Industry Leader Puts Restrictions on Independent Demonstrators’ Electronic Communications

Stampin’ Up! (SU), the largest home-party company in the rubber stamping and scrap book industry, made big waves when it announced changes to the company’s Independent Demonstrator Agreement (IDA) on September 1^st, 2009.

Since the initial announcement, SU has lightened some of the restrictions put on demonstrators affecting all forms of electronic communication, but if a demonstrator blogs, uses Face Book, My Space, Twitter, or links to other blogs or sites, they are still bound by a set of rules that have many SU demonstrators rethinking their relationship with the company.

In an article posted on the examiner.com site on September 2nd, 2009 reporter Shemaine Smith outlines many of the new policies that beg the question, does a company like SU have the right to dictate to their independent demonstrators who, what, and how they communicate in the current electronic age?

Here are a couple of examples of the type of issues the new IDA is generating included in the examiner.com article:

Q: On my personal blog, I have links to my friends' personal blogs and web sites. Some of them sell competing product. Do I need to remove these links?

A: Yes. In evaluating the links on your web site, you will need to remove any links to blogs, web sites, or the like that promote, market, or sell competitive products.

Q: Once I sign the new IDA, what am I allowed to have on my blog?

A: The changes restrict you from providing purchasing information, referrals to catalogs or publications, links to blogs or other web sites, or other similar material meant to promote, market, or sell competitive products. For instance, if you created a project that used a wooden block, you could show the project on your blog and mention that you used a wooden block. You could even mention that you purchased the wooden block at a craft store or big box retail store, but you should refrain from giving the name and location of the store, or any other purchasing information.

Typical of those who are in opposition to the new IDA, author and SU demonstrator Cynthia Ewer shares her opinion on the new IDA here.

The bottom-line; the stamping/scrapping/crafting industry is huge. By its very nature, such crafters and artists share ideas and creative inspiration with a large audience. The internet is the perfect forum for such an open exchange, and a company such as SU, that has thousands of demonstrators, looks to limit that exchange while ostensibly protecting its own interests. Have they gone too far? Will leaders in other industries follow suit?