10-25-2009, 11:13 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-25-2009, 11:15 AM by Questioner.)
Apparently there have been many people who used their web sites and blogs to give reviews which appear unbiased, but are actually calculated to drive sales which result in commissions for the authors - without any acknowledgment of the business relationship for the reviewer. New rules in the U.S. require full disclosure of any commercial connection with reviews.
The link I provide here is an excellent example of how an ethical site describes the business relationships involved in reviews. Although I am considering starting a photography business, and being a customer of the seminars provided by this review site, I currently have no connection with the site or any of the photography products and services they mention. I'm linking to it here to provide an example people can use when evaluating other review sites. I believe that if customers only buy from other sites as straightforward and open as this one, they'll be honoring the principle of full disclosure.
I hope this is useful for people considering shopping based on online reviews.
The link is:
http://luminous-landscape.com/about/disclosure.shtml
The link I provide here is an excellent example of how an ethical site describes the business relationships involved in reviews. Although I am considering starting a photography business, and being a customer of the seminars provided by this review site, I currently have no connection with the site or any of the photography products and services they mention. I'm linking to it here to provide an example people can use when evaluating other review sites. I believe that if customers only buy from other sites as straightforward and open as this one, they'll be honoring the principle of full disclosure.
I hope this is useful for people considering shopping based on online reviews.
The link is:
http://luminous-landscape.com/about/disclosure.shtml