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Boston Discovery Guide's policies

BostonDiscoveryGuide.com is my personal website, and I'm an actual person - not a corporation, or a staff of writers, or a tourist group.  I'm not an employee of a tourism office, travel agency, cruise company, or anything else travel-related, and I'm not paid for anything that I write here.  My professional background is in computer systems development - about as far from travel as you can get.  I'm happy to tell you that I have sole control over the editorial content included on the site and what I write.

Boston Discovery Guide covers its expenses through advertising and affiliate relationships.  Google provides ads ("Adsense") - you've probably noticed them on many pages.  Affiliate relationships compensate Boston Discovery Guide with a small commission if you purchase or sign up through links on the pages.  This is how I'm able to provide all the free content on this website, and continue adding to it. 

There are 3 important things to know:

• These ads and relationships do not bias or influence what I write or publish
• You do not pay any additional fees if you click on affiliate links and then buy or sign up for something - you'll pay the same or even less than if you purchased or signed on through BDG's affiliates directly
• In some cases, Boston Discovery Guide is able to offer special discounts when you buy through our pages.  This is because the affiliate company doesn't have to pay for advertising - so they pass part of their savings on to you.

In the case of Google Adsense, they select the ads they show, so if they show an ad for something I've written about, it is a coincidence.  They show different ads in different locations, and I only see the Boston ads unless I'm traveling - so what you see probably differs from what I see. 

You will see a few other ads on the site.  Several are for affiliates, such as TripAdvisor and Viator.  I make sure that ads look like ads, and won't be mistaken for content.  I turn down all paid endorsements, as well as ads from companies that don't meet my quality criteria.  I also turn down all requests to publish promotional content written by others on the site.

Affiliates such as TripAdvisor, Goldstar Events, Smart Destinations, and TicketLiquidator represent my deliberate choices, chosen because I believe they deliver best value for the money.  In fact, most are companies I use myself - usually after a lot of research to figure out which is the best. 

And as you can see, I personally prefer companies that find the best prices from different sources, and then let you choose what's best for you.  So I'm happy to provide you with links to them.  If you use their services or purchase their products and Boston Discovery Guide makes a small commission, that's a win-win and it is what makes the continuation and growth of this site possible.

I list the companies with which Boston Discovery Guide has an affiliate relationship at the bottom of this page.  BDG also includes links to groups such as Bostix (half-price tickets) where Boston Discovery Guide does not have an affiliate relationship. 

One more thing - I normally pay for all my meals in restaurants, my tickets for attractions or events, entrance fees, etc.  In the rare circumstances that I'm offered and use complementary tickets, I state that.  My goal is to bring you unbiased information that is accurate and trustworthy. 

These are Boston-DIscovery-Guide.com's main affiliate partners:

• AceTickets - Large Boston-based ticket reseller, offering tickets to all kinds of events and a 200% guarantee on every ticket they sell
• Amazon - Competitive prices, excellent selection, and sometimes free shipping.  Boston-Discovery-Guide.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com
• Art.com - Love their prints of Boston!
• CityPass - Discount card for top Boston attractions
• CruiseCompete - Find the best cruise price by getting free cruise quotes from multiple travel agents 
• GoBoston and GoSelect cards - Discount cards for Boston attractions, tours, cruises from Smart Destinations
• Goldstar Events - Get a free "membership" to access half-price deals on entertainment, sports, local cruises
• Google Adsense - Ads for Boston events, restaurants, hotels, etc.
• TicketLiquidators - Another large ticket reseller with an excellent guarantee
• TicketNetwork - Googd for concert tickets; excellent guarantee
• TripAdvisor - Great source of hotel reviews by recent visitors
• Trusted Tours and Viator - Tours to interesting places with top-notch guides and transportation

I occasionally add other affiliates for short periods of time, especially when they offer discounts of interest to site visitors, and I'm always on the lookout for other high-quality advertising and affiliates that will give you good discounts or convenience.  I also drop affiliates if they no longer provide good value.

If you are a potential advertiser and would like to learn more about advertising on Boston-Discovery-Guide.com, please contact me to discuss your needs.  Please note that advertising linking to your site will open in a separate window and will include the "nofollow" attribute in the html code, per Google policy, and must be readily identifiable by site visitors as an advertisement (as opposed to an ad disguised as content).

Thank you for visiting Boston Discovery Guide - and enjoy your trip to Boston!

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