As well it should be.

I won’t even go there. I’d fill volumes.

And most people are pretty smart. However, I think a lot of people tend to suspend common sense when they get their hopes up, which is why I expect the FTC’s greatest impact will be in the weight loss and home business industries, as those two areas are notorious for misleading and/or downright false advertising.

Certainly your average mom blogger doesn’t have a lot to fight back with. Many other bloggers won’t either, if the surveys I’ve seen on blogger income are remotely accurate. Most bloggers don’t make all that much with their blogs.

I haven’t paid much attention to the 23 and me promotions, but The Mother is right in that it looks to be a potential mess. But I’ve heard a lot of people talking about acai berry being one of the things that the FTC will be or is looking at. It’s those wild, unproven health claims that really seem to get them going.

I am concerned that mom bloggers are targets over other categories of bloggers (like the technical review guys) because there’s a perception we have fewer resources with which to fight back. And unfortunately, this might be true — which definitely makes this a topic to keep our eyes on.

I have two thoughts on the matter, though.

First, I agree that mom blogs seem to be under more scrutiny than, say, tech writers. The “why” may be in a sexist view of mom blog readership–moms are more impressionable, more trusting, easier to dupe. Therefore, those doing the impressioning require careful watching.

Secondly, I have recently found myself unhappy with mom blog product plugging, in re: the 23-and-me promotion. I find myself wondering how many of these mom bloggers who were plugging this service TRULY understand the implications of what we do and don’t know about gene mapping and how to use the information. There are serious medical and ethical questions here, and ethical questions both for the bloggers and the company that hired them. Although I am not sure of the time line, it is entirely possible that this is the one that pushed the FTC to act.