tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29255165431470361212012-02-16T00:45:07.831-08:00Chris Worthynoreply@blogger.comBlogger11100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2925516543147036121.post-33523408839184673212009-10-06T05:13:00.000-07:002009-10-06T05:15:45.952-07:00I do not get paid for reviews. If I ever do anything advertorial on my site, you will be the first to know. If anyone ever wants to sponsor my blog – well, hot dog.<br /><br />I do receive free items – but not always. I may or may not distinguish, but if I was asked to review it, assume I received the sample at no charge. This is true of homeschool items that I review as part of the TOS Crew, though I do sometimes have to purchase (or already own) items necessary to make the curriculum work. If I review it, assume the manufacturer/distributor provided me with a free copy to test and use in order to write the review.<br /><br />If I am asked to review something I will do so in the same way I try to live day to day: doing unto others as I would have them do unto me. (Except I don’t say “do unto” very often.) If it’s the worst widget I have ever used in my life, chances are I am going to contact the person who sent it and say, “What gives?” I have a friend in the travel industry who, when she happened to encounter a really bad hotel room, would never write that without first giving the manager or PR rep a call to offer them a chance to explain why it was so bad – maybe they are now under new management, housekeeping was new or whatever. It didn’t change her review, but it did mitigate the damage for someone who was caught on a bad day. The bottom line: I have bad days, too. I would hate for someone’s one and only opinion of me to form on a day when I had been driving my teenager everywhere, homeschooling the boy, working on deadline, trying to clean and cook and dealing with a sick dog. Wait – that’s every day.<br /><br />I am funny about stuff. That’s probably an understatement. My kids eat junk, sure. However, I strive to maintain certain product standards around here.<br /><br />The best items:<br />· Have a small ecological footprint,<br />· Are made from recycled materials and can be recycled or repurposed without a degree in environmental engineering.<br />· Do not involve death to or harm of any living creature, (This one is not negotiable.)<br />· Educate, enlighten, entertain, feed, clothe or just generally make the world a better place,<br />· Do not belittle my faith, my family, my intellect or my budget, and<br />· Are made, sold and supported by people of integrity who think what they do is pretty cool.<br /><br />As always, YMMV.<br /><br />Chris<br />chris@worthyplace.com<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2925516543147036121-3352340883918467321?l=chrisworthyreviews.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Chris Worthynoreply@blogger.com