Authors who join the FM network of sites hold these values in common:

• Voice and Point of View: Strong voices and intelligent points of view drive robust conversations.
• Accuracy: Some FM sites are journalistic in nature; others are not. Regardless, FM sites strive for accuracy regarding items we post as facts.
• Community: Weblogs are conversations, not lectures. The community that gathers around each site is the essence of its value, and we treat that community accordingly. We listen and respond to feedback, and incorporate it into the way we manage our sites.
• Responsibility: We take our role in the community we serve seriously, and feel responsible for our own words. When we make mistakes, we correct them. We do not seek to use our sites maliciously.
• Transparency: We err on the side of disclosure to our readers. If we have an interest in something we're writing about, we disclose that interest. We are as transparent as we can be about our site's statistics, practices and policies.

Principles of Conversational Marketing

Revised August 15, 2007

At Federated Media, we value the conversation that exists among readers and authors, and the trust on which that relationship is based. We’re committed to creating an environment informed by that trust. Advertising is becoming a three-way conversation, as marketers join readers and authors online. All three parties seek appropriate principles by which to hold these commercial conversations.

Ads need not simply be declarative statements frozen in time, as they are in broadcast or print. Online, the conversations can continue, deepen, and take their own courses. When authors approve a company’s request to advertise on their sites, they are inviting the company to join their sites' conversations.

The value of a brand is, in essence, the quality of the conversation about that brand. Working with conversational media sites, marketers can begin a dialogue with their customers and potential customers. They might hear valid criticisms and have the chance, through conversations with customers, to address those critiques. Customers have the chance to provide input on new versions of products, ask questions, learn more -- in other words, start a dialogue.

And in the end, isn't having a dialogue with customers what businesses, and brands, are supposed to be about?

At FM, we’ve been involved in a number of innovative programs. One example: The Ask.com campaign on AskANinja, in which the Ninja sends viewers to Ask.com to search for secret Ninja words. Another example: Dice, which turned its advertising into “Rant Banners” where readers could complain about their jobs.

As conversational media evolves, and to ensure that such a dialogue will work, it’s necessary that we agree on guidelines. We believe authors who are in a relationship of trust with their readers can maintain their integrity by explaining their standards to readers and to marketers. Our original Mores, to which all FM authors subscribe, call for transparency and the disclosure of any pertinent relationships, either in blog posts or on disclosure pages like the ones offered by John Battelle. The following conversational marketing principles further detail the ways to implement those ideas across varying new types of marketing campaigns.

We must create an environment in which all three parties trust and understand each other. To that end, we ask all of our authors to review and consider these practices when working with the following forms of conversational marketing:

Appearing in Ads: If you lend your voice or name to copy in an ad unit (for instance, “My dream search engine would operate on my spoken word,”) disclose that fact and your relationship with the advertiser, if any, in a post or on a disclosure page. If you write a post under your name for a branded advertiser blog, disclose the nature of that relationship on that blog and your own blog, to ensure that readers understand the relationship. Some authors are not comfortable with their words or names appearing in ads. Others won’t write specifically for ads but will let advertisers reprint their prior published work. Consider such opportunities carefully before proceeding.

Consulting: Sometimes an advertiser will ask you to suggest ways to reach your audience, perhaps by recommending copy for an ad or explaining more about your readers. If you’re comfortable having this kind of relationship with the advertiser, be transparent with the readers about it. If you feel your conversation with the advertiser was material to your readers, disclose it in a blog post or on your disclosures page.

Endorsing Products: We believe authors should not directly endorse products for money, in posts or within an ad unit. For example, John Battelle would never endorse a search engine, because search engines are the main focus of his blog. Such an endorsement would cost him the trust that his readers now have in his writings about search.

Reviewing Products: There’s a significant difference between an endorsement and a review. Many FM authors review products. Sample or test the product, and, if you love it, great. If you review products on your site and keep those products, be transparent about it and tell your community.

Sponsored Posts: Some authors include “sponsored posts” on their sites or in their RSS feeds. If you bring the advertiser into the conversation in the body of a blog post, letting the advertiser write copy that’s presented in a manner similar to your own posts, make sure the reader cannot be confused. Consider using a different font or color, along with a notation that “this is a sponsored post” or words to that effect. If it’s not made clear, the reader will confuse your words with the paid ones and you will risk breaking the trust that lets you, the readers and the marketers have that conversation.

Trips and Other Perks: Conversations are wonderful, and sometimes a marketer will want to have them in person. They’ll offer to fly you to the show to see the new product and meet its creators, or they’ll offer you free services or products or gifts. It’s up to you to decide what’s appropriate, depending on the industry or topic you’re writing about and your comfort level with these arrangements. But we counsel that you should disclose those arrangements, to ensure that you maintain your readers’ trust.

Commercials, “Live Reads” or “DJ Reads”: When you endorse or talk specifically about a product in audio or video, make sure it’s clear that it is a paid endorsement or mention. If that segment resembles a traditional TV or radio commercial, it will look like a commercial to the viewer. But if you’re integrating the conversation with the marketer into the body of the show, make the relationship clear by introducing the person or product as a sponsor.

Comments and Discussion: Interaction with readers is, of course, a vital part of the three-way conversation. Deciding whether to monitor the comments or delete those with offensive speech is up to you, but remember that more marketers and readers will participate if the conversation is of high quality. It’s worth extra effort to make sure that it is. It helps to lay out the terms of engagement, including what standards you’ll use if you delete or edit comments, to your readers and marketers. You can find examples on ParentHacks and Wikia.

Like any good conversation, this document has no end. As conversational marketing evolves, we’ll expand and revise these guidelines. And like any good conversation, this one is open to you. Please send suggestions to or join the discussion on the FM Blog.