Policies

By using this site, Destination: Austin Family, you agree to the following policies:

Copyright Notice

You may NOT use the contents of this site for any purposes without explicit permission from the author and blog owner Thomas MacEntee. Commercial purposes includes blogs with ads and income generating features, and/or blogs or sites using feed content as a replacement for original content. Full content usage is not permitted.

Disclosure Statements

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by Thomas MacEntee. For questions about this blog, please contact me at geneabloggers at gmail dot com.

This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.
This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. We believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own.

Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

The owner has received products, services, payments from the following:
  • 23andMe: I have received a 23andMe Spit Kit, valued at $299, for evaluation purposes.
  • Advertise With Bloggers: I have written guest blog posts for other blogs and websites for which I have been compensated financially; I have also produced targeted editorial content in the form of blog posts at GeneaBloggers using keywords and other supplied content for specific advertisers for which I have been compensated financially.
  • Ancestry.com: In 2014, I received a complimentary version of Ancestry.com's World Plus subscription; I am often asked to beta test new features before they are released. I have attended various events sponsored by Ancestry.com, some of which have included compensation for travel and meal expenses; I have attended various Ancestry.com events at genealogy conferences (by invitation) which have included free meals and free copies of software as well as logo ware (promotional items with the Ancestry.com logo); and I have also received a complimentary AncestryDNA test for evaluation purposes.
  • Archives.com: I have written Expert Series articles for Archives.com for which I was paid; and I have received a free Archives.com membership.
  • Backblaze: I am an affiliate for Backblaze and have also been given a free 1-year license of the Backblaze program to backup my computer and to review the service.
  • Family History Expos: I have been named a Blogger of Honor by Family History Expos and/or have presented as a speaker for various Family History Expos events; such designation entitled me to complimentary registration, wi-fi access, banquet or event admission, as well as promotional gift items.
  • Family Search: I have attended various events sponsored by FamilySearch, some of which have included compensation for travel and meal expenses; I have attended various FamilySearch sponsored events at genealogy conferences (by invitation) which included transportation, accommodations, meals and free logo ware (promotional items with the Family Search logo); I have been designated a RootsTech Official Blogger for 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 which entitled me to free registration and other perks during the conference; and I also worked as a paid consultant for the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project handling social media projects.
  • F+W Media: I have taught webinars and have participated in virtual conferences at Family Tree University for which I have been compensated; I have written several articles for Family Tree Magazine for which I have been compensated; I was a member of a Family Tree 40 Panel which assisted in selecting the 40 Best Genealogy Blogs for Family Tree Magazine; and I use affiliate links to sell Family Tree Magazine-related products.
  • Family ChartMasters: Family ChartMasters has sponsored the Mardi Gras beads for bloggers at SCGS Jamboree; I have periodically received chocolate bars and discount coupons from Family ChartMasters, both of which I have used (chocolate makes me happy).
  • Federation of Genealogical Societies: In the past I have served as a Director for the Federation of Genealogical Societies as well as its Marketing & Public Relations Chair; in addition, I served as National Publicity Co-Chair for the FGS 2011 and FGS 2012 national conferences which entitled me to compensation for hotel accommodations.
  • findmypast.com:  I have received a complimentary 12 Month World Subscription in order to evaluate the new findmypast.com site available to US subscribers.
  • FindTheData: I have been designated as an expert blogger at FindTheData for purposes of updating information on genealogy-related products and services.
  • Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner:  I was engaged as a paid consultant with Couragent, Inc., maker of the Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner; and I have received a complimentary scanner for evaluation purposes and I use Flip-Pal affiliate links on this blog and other sites.
  • fold3: I have used affiliate links and advertising for Fold3 on this blog and other blogs and websites I own; I received compensation for sales made through these links to fold3.
  • Genealogical Publishing Company: I have used affiliate links and advertising for Genealogical Publishing Company on this blog and other blogs and websites I own; I receive complimentary copies of books and other items for review; and I keep the items for personal use or I donate them to genealogical societies as door prizes.
  • Genealogical Speakers Guild: I have been a member of the Genealogical Speakers Guide (GSG); I served co-chair of the GSG Virtual Presentations Committee and I have contributed to their quarterly newsletter Speak!.
  • GenealogyBank: I have used affiliate links and advertising for GenealogyBank on this blog and other blogs and websites I own; I received compensation for sales made through these links to GenealogyBank.
  • Geni: I have received a complimentary Pro membership and conference swag (t-shirts, etc.) from Geni.com; and I have contributed to a weekly podcast on various genealogy topics at the Geni.com blog for which I received no compensation.
  • Illinois State Genealogical Society: In the past I have served as webmaster and Publicity Chair for the Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS). I have also been a speaker for the ISGS Webinar Series, and I was compensated with a speaker fee for each lecture.
  • Legacy Family Tree: I have received complimentary copies of software and training materials from Millennia Corporation, parent company of Legacy Family Tree; I also have produced several webinars for which I have been compensated via speakers fees and recording royalties; I have also performed social media consulting work for Millennia Corporation; I was also selected as a speaker on a Legacy Family Tree Cruise for which I was compensated; I produce and edit the Legacy QuickGuides™ for which I receive a royalty for each copy sold; and I also have used affiliate links and advertising for Legacy Family Tree on this blog and other blogs and websites I own.
  • Mocavo: I have been provided with a complimentary one-year Mocavo Plus subscription to give away in a contest of my choosing and design.
  • MyHeritage: As of July 2014, several of my blogs and websites (GeneaBloggers, HackGenealogy, High-Definition Genealogy and Destination: Austin Family) are sponsored by MyHeritage for which I am compensated financially; in addition, I use MyHeritage affiliate links and ads on these sites and the RSS feeds for these sites.
  • ObitsArchive: I have used affiliate links and advertising for ObitsArchive on this blog and other blogs and websites I own. I have received compensation for sales made through these links to ObitsArchive.
  • Obit Magazine: I have been paid to write articles for Obit Magazine.
  • Pocket Tree: I received a complimentary copy of Pocket Tree which I reviewed at GeneaBloggers and I retained the item for my own personal use.
  • ReelGenie: I have provided paid consulting services (marketing) to ReelGenie.
  • RootsMagic: I have received free copies of RootsMagic software on various occasions.
  • Saving Memories Forever: I have provided paid consulting services to Saving Memories Forever; and Saving Memories Forever has been a paid advertiser at GeneaBloggers.
  • Shop The Hound: I reviewed the Zcan+ mouse scanner which was provided to me by Shop The Hound at no cost.
  • uencounter.me: I received a Premium Subscription at uencounter.me for purposes of reviewing the site's functions.
  • Vintage Aerial: I received a complimentary 12 x 18 framed photo of my choice from Vintage Aerial valued at $349 for review purposes; after the review, I retained the product to hang in my home office; in addition, I have contributed blog posts to the Vintage Aerial blog.
  • WikiTree: I provide paid consulting services to WikiTree.
This blog does not contain content which, in my opinion, might present a conflict of interest. To learn more about blogger disclosure issues, go to Why You Need a Blogging Disclosure Statement at Geneabloggers.  To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org.

