Disclaimer

This will serve as a disclaimer for now:

The FTC recently set out new rules that bloggers have to follow in regards to disclosing their relationships with advertisers who give them freebies and whatnot. This was a pretty unregulated part of the web and now they have decided to step in a threaten bloggers with $11,000 fines unless they disclose their relationships with their advertisers.

So, I figured this would be a good time to let everyone know how that will affect Anglotopia and how we try to monetize the blog.

Yes, I’ve been given freebies to write reviews. However, the fact that it’s a freebie does not really influence how I write the review. Thankfully, I’ve never really been given any crap freebies. If you wish to send me something that you want me to write about, I will be more than happy to do so.

There may be a time in the future when I may take payment to write a blog post. If I do – I will disclose it and call it a sponsored post. Advertiser’s have the option to write a monthly blog post about their products and services and if that happens, they will be marked sponsored as well.

I write a lot of positive things about British Airways, but not because they’ve asked me too, but because I really enjoy flying with them and think they’re a fab airline – and I know they have their flaws. Also, the fact that I won a contest they sponsored for a free trip in November, will not dim my enthusiasm for the airline. So, I’m sorry if it feels like I’m a British Airways PR feed – that won’t change. But they are not paying me in any way and I DO NOT speak for British Airways.

You will have noticed that there are ads for the UKTV2C slingbox service all over the site and that I write about it quite often. There are several reasons for this. 1. It’s a fabulous service. 2. I’ve been given a free box for the last year in exchange for advertising 3. I get a commission on sales (it’s good amount of money) that I refer to the service.

There are other advertisers on this site as well. Some ads are in place because I’ve bartered goods and services with the person. There are also Google Ads, which provide a small amount of money that offsets the costs of running the site. There are other ads in place that are affiliate links where I also earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Most notable is the BBC America shop ads. But in all honesty, I will be shifting away from those as they are not effective and half of our audience is in the UK – which means they aren’t buying things targeted for an American audience.

There are also text links ads in the sidebar that have been placed there in exchange for money. They’re near the bottom and I try to keep them relevant. The latest airfare text links that go to Kayak.com are affiliate as well and I earn a commission if you purchase through them. It’s quite small (like 50 cents, so don’t feel pressured or obligated).

The Official Anglotopia Store is a custom storefront created in partnership with Amazon.com. I earn a small commission on anything purchased through it. It hasn’t earned much. I couldn’t buy myself lunch with the money it’s earned. But I do appreciate it if you start any Amazon shopping trip on Anglotopia as they have a 30 day purchase window.

Your user information stored on the site is not for sale to anyone, your e-mail is safe with us and will never be resold and we will never SPAM you. The only e-mail you will get from us is our Weekly Newsletter and special announcements, all of which you must opt into.

All comments on Anglotopia are held for moderation unless you’ve posted comments before. This is mostly to fight spammers (we get hundred of spam comments a day) but also to keep an eye on the conversation. I occasionally refuse to publish comments if they are mean, malicious, cruel, offensive but this has rarely happened. I try to be an open forum for Anglophiles all over the world.

Anglotopia is a labor of love that I started to help channel my passion for Great Britain and help fund it as well. It’s starting to pay dividends but this site will always be a labor of love. All content will remain free and you are by no means obligated to support the site by purchasing anything through our affliates or by clicking our Google Ads (but feel free to!). If the ads really bother you, there are software programs you can get for Firefox and Safari that will block most ad networks. I don’t care if you do this. But keep in mind the Google Ads are contextual – meaning they are targeted towards the content on the page so you may miss out on learning about some great Britain related stuff if you block all the ads.

Anglotopia has many, many fantastic columnists who contribute to the site. They do so for free, none are paid. They all do it for their own reasons, most to promote their own blogs and online activities. This is perfectly fine. A link from Anglotopia is very valuable online currency. None of them are being paid by anyone else to write about topics on Anglotopia.

I think that about covers it. If you have any questions/comments/concerns about anything in regards to how I run Anglotopia – feel free to ask.