AskTheManager.com FTC Disclosure Statement

Though this blog is not and was never intended to be a money making operation; all writers, owners, editors and administrators of AskTheManager.com (“ATM Staff” or “we”) intend to be compliant with the Federal Trade Commission (hereafter “FTC”) rules covering sponsored/affiliate endorsements in blogs and online articles. Therefore, it is important the ATM Staff detail all instances where we have or have not, or will or will not, receive compensation. First, let’s disclose where the ATM Staff has not and will not receive compensation:

• ATM Staff is often asked to pen favorable posts about products or websites that we know nothing about and have no affiliation. We routinely reject and will continue to reject these requests.

• ATM Staff is often asked to post the works of others recommending a particular product or website in exchange for compensation. While we do allow original guest posts (when these posts are free of recommendations, well-written, relevant and are unduplicated elsewhere on the Web), we routinely reject and will continue to reject requests to post guest endorsements.

• ATM Staff often receives unsolicited copies of books from new authors who wish for us to review their work on this blog. We read (or start to read) all books received. If we feel a book adds value to the world of leadership development or other related topics, we will include a review on this site. Except in the cases listed below, we receive no compensation from the authors (with the exception of the original unsolicited copy of the book).

The ATM Staff has received, and will continue to receive, compensation under the following circumstances:

• Amazon Affiliate Program – The ATM Staff receives a commission when you follow virtually any link from this website (including any pop-ups or pop-unders generated from actions taken on this website) to a product or other page on Amazon.com and make a purchase. This includes hyperlinks in articles (like this one) or the Amazon ads located in the margins of the website or included in the articles themselves. The commissions paid generally run between 4% and 15%, and as far as the ATM Staff knows, this commission does not change the price Amazon.com charges for these products. As of this writing, the average Amazon Affiliates commission check received by the ATM Staff is about $50 per month, though we have received monthly checks in excess of $100.

• Google Adsense Program – The ATM Staff receives a generally tiny commission when readers click through virtually any of the advertising elements marked “Ads by Google” (or other similar markings) on this website as part of the Google Adsense Program. The ATM Staff does not control which ads show to users and does not endorse any of the advertisers unless stated otherwise. As of this writing, the average Google Adsense commission received by the ATM Staff is about $12 per month, though there have been months where we received in excess of $20 in commissions from this program.

• Other Affiliate Programs – As of this writing, the ATM Staff does not receive compensation from sources other than those described above; though the reader should assume (unless otherwise stated) that any hyperlink placed on this website creates an affiliate or other compensated relationship between the ATM Staff and the target website.

• Future Endorsements – In the event the ATM Staff is compensated for an article or post other than by the means disclosed above, we will include a clear, specific disclosure in the article or post.

If you have any questions about whether the ATM Staff has or will receive compensation for any specific endorsement or recommendation, please contact us via the form at the bottom of this page for clarification.