About > Ethics Policy

About.com works to exceed our users' highest expectations. Each of our Guides makes the following promises to our audience:

1. We'll provide you with compelling, engaging content. Like a friendly neighbor, we'll give you frank advice, because we care as much as you do.
2. We'll save you time. Our advice and tips will help you make a decision, answer a question, or take an action.
3. We'll help you get to the point. We won't make you dig through a haystack to find the needle.
4. We'll NEVER let money influence the message. You may find advertising and contextual ecommerce links around our content, but our message is NOT for sale. Each of our Guides complies with our conflict-of-interest policy.
5. We'll speak your language. About.com is a friend to beginner and expert alike. We'll make it easy to learn the basics of any topic we cover and we won't confuse you with unnecessary jargon.
6. We'll make our content easy to read. You won't go blind staring at the computer monitor on About.com. Our content is succinct, digestible, and entertaining.

About.com Guide Conflict-of-Interest Policy

At About.com, we provide advice and information that are not only practical but trustworthy. In order to maintain credibility, we adhere to two guiding principles:

Objectivity: Our Guides don't give preferential treatment to any outside resource (publication, video, affiliate, Web site), based on their relationship with the person or company who authors or owns that resource.

Full Disclosure: Our Guides always disclose any relationship with a source that may compromise their objectivity.

About.com Guide Gift Policy

Review Items: Guides return all review or demo items with a value exceeding $25.

Travel Junkets:

As is common in the travel industry, About.com travel Guides may receive free food, lodging, or travel for the purpose of reviewing those services. However, these perks will not influence the coverage on About.com. As of September 2005, we require our Guides to provide full disclosure, so the reader can make a decision knowing all the facts.