Beginning December 1, 2009, the FTC requires bloggers to disclose whenever there could be hidden interests or unspoken biases related to recommendations.

First, the obvious: We are a business first, fun second.  This website is financially-driven, but also a fun place to discuss moscow mules, drinking and the party lifestyle.

Per the FTC rules, if I interview someone and they grab the bill for lunch, I would need to disclose this. Ditto if I use an Amazon link that gets me 8 cents instead of an Amazon link that gets me 0 cents. If someone gives me a comfy t-shirt with a logo and I wear it in a photo, same deal. Disclaimers all over the place.

This would be tedious for me and even more tedious for readers. But rules are rules.

To cover my ass and preserve your reading experience, please assume that, for every link and product I use, the following all hold true:

As I did, please feel free to use the text and images on this page with proper attribution back to Tim Ferris,Louis Gray and Jeannine Schafer– and this blog if you’re feeling generous! There is no reason why each blogger should have to reinvent the wheel.

(Illustrations courtesy of Louis Gray and Jeannine Schafer)