Policies: About products and services mentioned on this site

For policy updates, or if you have any questions, please contact Mari. Phone calls are welcome.

Summary

Since May 1, 2009—and still the case as of May 1, 2023—the Bicycling Monterey website and projects have been provided by the founder, Mari Lynch, as a labor of love. All information published on this site has been provided for viewers’ consideration as a public service. No financial compensation has been accepted for the mentions and outbound links on this site. Likewise, no products or services have been accepted other than project supplies, as specified under “History” below.

It makes sense that the Bicycling Monterey website—with widespread acclaim and thousands of site visitors per month—is considered a desirable site for promotion. In this 15th year begun May 2023, Bicycling Monterey may consider partnerships or sponsorships. If so, only those whose products or services are determined by Mari to be of genuine and significant value will be accepted. For details, please phone Mari.

Why bother creating this policies page?

Mari Lynch is dedicated to transparent and honest work, as longtime Monterey County resident and active community volunteer Susan Ragsdale-Cronin wrote in a letter to the Monterey County Herald; scroll to the end of this page to see Susan’s remarks.

As Sea Otter Classic Co-Founder, President, and CEO Frank Yohannan wrote in a letter of recommendation regarding Mari’s professional skills, Mari has a well-earned reputation for integrity and ethics.

So, yes, taking time to provide clear policies about any products and services that are mentioned on the Bicycling Monterey website is something that matters to Mari—and perhaps to you too. If so, read on.

History

Mari Lynch is a resident of rural Monterey County and local business owner since 1981. The Bicycling Monterey website and other Bicycling Monterey projects have been provided by Mari as an unpaid volunteer since May 1, 2009, and that’s still the case as of May 1, 2023.

Contributions of project supplies for Bicycling Monterey projects have been accepted, with gratitude. All other project supplies, goods, and services required for the Bicycling Monterey work have been provided by Mari, apart from what it has been possible to purchase from the modest amount of financial contributions received. As of May 1, 2023, no free products or services have been given to Mari as personal gifts.

Future: Thirteenth year and beyond

Bicycling Monterey has been Mari’s labor of love for the planet we all share—Monterey County, the Monterey Bay region, and beyond. To sustain this work in its fifteenth year and beyond, various options may be considered. One option under consideration:  changes to Bicycling Monterey’s historical policies below.

Historical policies

Bicycling Monterey’s policies from May 1, 2009 to May 1, 2023 have been to decline all of the following.  To help make Bicycling Monterey as sustainable as is the mode of transportation and pleasure that it promotes, for the fifteenth year and beyond, a policy change to accept one or more of the following is being considered.
  • Requests to place paid advertisements on the Bicycling Monterey website.
  • Requests to write and/or publish product or service reviews for the Bicycling Monterey website (only), for which payment, goods, or services would be received as compensation. Standards: If a product or service is accepted for review, only those determined by Mari’s standards to be of genuine and significant value will be posted by her on this website.
  • Requests for social media or website pay-per-clicks or other compensated affiliate marketing.
  • Requests from individuals, businesses, and other organizations who wish to write guest posts for Bicycling Monterey for the purpose of receiving outbound links.

In contrast, note: (1) Because the Bicycling Monterey website serves as an information resource, Mari chose to include thousands of carefully selected outbound links (for which she has not accepted any payment or other compensation). (2) Bicycling Monterey has accepted with pleasure relevant guest posts, e.g., by Bob Okerblom, Alex Cappelli, and others, including public agencies, all seeking to appropriately publicize their volunteer or paid efforts that were likely to be of interest to Bicycling Monterey readers. (3) Mari has given much to promote participating businesses and organizations in the HER Helmet Thursdays Project—a long-term ecology-economy sustainability project to encourage people to bike. That project was launched November 2009 in Monterey County as a public service. Initially she planned to only allow charter participants (the first 100) into the project free of charge. However, she continued to welcome additional participants, and to promote them, without charging any fee. (4) The aforementioned and all outbound links and other promotion have been provided by Mari at no charge to the beneficiaries as part of helping to create a more bike-friendly Monterey County and a more bike-friendly world.

If you have questions or comments, please contact Mari.

* * *

Thank you to
Susan Ragsdale-Cronin and Frank Yohannan
 for their thoughtful words.

“Mari has a well-earned reputation for integrity and ethics.”

—Frank Yohannan