Advertising & Commercial Policy

1. Absolute Separation of Advertising and Community Rankings

Bluetick is founded on the principle that rankings must be ranked by people. Community voting decisions, candidate placements, vote counts, and historical movements are determined strictly by registered member votes and verifiable data.

Commercial partners, advertisers, and sponsors have zero influence over community votes or ranking results. Our advertising infrastructure is technically and organizationally firewalled from our ranking calculation engine.

2. Ranking Positions Cannot Be Purchased

Under no circumstances can an individual, organization, agency, or brand pay to:

• Alter, elevate, or guarantee any position in a Top 100 or Top 25 ranking list;
• Artificially inflate or generate automated votes or consensus metrics;
• Suppress, demote, or remove legitimate competitors from voting candidates; or
• Modify historical voting snapshots or candidate performance records.

3. Sponsored Content Disclosure

When Bluetick publishes commercially sponsored articles, product spotlights, or notices, they are clearly and prominently marked with an unambiguous "Sponsored" or "Advertisement" badge at the top of the content.

Sponsored articles are authored independently and do not represent editorial ranking endorsements. Any factual claims within sponsored content must be verifiable through external, credible sources.

4. Ad Placements & Voting Control Safety

To prevent accidental user interaction and ensure compliance with Google AdSense Publisher Policies:

• Advertisements are strictly prohibited on private communication, password reset, account settings, payment, and subscription checkout pages.
• Advertisements are never placed immediately adjacent to voting buttons or ballot submission controls. Safe vertical margins are enforced by the platform layout.
• Ad slots are explicitly labeled as "Advertisement" and visually styled to prevent confusion with ranking cards or editorial content.

5. How Bluetick Makes Money

Bluetick sustains operations, server infrastructure, and development through three ethical revenue channels:

1. Display Advertising: Contextual and standard display ad placements powered by Google AdSense and vetted programmatic networks.
2. Optional Premium Subscriptions: Member subscriptions that offer badge verification, notice board participation, and advanced historical analytics.
3. Labeled Commercial Partnerships: Transparent, clearly disclosed brand sponsorships and notice board partner cards.

6. Contact for Advertising Inquiries

For inquiries regarding display advertising, notice board sponsorships, or our commercial integrity guidelines, please email our advertising team at [email protected].