Big Blogger is watching. Starting December 1, anyone who endorses things online or on TV will now come under increased scrutiny from the F.T.C.

In an effort to keep up with technology, the U.S. Government plans to get a better handle on the growth of social networks and the issue of transparency, especially regarding product endorsements people do.

Basically, if a celebrity says the weight loss pill they use is amazing — it had better be.

It's not just Hollywood that the guidelines are aimed at however, but the proliferation of paid reviews by everyday bloggers.

Typically, someone who reviews products signs up for a service and gets a small fee whenever they feature the product somehow, be it on their blog or in a video clip hosted on any number of sites.

Where the problem arises is that there is no currently no requirement that the person has to use the product, let alone be truthful about any claims they make.

There's also no monitoring. Basically, anyone can say anything they want online about a product.

Then there are those who fall somewhere between celebrity and nobody. Microcelebrities tend to have a following somewhere in the thousands.

They might weave products into the everyday fabric of their social networking activities, perhaps a trip sponsored by a cruise line or "free" product demo from a major brand.

Currently, it's up to the individual blogger to disclose the degree of their involvement with advertisers. While many do, it's still very much the Wild West online.

Generic groups like Mommy Bloggers can and do take hundreds of free products from brands to share with their collective audiences. It's this blurring of the line between brand and blogger though which the F.T.C. expects to get a better handle on.

F.T.C. guidelines for ads were last updated in 1980, long before the internet was such an integral part of consumers' lives.