[This policy has been updated and is valid as of October 2009.]
This blog is a personal blog written and edited by David Lebovitz. This blog does not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions except in the sidebars and areas where it is clearly marked or evident. Nothing is any of the posts on the blog has been placed there because payment exchanged hands.
Newsletter
Readers who subscribe to my newsletter will only receive message generated by me. The list of subscribers is never shared or sold. Newsletters are sent out intermittently throughout the year and I do not send unsolicited e-mails or newsletters: at the end of each is an opt-out feature if readers wish to discontinue receiving it.
Products Featured
I infrequently accept products, services, travel, and event tickets from companies and organizations as long as the topic pertains to the blog, or is aligned with my personal beliefs. I sincerely believe in small businesses and food producers and will often feature them, or items that they produce, in an effort to assist them in becoming more widely known. This, to me, is an honest gesture to give these companies and establishments more exposure.
Because I live abroad, and many products aren’t easily available, I will have American products sent to me by the company, so I can evaluate them honestly and share it with readers. There is never any monetary compensation involved and I make it clear to the company that I don’t promise to mention the product, or give it a positive review, on this site or in my books.
Restaurant Reviews
In the restaurant reviews on the site, I’ve paid for my meal. In cases where the meal was complimentary, I mention in the post that I was invited by the host. I sometimes get complimentary items from restaurants because I was a pastry chef and have many friends and associates in the industry. (Which is common practice amongst people in the restaurant business.) Whether I receive anything or not has no influence on what I write about.
The restaurant “reviews” on the site are intended for informational purposes since many visitors come to Paris and want to know where to go. For that reason, I rarely mention places in a negative light, simply because I like to believe that everyone in the restaurant business is doing the best they can. Not all succeed, but those who do, I am happy to pass along my experiences when dining there.
Generally speaking, I don’t monitor when restaurants or other establishments move, change hours, and experience personnel shifts and changes. As possible, I do update posts, but I do provide phone numbers and advise calling restaurants and shops for the most recent information.
Cookbooks & Recipe Attribution
I will occasionally write about a cookbook, or adapt a recipe from one. If the book is not already in my collection, on occasion, I’ll receive a review copy from the author or publisher, which is common practice. I don’t review all the books I receive nor do I promise placement or a positive review in exchange for the book.
I follow the attribution guidelines which I wrote about at Food Blog Alliance, which are standard throughout the cookbook industry and amongst food writers.
Amazon
There is never any compensation involved from advertisers in my blog posts. As I am a cookbook author and make my income from sales of my books and will, on occasion, provide links to them, as well as other books available on Amazon.
I do receive a small commission on Amazon sales, but many of the links exist because I get inquiries about the availability of products, and Amazon and its affiliates carry a wide ranges of books, gourmet foods, and cookware that are easily available, often internationally. I personally shop at Amazon and find it to be easy-to-use and reliable. I believe in supporting local businesses as well. But because it’s not always possible to mention that in posts, I assume that readers know best the shopping options available to them in their particular geographical region.
Ad Networks
At the time of writing, I am a member of the Martha’s Circle, the Martha Stewart ad network, which I chose because I they seem to be in line with my personal philosophy about cooking and food. Because ads are automatically fed by her network, I don’t monitor the ads that appear there. I do not allow ads with sound or flash animation that exceeds to parameters of the ad space and if those appear, it’s by accident, and I contact the network to have them removed immediately. For editorial reasons, I prefer to keep a “hands off” policy with the ads, unless something is blatantly offensive.
Similarly, I use Google AdSense, a third-party ad system, which is keyword-based and reacts automatically to the content which is presented on the site. I have no say over the ads that appear and like the ad network mentioned above, for editorial reasons, I like to keep a hands-off policy with those ads.
I can’t monitor all the ads since many are regionally-based and I don’t see the same ones that you might see. So if you find an AdSense ad offensive, click on the “Ads by Google” link adjacent to the ads (not on the ads themselves), and you can register your complaint directly with Google.
Advertising
I do not accept text-link ads, or goods or services in exchange for links or content placement. Messages requesting any of those will be ignored.
One-third of my readers are from outside the United States and I appreciate their understanding when I find life outside of the borders of my home country perplexing. While I welcome diverse opinions and comments on the blog, I do not allow personal attacks in the comments and will delete anything I deem inappropriate.
Any links to commercial sites in the comments, unless related to the post, will be edited or deleted as well.
I strongly believe in honesty of relationship, personal integrity, and trust with readers. I don’t recommend products, whether given to me as gifts or that I’ve purchased, if they’re not something that I would personally purchase and use myself.
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely mine. I will only endorse products or services that I believe, based on my expertise, are worthy of such endorsement and not because I’ve received cash in exchange for the endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.
Trust with readers is my most important asset and I strive to only recommend products, restaurants, hotels, and travel experiences with my reader’s interest in mind. Maintaining a blog has many facets, including costs associated with web hosting and design, and a considerable amount of time is spent writing content and responding to readers. It’s my intention to share my stories in a humorous manner, not intended to offend, but to highlight cultural differences, entertain, and for informational purposes only.
