Some sites have a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) section, not this one. Instead, I get lots of unique questions and two recurring ones. The first is usually from a marketing person asking me “how much do I charge for product reviews or placement?” The answer is zero. There are paid review services out there, but I’m not one of them. I also don’t have a set review schedule, just a long list of review candidates.

I think I understand why some companies believe I do placements. I don’t write many reviews that criticize a product. I think the worst rating I gave was for magicJack in 2008. In retrospect, I wish I didn’t write that one as it generated more support emails than you can imagine.

The reason I don’t write that many negative reviews is they’re like a bad relationship and I find them draining. And with apology to Dan K, I know there is value in negative reviews. I probably have 50 partial articles that I stopped because of problems or bad service.  I usually send an email to the company that explains the issue. Sometimes I tell the company I’ll give them another look later such as FranklinCovey’s PlanPlus Online.

A related question is “how do I make money from this site?” Like many sites I rely on advertising. There are two networks serving ads, but I experiment. Ad networks are an easier way to monetize a site as I don’t have to contact companies and try to sell them ad space. It usually amounts to me adding a snippet of code. And maybe one of these days I'll figure out how to put on an ad server so I can better customize the ads to the audience. Of course, it would help if these vendors provided clear instructions. Talk about a lost opportunity.

Each network I use allows me to target ads to a certain degree by category and type. As example, I dislike ads that pop over content and you have to click a Close button. If you see an ad that bothers you, let me know the details and I’ll research it. I also allow public service ads.

For many years, I only relied on ads, but enough people starting using ad blockers that I needed to do something else to cover my expenses. Recently, I've started to use affiliates. You might think of this as a commission I get based on a reader’s action. The typical action would be if you bought a product. It could be something as simple as buying a book through a certain retailer or signing up for a product trial. Each relationship is different.

If you think I’m picky about ads, I’m more so when it comes to being an affiliate. I have to like the product or company before I’ll enter into an affiliate relationship. The product has to be one which I think provides value, relates to technology and benefits you. In some cases, an affiliate relationship is handled by SkimLinks or VigLinks. These services make it easier so I don't have to establish accounts with multiple affiliate networks.

Even though I may think a product, service or ad is a good fit for readers, it may not be the best for you. You should always do your own research. You can always drop me an email and tell me of your experience, good or bad.