According to the New York Times, “the move suggests that the government is intent on bringing to bear on the Internet the same sorts of regulations that have governed other forms of media, like television or print.”  The FTC argues that they were “looking and seeing the significance of social media marketing in the 21st century and thought it was time to explain the principles of transparency and truth in advertising and apply them to social media marketing. Which isn’t to say that we saw a huge problem out there that was imperative to address.”

The question this raises in my mind is where this leads.  Does this begin an onslaught of regulation into the use of social media.  Does this invite further regulation as to what a person can include on his or her Facebook page.  How do you properly disclose potential issues in a 140 character Tweet?  While this regulation in isolation may not be extremely significant or onerous, it definitely signals a future of regulation in the social media world.

Let me know what you think.

There has been a proliferation of legal self-help websites that offer all types of legal documentation, from wills to divorces and from incorporations to bankruptcy. These sites offer “solutions” to your legal problems at rock-bottom prices. But just what do they really do and are they an acceptable replacement to an attorney?

The disclaimers read something like this: The information provided on this site is not legal advice. This service is not a law firm and is not a substitute for an attorney or law firm. This service cannot provide legal advice and can only provide self-help services at your specific direction. And they go on for pages from there. So, it is clear, these companies are not offering legal advice, but instead are offering documents that attempt to solve general legal problems, based on your direction. The important decision of whether the documents work in your circumstance (and what documents you need) is left solely up to you. The problem is that most times, you are not sure what the issues are and don’t know if the provided documents really satisfy your issues – or worse, raise more issues. This is the central problem with legal self-help.

I am not suggesting that self-help legal sites are evil or should be avoided. On the contrary, if you know exactly what you need, know the surrounding issues and know how to use the appropriate documentation, these sites offer a very convenient and inexpensive solution. However, for the majority of situations, I believe the insight of a skilled attorney can help flush out what the real issues are and how to solve them. Moreover, if something is done incorrectly in the beginning, it is typically far more expensive and complicated to fix later.

So, go to the legal self-help sites when you know exactly what you want and how to do it. However, if you have any uncertainty or question make sure you seek advice from a competent attorney. The time and money spent will be a good investment in your future.

More information can be found at bloomberg.com.