Editorial Guidelines for IDG Web Sites

The same ASME principles that mandate distinct treatment of editorial content, advertisements, and special advertising sections ("advertorials") in print publications also apply to online editorial projects bearing the names of print magazines or offering themselves as electronic magazines. The dynamic technology of electronic pages and hypertext links create a high potential for reader confusion. Permitting such confusion betrays reader trust and undermines the credibility not only of the offending online publication or editorial product, but also of the publisher itself. It is therefore the responsibility of each online publication to make clear to its readers which online content is editorial and which is advertising, and to prevent any juxtaposition that gives the impression that editorial material was created for--or influenced by--advertisers.*

We hereby call on editors, publishers, and advertisers to follow this set of standards:

1. The home page of a publication's Web site (or other electronic venue) shall identify the publication by displaying its name and logo prominently in order to make clear who controls the content of the site. All editorial content is under the sole control of editors.
2. On all online pages, there shall be a clear distinction made--through words, design, placement, or any other effective method--between editorial and advertising content.
3. In the case of special advertising sections, or in any other case where there is significant danger that advertising, including advertorials, will be mistaken for true, independently produced editorial content, the advertising in question shall carry the words "Special Advertising Section" or "Advertisement From (Company Name)" prominently at the top of each page or each body of material within a page, in type at least equal in size and weight to the publication's normal editorial body type face. The word "advertorial" shall not be used. Synonyms such as "sponsored by," "brought to you by," "underwritten by," or "supported by" can be used in addition to the words "advertisement" or "advertising" but should not be used as replacements for these words.
4. Publications shall display their logos in conjunction with the logo of another company only in custom publishing arrangements where the publication solely controls the site's content and in no way endorses the advertiser's products or services. This does not preclude joint partnerships, either editorial- or sales-driven, as long as there is a clear distinction between editorial and advertising content at all times.
5. Links that appear within the editorial portion of a site shall be under the sole control of the editors. No publication may sell outright--or make a condition of any advertising sale, either explicitly or by implication--a link from its editorial content to any other site. Links from editorial content to advertisements on the site are not permitted.
6. Neither links nor other references to special advertising sections or advertorials shall appear in the table of contents, directory of contents, or in any listing of editorial content of an online publication. However, a reference to a special advertising section or advertorial may be placed outside editorial areas and display in a design different from the publication's editorial design.
7. Editors shall not create content for special advertising sections or other advertisements.
8. The publication shall require that search engines and other applications presented under the publication's brand and made accessible through the publications' Web sites perform their operations free of influence from advertising or other commercial considerations. Alterations that give greater prominence to an advertiser's site or link would constitute a betrayal of reader trust and are therefore prohibited. This does not preclude ads on search results pages as long as all search results are under the editors' control.
9. Where technically possible, efforts should be made to avoid intentionally placing advertisements next to editorial coverage of the same product. This does not preclude ads on search results pages as long as all search results are under the editors' control.
10. Each site will provide a link from its home page to data about the site, including information on how to contact the editors, the site's policies on the use of information gathered in registration processes, the site's privacy policies, and its policies regarding the use of cookies and of e-mail addresses.

* Original ASME guidelines are in plain text; IDG-specific additions are in bold.