BellaOnline Ethics and Review Policy

Any review a BellaOnline editor chooses to write is her honest, from the soul opinion. Our writers strive to provide rounded, critical reviews of products, books, and DVDs. They explain what they liked and what they were not fond of in a product. A book might be perfect for its target audience of adult women but inappropriate for girls aged 9-12. A movie might be fine for most audiences but have scenes that Christians might find offensive. We help alert readers to any issues to watch for, and inform them of other similar products which might suit them better.

BellaOnline editors never accept money for writing reviews. We do not run press releases, we do not write press releases. We do not write advertising. All content we write is how we feel about an item after personally using it. Our sole purpose is to provide reliable information and guidance for our visitors.

Review Copies
There are certain industries in which a review copy of the item is considered standard. This would include books and DVDs. Book publishers send out thousands and thousands of review copies, hoping that at least a few of the recipients will read, enjoy, and review the book. The flood of outgoing books is sent to reviewers at all levels. After a great deal of thought, we do accept review copies.

Because of the ready availability of review books and DVDs, both from publishers and from libraries, we do not necessarily disclose with any book or DVD review if we received it for free (from the publisher, from the library, from a friend) or by buying it at a book store.

Travel and Events
BellaOnline has a very strict policy on any travel, lodging and events reviewed by BellaOnline editors. Any item of a value of $50 or more must be approved by BellaOnline management before it is accepted. These items are clearly indicated on the review as having been provided on a complimentary basis. This is reserved for situations where press would normally receive access for ease of photography and interviews, such as museums, music festivals, and so on.

Our purpose at BellaOnline is always to write up the experience or situation exactly as any other person would experience it. So, for example, if we read the latest Harry Potter book, we read the exact same book that everybody else reads. We experience the same things our readers would experience. If we were to go to a hotel and announce ourselves as a BellaOnline editor, and receive special treatment, then our write-up of the weekend would not be a valid one. What we experienced would not be what most other people would experience. For that reason, if anything, we err on the side of anonymity and caution.

Examples
A new mystery novel comes out, and 2,000 copies are sent out by the publisher to reviewers around the globe. As a known reviewer of mystery novels, we get a copy. We write up our review and post it without any note that this was a free copy we read. The book we read is exactly the same book as all other readers will read; the experience is the same.

Our herbs editor owns a well used, dog-eared copy of a Basics of Herbs book, which she bought years ago. She writes a review explaining why this book is such an invaluable resource for her, sharing her love of the book with her readers. There is no need for her to disclose that she bought the book herself.

Our spas editor takes a trip to Pennsylvania and visits a country spa for the weekend, trying out a treatment or two. She does not inform the spa who she is or that she is going to review the experience. She therefore receives "normal" treatment - having an experience that any other guest should expect to receive. She can write up exactly what a typical visitor should expect to see. Since many women's magazines go on "press release" junkets where they are comped for their travel and subsequently write glowing reviews (promotions) of what they experience, we DO disclose on our review that we did not receive any special consideration. This helps to make more clear how BellaOnline differs from those other publications.

Our weddings editor visits a winery in Napa Valley which is well known for offering wedding services. She announces herself as a wedding writer and sets up an interview with the wedding planner to take a tour of the facility and learn more about its offerings. Here it is necessary for her to "reveal" her purpose in order to properly conduct the interview. This does not affect the review, since any information given to her would be the same information given to any other bride-to-be who came to make the visit. The weddings editor is in essence "touring for the bride", learning what is good and not-so-good about the location. Maybe the winery is perfect for smaller parties but not sized well for larger groups. The wedding editor would write up all aspects of the location - not a press release, but an honest, full review.

A folk music festival is running for the weekend, and they offer 50 press passes for journalists to be able to have access to interviewing the various musicians and participating in photo opportunities. Our folk music editor applies for and receives one of those press passes so that she can talk with the musicians, get their backgrounds and information, and snap some photos to accompany the article.

Summary
BellaOnline strives to be a "Consumer Reports" of the web - reporting with accuracy on the products we use, revealing both their good aspects and the parts which might not be a perfect fit for some of our visitors. If we review a restaurant, we do so as a "Phantom Gourmet", experiencing it as any other visitor would. We make clear on all write-ups and reviews when we have received any special treatment.

Other women's magazines write product reviews to push and promote those products, more of a "look at this cool purse!" than an actual review. Those same magazines publish travel reviews which are sponsored by the hotels and regions - they are brochures for the resorts, not a rounded coverage of its benefits and flaws. In comparison, here at BellaOnline we receive praise and maintain a strong reputation for our critically honest reviews. When we write about a book, product, movie or location, visitors can rely that we are providing a rounded view which can be trusted. We don't just praise the beautiful ocean view - we also warn that the bar can get raucous after dark.

Each editor provides any additional information about her personal review policy in her bio area.

If you have any questions at all about BellaOnline's review policy or a specific write-up, please do not hesitate to Contact BellaOnline.