Disclosure Policy
This policy is valid from February 26, 2011 and may be changed at any time, without notice.  This policy is not retroactive and posts made before February 26th do not necessarily  adhere to these policies.  Small changes and additions may be made to  this policy without being noted in any special way in the text.

WritingToSanity.com is a personal blog written and edited by Desiree Allen. For questions about this blog, please contact her at writingtosanity@gmail.com.
Compensation
This blog accepts many forms of compensation, including (but not  limited to) paid posts, sponsorships, advertising, products, and trips.

The compensation Desiree receives may influence the advertising content,  links, or post topics of this blog, but will never influence her  opinions on any subject or product.

If a reader clicks on a link or advertisement on WritingToSanity.com and  subsequently makes a purchase on that website, or uses a discount code  found on WritingToSanity.com, Desiree may receive some form of compensation (cash  or otherwise) from that company or website.
Compensation Levels
Compensation levels will be stated clearly at the end of any post  that mentions a product, service or location that is covered by any of  the levels listed below (or possibly within a post if there are many  products listed, such as a gift list).  If no compensation level is  listed, it is to be assumed that there was no compensation involved with  the post or any products, services or locations mentioned in the post.   For the purposes of these levels Desiree does not consider transportation  to and from a local event, or food consumed at an event, as  compensation.  Compensation refers to cash, gift certificates, products,  or services.

	Level 0: Desiree has no significant relationship with any product, service or brand mentioned in this post.
	Level 1: The product or service mentioned was provided to Desiree free  of charge (or at a considerable discount not available to the public).
	Level 2: The product or service mentioned was provided to Desiree free of charge and Desiree was compensated to post about the product or service.*
	Level 3: Desiree was compensated for inserting links from a specific website into this post.
	Level 4: Desiree was compensated for including a product in pictures or videos in this post.
	Level 5: Desiree was compensated for attending the event mentioned in this post.
	Level 6: Desiree was compensated for posting about the event mentioned in this post.
	Level 7: Desiree was provided with transportation, food, lodging,  tickets, and/or other incidentals for the trip mentioned in this post.
	Level 8: Although not specifically compensated for this post, Desiree  has an ongoing relationship with a company or person connected with a  product, service or location mentioned in this post that Desiree feels may  have influenced her decision to post about it.
	Level 9: Products or services were provided to Desiree to give away in a contest.
	Level 10: Products or services were provided to Desiree to give away in a contest and to keep for her own use or for review.
	Level 11: Desiree was compensated for administering this contest.
	Level 12: The product or service mentioned advertises directly with WritingToSanity.com.
	Level 13: This is a sponsored post.  Desiree was compensated to write  this post.  While Desiree’s opinions in the post are authentic, talking  points may have been suggested by the sponsor.*
	Level 14: Desiree is under contract with the company, product or service  mentioned in this post. While not specifically paid for this post, she  is paid by the company to attend events and write about the  company/product/service. She receives free samples of the product,  special access to the company, and all of her costs are covered when  attending events related to the company.

* A note about paid vs. sponsored posts: a paid post  simply means that Desiree was given some kind of compensation in exchange  for writing about a product or service.  A sponsored post indicates that  the sponsoring company had a much bigger hand in crafting the post,  including seeing and approving the finished post before it is  published.  In either case, all opinions are Desiree’s own.
Swag
If Desiree is given free products of minimal value at a conference, event  or meeting that are being given to all attendees, such as bags, books,  water bottles, small product samples, coupons, etc., she does not  consider these items as compensation and will not necessarily disclose  them when talking about a product.
Content
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely Desiree’s own,  unless otherwise stated. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other  representation about a product or service should be verified with the  manufacturer, provider or party in question. If Desiree quotes from a press  release or other source, that content will be clearly marked.

Desiree does not have control of which products, services or locations  appear in advertisements hosted by third parties, and is not influenced  in any way by these advertisements.

Desiree is not responsible for anything that happens to anyone as a  result of following her advice or reviews, or purchasing a product or  service as a result of visiting WritingToSanity.com.
Comments
Desiree reserves the right to remove any comment that she sees fit, for  any reason, including but not limited to her mood that particular day.  Comments are likely to be removed if they are abusive to another  commenter, an advertiser, or a sponsor, or if they appear to have been  left mostly for the purpose of promoting another website, blog or  business, or if they promote a business that competes with an advertiser  or sponsor.  All links in the comments section are followed, so if it  has even the faintest whiff of spam, it will be removed.
Twitter
Desiree often tweets about products or services she has been compensated  for, or companies she has an ongoing relationship with. If Desiree is paid  specifically to tweet about a product or service, she will append the  tweet with #ad, short for advertisement.

When tweeting about a product or service that Desiree has received free  of charge for review, or at a significant discount not available to the  public, she will add #samp to the tweet, short for sample.

When tweeting about a product or service where Desiree has any kind of  significant financial relationship with the company, she will add #spon to the tweet, short for sponsored.

When in doubt, it’s safest to assume that Desiree received some kind of  compensation or has a relationship with a company or product that she  tweets about. Desiree has relationships with, or has received products and  services from, the following companies, and while not specifically  compensated to tweet about them, her tweets may be influenced by her  relationships with these companies (this list does not include every  company Desiree has a relationship with, just the ones she’s worked with on  major campaigns or multiple times, and is likely to tweet about because of that relationship; this list may be added to at any time without notice):

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[Get your full disclosure template on SelfishMom.com. Thanks, Amy!]
I Blog With Integrity
By displaying the Blog with Integrity badge or signing the pledge, I assert that the trust of my readers and the blogging community is important to me.

I treat others respectfully, attacking ideas and not people. I also welcome respectful disagreement with my own ideas.

I believe in intellectual property rights, providing links, citing sources, and crediting inspiration where appropriate.

I disclose my material relationships, policies and business practices. My readers will know the difference between editorial, advertorial, and advertising, should I choose to have it. If I do sponsored or paid posts, they are clearly marked.

When collaborating with marketers and PR professionals, I handle myself professionally and abide by basic journalistic standards.

I always present my honest opinions to the best of my ability.

I own my words. Even if I occasionally have to eat them.