Affiliate Disclosure — The Scrolling Dead
The Scrolling Dead runs on caffeine, sarcasm, and affiliate links. We don’t have investors, we’re not backed by a media conglomerate, and no big tech company is secretly paying us to praise their latest gadget (if they were, we’d probably have better chairs). This site exists because we love talking about technology — not just the shiny parts, but the messy, frustrating, deeply human parts too. To keep doing that without slapping twenty pop-up ads on every page, we use affiliate links and display ads to help cover the costs of keeping the lights — and servers — on.
Here’s how it works: when you click a link on our site and buy something, we might earn a small commission. It doesn’t cost you anything extra. The price is the same whether you buy through us or directly from the retailer. Those small commissions add up and help pay for our hosting, software, domain renewals, and the occasional replacement keyboard when someone gets too passionate about a bad UX design.
We’re currently partnered with (or occasionally work with) the following affiliate networks:
- Awin (Affiliate Window)
- FlexOffers
- Commission Junction (CJ)
- ShareASale
- Webgains
We also use Google AdSense for contextual ads. They appear in a few places across the site, and while we don’t choose exactly which ads show up, we do filter out the spammy, the scammy, and the “one weird trick” nonsense. You’ll never see fake virus warnings, crypto hype, or miracle gadgets that claim to “revolutionize productivity” (whatever that means).
Now, the important part: affiliate links never influence our opinions. If we recommend a product, it’s because one of us actually used it — usually long enough to break it or at least get annoyed with it. Keith writes about software tools he uses every day as a developer. Julie covers social media tech she deals with professionally (and grudgingly). Brenda talks about apps from the perspective of a teacher and parent. Paul reviews productivity tools that drive him insane. Rachel tests creative software that occasionally makes her question all of modern design. None of us write “sponsored content,” and none of our reviews are bought. Ever.
If we receive a free product or trial for review, we’ll say so clearly in the article. And even then, we’ll still be honest. If something’s bad, we’ll tell you. If it’s good, we’ll tell you why. We’ve turned down plenty of offers from companies wanting to “collaborate” in exchange for “exposure.” Exposure doesn’t pay for hosting, and selling our integrity isn’t worth the bandwidth.
We get that affiliate marketing has a bad reputation because some sites abuse it — writing glowing “reviews” for things they’ve never touched just to cash in. That’s not what we’re doing. Our reviews and recommendations come from lived experience. If a product doesn’t work the way it should, you’ll read about it here. If it breaks, we’ll mention that too. And if it’s actually worth your time and money, we’ll explain why in plain English, not PR fluff.
Transparency is our default setting. We assume our readers are smart enough to handle honesty. That’s why you’ll never see sneaky affiliate disclaimers buried at the bottom in tiny print. You’re reading this because we want you to know exactly how this works. The internet’s full of hidden monetization — ghostwritten listicles, sponsored videos, and “unbiased” reviews that aren’t. The Scrolling Dead exists partly as a reaction to all that. We want to write about tech without pretending to be above it, and that means being clear about how we pay the bills.
If you click an affiliate link and buy something, thank you. You’re helping an independent site stay independent. If you’d rather not, that’s fine too — you can always search for the product yourself and bypass the tracking. We won’t guilt-trip you. You won’t suddenly start seeing “please support us” popups or guilt-inducing banners. We just appreciate that you’re here reading what we write.
For the legal sticklers: affiliate links may use cookies to track referrals. These don’t store personal data beyond basic information like “someone from The Scrolling Dead clicked this link.” You can delete or block cookies anytime in your browser settings, and the site will still function normally. You can read the full details in our Privacy Policy.
In summary, here’s our affiliate rulebook:
- We only recommend what we genuinely use or believe in.
- We don’t take money for positive coverage.
- We disclose free products or partnerships clearly.
- We use affiliate income to support independent writing, not yachts.
- We tell you exactly how it works, no fine print required.
We write about tech because we live in it. The affiliate income just helps us afford to keep complaining about it online. If you ever have questions about how we earn revenue, how a specific link works, or whether a post was sponsored, you can always reach us at [email protected].
We’ll answer honestly — probably from a device we’ve already written an article complaining about.