Section: Business News, Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking, Websites
Facebook and Twitter are worldwide brands now. They are two of the most popular social networks that are used to send out information to anyone who is interested. Facebook and Twitter are also used for promotional purposes by many organizations. By luring potential followers to its Twitter feed or Facebook page, a company can expand the reach of its brand. That will eventually lead to more money through advertising or other means. France’s broadcasting regulator believes Twitter and Facebook have an unfair advantage over other networks. Therefore, the very mention of either of the two in an unacceptable way is illegal.
Anyone who is an on-air personality, whether it’s television or radio. are not allowed to say the words “Facebook” or “Twitter” unless it directly relates to the story at hand. For example, a television news program that is reporting on Facebook privacy concerns or Twitter’s buyout of TweetDeck is allowed to freely mention the social networks by name. However, they are banned from asking viewers to “Like” them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.
So why did France ban the mentioning of two of the biggest social networks in the world? According to This Much I Know, the CSA in France feels mentioning Twitter or Facebook outside of news stories is another form of advertising. It believes this could lead to the collapse of smaller social networks that are already finding it harder to compete.
Christine Kelly, a spokesperson for the CSA said,” Why give preference to Facebook, which is worth billions of dollars, when there are many other social networks that are struggling for recognition. This would be a distortion of competition. If we allow Facebook and Twitter to be cited on air, it's opening a Pandora's Box — other social networks will complain to us saying, 'why not us?'"
It’s a strict rule, and some would call it unfair. Fortunately, France isn’t blocking either social network.
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Via [This Much I Know]
Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
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