See, someone stuck a wad of cash in the series of tubes...

Great news! The FTC's new rule for blogger disclosure -- that bloggers have to disclose items they get to review, or payments they get for writing those reviews -- won't go into effect until December 1st. Until then I will not get out of bed to blog for less than $10,000 or a SmartCar. From the statement:

The post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement. Thus, bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service.

An endorsement! It's like I'm a professional athlete, or a special-interest group!

Free book graft is probably one of the least glamorous activities this policy is trying to target. I also write for a travel site and this kind of disclosure is a very big deal when you are talking about press trips that are both compromising and to some degree necessary, particularly for outlets with smaller budgets. I can't wait to see how nightly news anchors will explain a potential crackdown on bloggers to audiences who may not realize there's gold in them thar Internets. Remember all those "I Became A Millionaire Through Second Life" stories? The money is in the computer!