Remember when I used to make vlogs? I still do! only less frequently. One of my vlogs, a few years ago, featured me talking about paid or gifted products to Diabetes advocates and influencers. I explained why transparency was important from my point of view as a Type 1 Diabetic and concluded something along the lines of that hidden "kick backs" stink.
I know, I should say what I REALLY think, right?! Hehehe.
It upset a few and the conversation cropped up from time to time on Twitter. Some were obtuse and sarcastic (my favourite) in response, questioning should they disclose every minute detail of every kick back, free drinks, breakfast, etc. Let's focus on the Internet for a moment...
...there are laws covering paid for or gifted item social media content. Here is a tweet which explains how I handle paid for or gifted item tweets. That, as you can see from the RT, came in response to Tim noticing some content isn't adhering to the ASA in the UK. Although I haven't seen this lately, it was certainly an issue only a year or two ago particularly for a certain brand of CGM. Things seemed to have tightened up in that regard, recently but it doesn't surprise me that it still happens. I try to think the best of everybody until they prove me wrong and so I think the missing indications of a tweet being paid for/gifted item might simply stem from ignorance of the rules rather than a purposeful attempt to sneak and ad' in.
There is the possibility of forgetfulness, too. I recently highlighted the need to use image descriptions for tweets which contain imagery. That helps people with visual impairments - something I live with to this day and a feature of Twitter which I have found extremely useful when my eyesight was at it's worst. Yet, still I forget from time to time. I don't think I've forgotten an #Ad tweet to date but if I do then please feel free to highlight it to me so I can delete and re-post that content correctly. Why "#Ad" and not other words? Firstly, I follow the guidelines given to me by the business I'm dealing with. If that's their preference then that's what I'll use. If they have no preference then I still use "#Ad" because it is easy to mute or block as a hashtag and it doesn't take up a lot of the limited characters on Twitter. If a user chooses to block or mute the word "Ad" without the hashtag then my concern is other content (non-advertisements) will be removed. The hashtag seems the right way to go but each to their own, of course.
In addition to how I display a Twitter advertisement, I would like to touch upon the types of ads I will not entertain. I have refused ad offers from insurance companies, diet companies and personal trainers. There isn't necessarily anything wrong with those industries but they do not fit within the content of my social media. Other refusals were the result of organisations looking for a "freebie" - I will signpost some charities for free, particularly Diabetes ones but I will not be taken advantage of by for-profit businesses, whether they're multi-million Pound companies or start-ups - I value my content and certainly won't be allowing a free for all on ads simply because a business is Diabetes related.
So, that's the Internet. In the flesh? I think the same or similar rules need to apply. If you're speaking about technology at a Diabetes event and you have a gifted CGM then please disclose that during your talk. It doesn't have to be technology. You might be being paid by an insulin business or anything Diabetes related. So, if you're then up on the stage to talk about that? Then disclose. Honesty never hurt anybody in such circumstances. I don't think anybody cares about what you're paid exactly or if they paid for your full English breakfast - I certainly don't. Maybe your accountant or the Taxman does? That's your business. Be transparent, not murky.
Speaking of ads...
Thank you so much for reading this blog. I do appreciate your visit and your support. As you might know, I LOVE COFFEE! So I've teamed up with a thing called Buy Me A Coffee. If you enjoy my content and appreciate the time it takes to create such things then you can buy me a coffee! If you leave your Twitter @ name when you buy me a coffee, I will personally thank you. If you'd rather be anonymous then that's totally cool. Thanks for the caffeine!
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