Compensation disclosure notice

I thought that new Federal Trade Commission guidelines going into effect December 1st of this year about bloggers disclosing compensation for product reviews would be a good opportunity for me to disclose any relationships / compensation I receive here on Gibberish. Short story: it isn’t much, but let’s nip this thing in the bud.

Affiliate programs:

Amazon.com: I participate in Amazon.com’s affiliate program. I get a percentage (based on volume, currently about 4%) when people buy things from Amazon that I review. It’s important to note my participation in the affiliate program does not mean I endorse a product. In fact, I panned the SpotShot carpet stain remover pretty heavily but I still posted the link to Amazon. Hey, if you still want to buy it, thanks for the 4% In the interest of disclosure, I have accumulated funds via the affiliate program, but have just earned enough to get an actual check. The threshold, for those interested, is $10.

BeachMoto.com: I participate in a referral / media placement exchange program for BeachMoto.com. BeachMoto sells Rev’It riding gear. You may see a banner for them on my Cayenne Pro jacket review. I not only recommend the Cayenne Pro jacket, but BeachMoto’s high level of customer service and dedication to their product line. If someone buys the jacket from the banner, I get a small amount of store credit. To date, I haven’t received any, but since the potential for compensation is there I thought I’d make the relationship clear.

DreamHost: My Web host, DreamHost.com, has a referral program for their hosting. I have received one referral for 10% of a year’s hosting fees — way back in 2007. I’M RICH, BITCH! I think there is one post in here somewhere with a link to my affiliate ID (well, aside from this one), but if I mention them in the future I will add the referral information.

Donation programs:

I currently participate in DreamHost’s donation program. I don’t mean to endorse or not endorse their service, I am just asking for folks to help me offset the cost of running the site.

What I don’t do:

• I don’t get any compensation for discussing a product on my blog, I only get compensation for linking to retailers who sell that product.
• I don’t get free stuff. I buy everything I review with my own money, or have borrowed it from a friend.
• I don’t get “evaluation” products from a manufacturer. I’ve been approached to review products, and have been told I can keep them if I give a favorable review. I have never done this, and I never will.
• I do not knowingly allow “astroturfing,” fake comments from manufacturers or their representatives touting a product or slandering another product.
• I do not receive any compensation for allowing or disallowing comments about my products (a variation on astroturfing).
• I do not allow direct advertising on the site.

I also published more information about how I moderate comments on Gibberish, as I generally deny “comments” from retailers and manufacturers on the reviews that I do. I snare quite a few of these that you never get to see.

There isn’t much to discuss, but as usual I welcome your comments. You can make them below or send me an email.

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