question boils down to, how the blogger is being engaged and remunerated for. What is a paid advertorial, sponsored post and a sponsored review? Do they all mean the same thing? If not, how can one differentiate?

Now, on to the other side of the picture…

Companies and brands will also have to understand that the bloggers and anyone online with an identity, has got their reputation and online estates to protect. Telling them not to mention that a post is sponsored is as good as telling the reputable and credible blogger to lie to their readers. If more bloggers eventually adhere to this request, then how do you, as part of the company and as a reader, in future trust what these previously known credible bloggers be saying on their blog? You as a reader wants the truth be told too right?

I then come to the final problem to all these talks and discussions. Who’s going to take the step and get some action done? A reputable and recognised body will have to take the step to implement such regulations in Singapore, and they will have to do their checks and audits. From looks of it, the best player to do this would be MDA isn’t it? They’re the one passing regulations for the main stream media, why not social media? Or some of us would want to differ with “Social media is the voices of people, hence such regulations should be passed by the people instead.” (Think the disband Bloggers Association). Alright! Power to the people! But do you have the recognition, money and resources to do it? Who should do it? How should they do it?

Blogger Disclosure Regulation – Who and how to implement it in Singapore? You tell me!

More thoughts and readings on similar topics:

• The End of Marketer-Blogger Relationship by Sean Corcoran
• Interesting viewpoint here – Changing the way music/ book reviews being conducted from techdirt (Link discovered via @mrbrown)