Blogging is a very important business tool. It can help you build a community of followers, reach potential clients, claim your expertise, and sometimes, is just plain fun. However, as a blogger, there are a few things that you need to know about how to legally manage your blog.

don’t risk copyright infringement.

Always, always make sure that the words you use are your own. It may feel like you are blogging in silo, but there are many ways to detect plagiarism online. Many bloggers research the internet for inspiration, but make sure the inspiration remains just that. Plagiarism is not simply copying an entire article or blog post verbatim, but extends to smaller chunks as well.

People love imagery just as much as they enjoy reading your blog. Even if you are pulling photos from Google Images, then you must request permission from the photographer to use the photo. Additionally, make sure you properly credit the original source of the photo. Examples of photo credits are as follows:

Source: John Doe, abcwebsite.com

Source: abcwebsite.com

A great source for photos is Flickr’s Creative Commons License photos. The photographers have already given a “license” or in other words, permission for you to republish their work (with proper credit of course). As a final safeguard, hyperlink all photo credits to the original source.

 
don’t forget to disclose.

Do you review products or services on your website? As your blog gains popularity and traffic, companies may send you products or provide a service gratis in exchange for your review. You must always disclose when this happens. A sample disclosure statement is, “The ABC laptop was given to me by XYZ company for my review. Please note that the opinions contained in this post are completely my own.”

maintain the privacy of your readers.

Does your blog have a newsletter sign up form? If so, you are prohibited by law from selling (or giving) that information to a third party without permission from your readers. You should provide a statement on your website or sign up form that explains this policy to readers. When you sign up for my newsletter you will notice a statement that says “we protect your email privacy.” It leads to a full privacy statement that you can read here.

You will also observe that most email marketing programs require subscribers to opt-in. In other words, they have to confirm their subscription immediately upon subscribing. This extra step is mandated under the CAN-SPAM Act to make sure that people are only receiving information that they want to receive.  

to giveaway, or not to giveaway.

Federal and state laws govern what constitute a legal sweepstakes, contest or lottery. These promotional tools are often used by larger companies to build consumer buzz, and lucky for them, their attorneys counsel on the legalities. On the other hand, bloggers usually wing it. These days, bloggers are commonly running sweepstakes and contests to reward a loyal fan base and to attract new readers.

I am based in Illinois, so that is the law we will discuss…

Sweepstakes are giveaways where the winner is randomly selected, while a contest requires the reader to engage in some activity and winners are selected based upon how well they perform. Are you using a random selection process to select a winner? Then you’ve got a sweepstakes on your hands. In Illinois, these promotions are governed by the Illinois Prizes and Gifts Act (but you can expect a similar law in most states).

Of upmost importance, you cannot require readers to make a purchase in order to enter your sweepstakes or contest. Additionally, the Act requires the following disclosures:

-The true name of the sponsor and the sponsor’s principal business address;

-The retail value of each prize;

-A statement that no purchase is necessary;

-A statement of the reader’s odds of winning;

-Any requirement that the reader must pay shipping or handling charges;

-If winning is subject to a restriction and if so, a description of the restriction;

-Any limitations on eligibility;

-An explanation of how many “finalists” will be allowed.

Once you get through all of this, then you must deliver the winner his/her prize within 30 days.

*huge sigh*

If you are in another state please familiarize yourself with the law there, to make sure that your sweepstakes or contest is legal.

This post is a part of the iBlog legal series. Read the rest of the series here.