Is UK Social Media to be regulated?

One of the hot topics at last summers BlogHer was the imminent implementation of the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) guidelines on sponsorship and disclosure.

The few Brits in attendance sat back smugly thinking that will never happen here... 

Well it looks like we were wrong. 

I just stumbled across a post on econsultancy talking about a proposed amendment to the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) that would give the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) the ability to start dissecting brand marketing activity on social networking sites.

The ASA says that two thirds of the complaints that they receive relating to online marketing activity are not covered by the current code and that has to change.

It will be an interesting time for the brands that have carved out a comfy social niche.

So bloggers, tweeters and lovers of pr freebies it looks like full disclosure may soon be on its way.

What are your views?

The one where the public made me feel like a blogging tweeting freak...

This week I led a Twitter workshop at a clients conference. The aim was simply to teach the basics of how to sign up, find some peeps to tweet with and then to let them loose.

I was prepared. I had slides and everything. 

They listened, asked sensible questions, asked not so sensible questions - but that was the point... right?

Then I lost them...

Someone asked how you can be sure that the people you are tweeting with aren't crazy axe murderers....

"Well...." I answered... "obviously there are a certain amount of nutters out there but I feel that personally I have found an amazing group of people, with whom I have become very good friends."

Silence...

Then someone at the back piped up.... "What you have actually met them?"

"Oh, yes - lots of times, I 'speak' to them everyday and I had some of them come to stay over the holidays..."

Stoney silence...

I looked around and it was that point that I realised that the whole room thought that I was a total and utter freak.

The lesson to be learned here people is that the general population clearly pitch blogging and tweeting on the same scale as internet dating (not that there is anything wrong with that - before someone attacks me!).

Not surprisingly the workshop kind of wrapped itself up pretty quickly after that.

Was it me? Did I imagine their narrow minded response? 

I came away feeling a little odd. I questioned myself and my feelings but I'm confident that I've found a pretty amazing group of  friends online. Yes there are spats between bloggers - but we are all very opinionated and we do spend a lot of time talking to each other!

Have you had similar experiences when talking about your blogging or tweeting? 

Can you imagine what they would have said if I'd told them that all my buddies are turning into Blythe dolls? Straight jackets for sure!
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Miffy Competition Winners....

And the winners of the Miffy comp are......

@clareybabble and New Mummy

Congratulations ladies - please dm me your addresses.

Thank you to everyone who entered.

xx