I am so grateful for the outpouring of support for the "Cigar Coop" project. The project has gone beyond my wildest dreams and I thank everyone who has supported this.
The content of this site is built on honesty and integrity, These core values have always been extremely important to me. I've operated this web-site on them and will continue to do so. That being said, I believe sharing these values with my audience will continue to affirm this commitment of honesty and integrity. I believe those folks who personally know me can vouch for this.
From time to time, I will revisit and update these guidelines that my web-site will adhere to.
If you hear of the contrary to anything I list below. I would appreciate you bringing this to my immediate attention.
Thank you,
Will
Operational Code of Ethics for www.cigar-coop.com
Note: "I" refers to myself (William Cooper) or anyone associated with producing content for the Cigar Coop web-site. "Sample" refers to anything given to me (or any author on Cigar Coop) by the manufacturer at no cost to me (or any author on Cigar Coop). A "sample" may be something I review or something I don't review (I'm using it as an umbrella term)
I.Samples
A.The reviews on this site do occasionally use samples that are provided by the manufacturer. Under no circumstances do I ever request or solicit samples of cigars and/or product. Any samples that have been placed in my hands have been and will only be manufacturer initiated and manufacturer initiated alone. All cigars reviewed will be disclosed whether they were purchased or provided as a sample.
B. (Added 8/30/11): When offered a sample, under no circumstances will additional samples or a quota of samples be asked for by the manufacturer. What is offered is what will be reviewed - even if it is a single cigar. If a manufacturer asks me for a number, I will default back to the manufacturer to decide how many to provide as a sample.
C.Samples are not given to anyone else and always remain in my personal hands. This is my commitment to the manufacturers that these cigars will be assessed either publicly or privately and not given out as "freebees" to friends, colleagues, etc.
D.When a sample is given to myself, I always request permission to post a public review/assessment of the cigar and/or product.
II. Assessment Standards
A.There are times I will post reviews/assessments that are not deemed as positive. With the case of "samples", I will always give the manufacturer a heads up on the issues I have. Cigars are often a hand-made process and this needs to be taken into account. With post-release cigars I purchase, I do believe there is more fair-game. That being said, I will always give another cigar a chance to be re-assessed. For these cases, I will not accept a sample and will purchase the cigar to re-assess (except in the case of a pre-release cigar, but the re-assessment will always be manufacturer initiated)
B.All cigars that are assessed are given a "blank slate" to start. In other words, we can be the biggest fan of the brand, or not a fan at all - but in the end this will not have an impact on the assessment.
III.Advertising/Contests
A.With the exception of "Cigar Rights of America" and "Outland Cigars" (and these two exceptions are personal decisions as they are a big part of my life as a cigar enthusiast), there has been and there will be no advertising on this web-site - whether complimentary or for a fee. This is my commitment to you that this is not a money making exercise and assures my audience that reviews are objective with no bias. This does not imply that sites that choose to do this are biased, it is a personal decision on my part.
B.This site will not have "contests" as a marketing tool whatsoever. Going forward (3/31/11), I will not post any links to contests going forward on web-sites. This is part of my commitment to unbiased reviews. This does not imply that sites that choose to do this are biased, it is a personal decision on my part.
C.I will personally not participate in any internet contests going forward where there is a manufacturer's product as the prize. I do reserve the right to participate in a retailer contest where I am making a purchase. This does not imply that sites that choose to participate in contests are biased, it is a personal decision on my part.
IV. References
A.This web-site will continue to reference the works of others where I have seen review content that applies to my review. I will continue to reference the works of others that have "exclusive content" relative to the content on my site.
B.I have not, nor ever will solicit any cigar manufacturer, retailer, web-site, or enthusiast as a personal reference without permission. If I choose to do so in the future, I will seek permission. This will be the only way I have or will seek a personal reference from someone. I also have not or will not initiate requests for "links" to my site, but am grateful for those that have chosen to do so. I might ask for a reciprocal link if someone asks my permission to link to my site.
C. Our links to other sites are what I now refer to as "Trusted Web-Sites". These are web-sites that I have validated also adhere to standards of honesty and integrity and have earned the respect of both cigar manufacturers and the cigar community. If a web-site is not listed here, it does not automatically imply that it falls short of these standards, it just means I haven't validated them. Periodically, from time to time I will review the list and may make adjustments accordingly.
D.All photos from an event will have permission to be posted going forward from the participants in the photos. I have been a little lax on this, but commit to this going forward. If a photo is asked to be removed, no questions will be asked and I will abide by that.
E.Privacy is guaranteed. No personal information has been, nor ever will be published on this site. This includes full name, etc.
V. Press Releases
A.From time to time, this web-site will publish press releases. Going forward (5/11/11), this web-site will only publish press releases that have been initiated by the manufacturer to myself (Cigar Coop). From time to time, if I am not issued a press release, I may refer to a trusted web-site that does have a particular press release of interest. Under no circumstances, does the publishing of a press release or a press release reference imply that I am endorsing a particular product.
B. Cigar Coop's focus is around cigar reviews, cigar previews, events, and tobacco legislation Occasionally this web-site will report newsworthy information. This site does not "scoop" a story - although it might be first to report it. The site documents all information with with sources. Information published is with permission or something that is of public record.
VI.Personal Conduct
A.This web-site strives to treat the cigar industry with respect on an on-going basis. It will not be a forum to slam people in the cigar industry or other cigar enthusiasts. From time to time, we may express a strong opinion, but will always not make it a personal attack. The same respect will be extended to social media extensions of this web-site - namely Twitter, Facebook, and various forums.
B.Cigar Coop will not criticize another cigar reviewers opinion on a cigar in a public or private setting. Every cigar reviewer is entitled to their personal opinion, and Cigar Coop recognizes that. We would expect similar cigar reviewers to reciprocate as well, although we do welcome debate via private exchange.
C.Social Media chatter by the team will be kept to a minimum in order to focus more on content. Cigar Coop encourages our readers to provide comments to published articles or through email feedback.
