My YouTube Tech iHOUND channel is something I do for enjoyment. My main goal is to provide honest information for my viewers. I truly value the relationship I’ve built with my viewers and especially my subscribers. I will not do anything on this channel that would in anyway be unethical.

I do receive occasional offers from companies to review their items. Any item that does not fit into the auspices of my channel and it's viewers has been turned down. I'm very picky about such things.

If I choose to work with a brand in the future, it will always be because I actually use the product or service myself and genuinely trust the brand to provide excellent customer service and support OR the product is something I think will my viewers will be interested in knowing about. More importantly, I will always make it abundantly clear to my viewers that such content is sponsored or I got something for free. If I don’t explicitly say that a video is sponsored or an item was given to me, then it is not sponsored and I paid for the item. Simple as that!

The products I purchase will be bought because I have a need for them for the production of my channel or to use elsewhere in my home. Any company asking me to consider their product for a review must provide the product to me along with packaging and the funds necessary to return it to them at their expense if they want the item returned.  

In general, I prefer not to create sponsored work. If I do partner with a brand in the future, you can bet they’ve seen this page and that I’ve been able to build a relationship with them over an extended period of time based on mutual trust and understanding.

Beyond that, I think it’s important to question the purpose behind a sponsorship. For me personally, a sponsor should support and enable what I do. Ideally it’s a win-win-win situation for the viewer, the brand, and myself. My channel has never been and never will be an extension of any brand’s marketing department.

I did sign up with Amazon's Affiliate Program but didn't get enough sales through them to stay qualified for their program. I will attempt to reapply in the future once my channel gets more subscribers and views.

Almost all of the equipment and products I use and review will be purchased by me, but  I may decide to rent or borrow equipment. If a company sends a product to me free of charge I will always clearly state in the video and description that it was provided to me at no cost. I only plan accept these offers simply due to practicality – I have a very limited budget and sometimes there are things that I’m curious about or that I’ve been asked for my opinion on. I would go broke pretty quickly if I bought items just to review them.

I pledge that when I receive free products that it never guarantees a positive review or even a review/video at all. Just like with sponsorships, I will be extremely selective about accepting anything for free and will only do so after discussing this Ethics Statement with the brand.

All that being said, there are a few additional non-negotiable points I’d like to share for the sake of clarity. I’ve made all of this info publicly available to viewers and brands alike so that we’re all on the same page:

- I, Donald Bullock, retain the legal copyright of all my videos and all the legal protections provided by copyright law.

- My content is my own. I create and produce each video based on what I’m excited about and what I think will be relevant/helpful to my audience at that time.

- I do not submit previews of videos to anyone for approval or revisions. No exceptions.

- My reviews are always as objective as possible and my opinions are always my own.

- I have full control over my content calendar. While I’m happy to work collaboratively when possible for scheduling, no outside party can pay or otherwise influence me in return for scheduling priority. I'm a retired school teacher with a lot of interests and family obligations that may keep me from meeting a specific schedule.

- I will not purchase a product just to review it for this channel.

- Just because a product is provided to me at no cost does not mean I will review it or feature it in a video. I do not make videos in exchange for free products or services.

- I never work with Amazon resellers– only directly with reputable brands.  

- I may in the future try to rejoin the Amazon Affiliate Program and those offered by other companies. These programs will allow me to receive a small commission. I will NOT join one that adds ANY additional costs to the buyer.

- I typically avoid “preproduction” versions of products/software and prefer to use what will actually be delivered to other customers. If necessary I may review products with preproduction hardware/software and make that clear to my viewers. These will be decided on a case by case basis.

- I appreciate when companies offer information about their products/services, but I will only include what I think is relevant and necessary and in any videos I create. Such information will be included only if I also agree with it.

- I will work to seek answers for anything about a product/service that I don’t fully understand to make my videos as accurate and helpful as possible

- While it usually makes sense to include certain links in video descriptions or social media posts, I retain full control over what is shared on my accounts across all platforms.

- I never include additional social media promotion in sponsorship agreements (Instagram, X, MySpace, Etc).

- YouTube’s “includes paid promotion” option will be checked any time a video features a product or service that was provided at no cost, even if it’s not an official sponsorship.  

- I’m more than happy to let companies share my videos, as long as they post links directly to the original video uploaded to my YouTube channel. Videos may not be copied or used elsewhere.

- If I find myself considering a sponsored campaign that includes other creators, I will work to confirm that there is a representative mix of genders/ethnicities/orientations.

- I do not guarantee any number of views or any amount of audience engagement on any videos or content. As much as I want everything I create to “perform” well, there are too many variables beyond my control for me to make any claims regarding potential viewership, but I do watch and “like” all my videos before publishing, so I guess I can guarantee at least one view and one "thumbs up."

Side note to that: I do find it funny when brands asks for a video to “go viral.” If I knew how to do that, why wouldn’t I make every video a viral sensation? So far I haven't been that fortunate on any of my videos.

I also find it interesting that some companies have requested that I purchase their product and provide a review of it on my channel.

Thank you for taking the time to read and understand my Ethics Statement. This probably doesn’t cover every scenario under the sun. It should give you a pretty solid idea of how highly I value the integrity behind what I do and the relationship with anyone who takes the time to check out something I’ve made. I do reserve the right to alter this statement at any time when I feel it is needed to clarify my high stance on ethical conduct.

Ultimately, I just want to keep having fun making videos, and that sustainable fun disappears without these guidelines.

The Following is from the originator of the orignal Ethics Statement: If you’re a creator yourself, please feel free to take this Ethics Statement and make it your own. It’s ethical to steal my Ethics Statement! - Tom Buck -- I have made substancial changes to Tom's statement and made it my own.

Please give credit to Tom Buck for the origins of this ethics statement if you use it and be sure to let him know where you found it.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, information, etc. please feel free to reach out to me at donbullock@techihound.com.

Don