My stance on Advertising:
The ideal of transparency remains a cornerstone of my philosophy. Anyone reading my blog should know which parts are ads, opinions, or facts. While I might not always achieve my ideal, I will do my best.
The best lesson I learned in business came very early on from the wisdom of John O’Donnell, who at the time was Managing Director of Central Park Media (an anime company). He told me “Someday, I am going to send you a contract and you better read it very, very carefully. Because it is my job to f**k you over and it is your job not to let me.” I always admired his honesty and I always read every contract very carefully from then on. I don’t think I’m in a position to screw people over with my words, but please, dear reader, always keep your brain engaged!
When it comes to advertising, I will not intentionally change my opinion to drive more traffic to a sponsor. I will not intentionally manipulate facts. Whenever possible, I will indicate what are opinions and what are facts – even if it makes the readability more awkward. I will always be on guard and you should be too.
I see no problem with directing people to products I believe in or to products that I am reviewing. But just because I like a product does not mean it is right for you. Buyer beware, always!
Current Affiliates= None.
While I originally started with affiliate relationships, I’m not willing to adjust my content sufficiently to drive traffic and sales. Is it pride? Is it laziness? Probably too much of both, but for now, no advertisers or sponsors.