Sponsored Content and Paid Links

The rule

No commercial arrangement changes the content of an editorial page. A figure, a comparison, a recommendation or the order of a list is never for sale, and no advertiser, sponsor or partner sees a page before publication. If the desk cannot say something because it is not sourced, being paid does not make it sayable.

If a page were sponsored

Should the desk ever publish material paid for by a third party, that material is labelled as such at the top of the page, in the same type size as the standfirst, and in the listing that leads to it. Outbound links inside such material carry the appropriate link attribute so that a search engine can see the relationship, and the label is never limited to a line in the footer. A sponsored page is never counted as, or presented as, an editorial reference.

What the desk refuses

The desk refuses insertion of links into existing editorial pages, refuses payment for a mention inside an article, refuses to remove or soften an accurate statement in exchange for anything, and refuses guest articles written to place a link. It also refuses arrangements that require the relationship to stay undisclosed, which is the only condition that matters.

Affiliate and referral

There are no affiliate links on this site at the time of writing. If that changes, the affected pages carry a disclosure at the top and the links carry the corresponding attribute, and the change is dated in the bench notes like any other revision. A commission would never decide which product appears in a comparison, in what order, or with what verdict, and a comparison that could not survive the removal of every commission would not be published.

Why this page exists at all

A technical reference site is a natural target for placement offers, because a link from a page that explains a specification looks like an endorsement from the specification. It is not, and this page exists so that a reader can check the rule instead of trusting a tone. The rule is written down before any offer arrives, which is the only time a rule of this kind is worth anything.

Readers who spot something on this site that looks like undisclosed placement should say so at the contact address. A wrong accusation costs the desk a reply. A right one costs a correction and a dated note, which is exactly what the record is for.

Proposals

Proposals are read at the one address published on this site. They are answered by pointing at this page, and a proposal that conflicts with it is declined without further correspondence.

Outbound links

Pages here link outward to specifications, vendor documents, archived material and technical press. Those links are chosen because they are where a reader should go next, and none of them is paid for, exchanged or requested. A link from this site is not an endorsement of the company behind the document, only a pointer to the document.

How to read a disclosure

Where a disclosure appears on this site, it says three things: who paid, what they paid for, and what they did not get. That last part is the one that matters. A sponsor never gets to review a page, never gets a figure changed, and never gets an editorial page to link to them. If a disclosure on this site ever fails to say those three things, it is a defect and reporting it to the desk is welcome.