Disclosure Policy

The purpose of my blog is to inform, excite, and inspire readers about the art and soul of bird watching and nature travel. I offer first-person travel and birding accounts, tools and tricks of the trade, interviews with birding and nature personalities, synopses of issues of importance to birdwatchers, plus travel guides to birding hotspots. I’m equally not opposed to occasional rants or bursts of pointless self-expression. It’s my blog and I’ll blog if I want to.

As blogging becomes a more mainstream, legitimate medium, there is growing concern over truth, integrity and commercialization in the blogosphere. I aim to be part of the solution, not the problem, so I took the Blog With Integrity oath.

My commitment to this oath means that I will be truthful, respectful, and professional in my blogging, and I will disclose material relationships, policies, and business practices where applicable. It also means I get to display that shiny, pretty logo you see above (as long as I follow the rules).

For the most part, I blog on my own time when moved by the passion and content to write, so you won’t necessarily see a new post every week. But when you see one I hope it will be worth your time.

I wear many hats and one of those says “travel writer.” As a birding & nature travel writer, I occasionally visit fantastically birdy or beautiful places “on assignment.” I write about what I see and experience for newspapers, magazines, or this blog.

Like most travel writers, I sometimes receive free or discounted rates to visit a location. The discounts do not buy my favor, but they do offer an opportunity to visit a place that I couldn’t otherwise afford and report on. This is standard practice in the industry and only big-time publishers (think: The New York Times) can afford to do this job otherwise.

I also make plenty of trips on my own time, on my own dime. I write about those, too.

I deal in the business of fun and adventure. I want to excite readers about new possibilities for birding, and frankly, whereas not all birding locales are made equal, very few are downright disappointing. I aim to adequately prepare you for your visit to this new habitat and tell you what to expect. I do not boast about places that I could not recommend to a friend.

If I am compensated for a trip in any way, I will disclose that to you, either by indicating that I visited X-Location as a guest of X-Organization, by thanking those that offered me food or lodging, or by categorizing the post as “sponsored travel.” Doing so will help the blogosphere retain that extra dose of skepticism required to retain truth and authenticity in this medium.

So that’s my policy, which goes into effect …. NOW!

Thanks for reading,

Sincerely,

Laura Kammermeier

September, 15, 2009