The end of the dodgy blogger?

On May 26 dodgy corporate bloggers and rogue PR consultants may take a moment to reflect on their chosen paths as the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 come in to force.

Among the countless additions and modernisation the regulations bring is one highly important nugget relating to transparency – a change that will have a sobering effect on the more unscrupulous of us.

Mentioning no names, those that have previously got away with a slap on the wrists and a hit to the reputation after their undercover blogging activity could now end up reflecting on their actions in the slammer.

Transparency under the new regulations is paramount i.e. representing yourself as a helpful consumer, an excited user of a client’s product etc, is now completely illegal and could attract criminal charges.

To those consultancies that have already taken the transparent route into the blogosphere, these regulations should bring no worries. For those that are still operating on the wrong side of the fence, this may be a fitting moment to think about changing one’s ways. Covertly advocating a client’s cause is now not only a crime against reputation, but a crime against the law.