New York AG Addresses Cause Marketing on Social Media

By Rachel Tarko Hudson

The New York Attorney General’s Charities Bureau recently released “Five Best Practices for Transparent Cause Marketing” which contains general best practices for cause marketing campaigns, including campaigns conducted on social media.  Cause marketing, also known as commercial coventures, is the practice by a for-profit company of donating a portion of the purchase price of an item or service to a charity.  Cause marketing is becoming increasingly popular among companies looking to do good as well as to generate positive publicity for their brand.  Many states regulate cause marketing, however, New York’s Best Practices indicate that greater attention may begin to be focused on campaigns conducted using social media and other newer online platforms for giving.

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FTC Proposes Updates to Children's Online Privacy Law

The Federal Trade Commission recently proposed several updates to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA).

COPPA currently provides that operators of websites and other online services that collect personal information online about children under 13, or whose websites or services are directed at children under 13, must:

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Companies Using Pinterest, Be Careful Not to Get Pricked

By Rachel Tarko Hudson

Pinterest has seen its number of daily visitors increase by 145 percent since the beginning of 2012, now counting 11 million users on its site, according to recent reports. It is a powerful social media tool by any standard, however, in recent months, with its meteoric rise, concerns have also surfaced about potential copyright issues. Needless to say, companies are clamoring to gain access to this vast and ever increasing pool of users, but they should (and can) proceed with caution in order to stay on the right side of the copyright issues.

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How to Legally Protect Your Brand in the New Millennium

By Ted Max

Brands have life cycles and the brands that create a credible emotional connection with the consumer are likely to be able to demand higher consideration and maintain brand loyalty. One must consider what legal protections to employ and which pitfalls to avoid in building a strong and evolving brand in light of the key trends for branding in the New Millennium.
 

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'Astroturfing' With Fake Reviews Exposes A Company to Legal Risk

By Michelle Sherman

Web businesses have fueled the natural cynicism that consumers have when reading online reviews. There are too many reported instances of businesses or PR firms using employees or paid reviewers to post glowing reviews, and, in addition, mark as unhelpful negative reviews of their respective businesses.
 

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Why Every Business Should Have A Social Media Policy

By Michelle Sherman

Words matter. Words can come back and bite you. Think before you speak. These are all self-evident truths that no one is likely to dispute. Yet, we continue to see examples of people, who should know better, doing just the opposite. This is especially true in the context of electronic communications – first, in work emails, and now, on social media websites. If it was a simple matter of personal embarrassment alone, then there would be no need for this article. This is not the case however.
 

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How To Stop Worrying And Love Facebook Credits

By Shawn Foust

Facebook Credits are here, and they’re sparking quite a bit of debate. Credits are the virtual currency that Facebook hopes third-party game makers will use so that there’s a single, consistent currency across all the games in the Facebook community. But if you’re going to use Credits, you not only have to pay Facebook a 30 percent cut of any transaction you make with the currency, you also have to keep to some pretty stringent terms dictated by Facebook.

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