What you don’t know can hurt you: Legal considerations for bloggers

As a blogger, you post photos, and probably quotes from people you interview (or, maybe you borrow quotes and content from other websites). If you have a transactional site, you’re making marketing claims. Every single one of these things can get you into legal trouble, and many bloggers are doing them horribly wrong. Which photos are illegal to post on your blog? What is “fair use,” and how does it affect bloggers, exactly? To what degree can you tweak a direct quotation from someone? What about libel and slander? And what constitutes over-promising from a marketing perspective, and how can it get you into hot water with the FTC? What you don’t know about communication law can hurt you. I’ll present examples writers who’ve found themselves stuck in a legal quagmire, and give practical guidelines and resources for keeping your blog in line.

Speaker: Erica Jorgensen