Privacy Policy

Destination: Austin Family respects your privacy. Any personal information you provide to us including and similar to your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address will not be released, sold, or rented to any entities or individuals outside of Destination: Austin Family.
  • External Sites: Destination: Austin Family is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. You are advised to read the privacy policy of external sites before disclosing any personal information. 
  • Cookies: A "cookie" is a small data text file that is placed in your browser and allows Destination: Austin Family to recognize you each time you visit this site (customisation etc). Cookies themselves do not contain any personal information, and Destination: Austin Family does not use cookies to collect personal information. Cookies may also be used by 3rd party content providers such as newsfeeds. 
  • Remember The Risks Whenever You Use The Internet : While we do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information that you transmit to Destination: Austin Family and you are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of any passwords or other account information. In addition other Internet sites or services that may be accessible through Destination: Austin Family have separate data and privacy practices independent of us, and therefore we disclaim any responsibility or liability for their policies or actions. 
Please contact those vendors and others directly if you have any questions about their privacy policies. For any other information email webmaster.

Terms of Service

(Normally I would put this in really small print, but several leading eye physicians have advised me to stick to larger fonts).

Although I assume that everyone will understand that the information on this site is intended to foster knowledge expansion among the genealogy and family history community, other sites have these fancy disclaimers and it sure is fun to tug on their capes. So here goes:

1. Copyright: Destination: Austin Family is owned and administered by Thomas MacEntee. All rights reserved.

2. Content: I am responsible for the content of this site, not including visitor comments or the content of individual contributors. Other than visitor comments and specifically stated guest contributions, Destination: Austin Family reflects the personal views and opinions of Thomas MacEntee.

3. Credit: I make every effort to give proper credit to any sources of content or information in this blog. If you feel you or another source lacks credit, please contact Destination: Austin Family. No one likes a plagiarist.

4. Accuracy and Validity: Believe it or not, people make mistakes from time to time and I try to make facts and information as accurate as possible. In addition, Destination: Austin Family is a work in progress. The world is an ever-changing place, which means that content can become outdated quickly. While I hope to avoid having outdated material on this site, I can’t guarantee that everything is timely, so don’t rely on the timeliness or accuracy of the information at Destination: Austin Family.

5. Images: Any image which is not otherwise attributed to another source, is presumed to be owned by Thomas MacEntee. If you wish to use the image, please ask permission. And ask nicely.

6. Comments: I am not responsible for any comments made by contributors in the Comments section. Anonymous comments will not be published and will be immediately deleted. If you have an opinion you should have the conviction of being identified as the holder of that opinion. However I will exercise my right to moderate and edit comments which are deemed to be offensive, childish or just plain dumb as a box of hair.

7. Liability: As a reader, you will not hold me liable for libel (say that three times fast) or defamation in the content of Destination: Austin Family. In addition, there is no intention to do harm by hosting content at Destination: Austin Family. The content at Destination: Austin Family is not to be taken as fact nor absolute. If people use the information and somehow are injured, I am not to be held responsible. The sites that Destination: Austin Family links to via hyperlinks are not under my control. Those sites are responsible for the content of those sites. The sun, the moon and the rotation of the Earth are not under my control either. I'm working on it, but don’t hold your breath, and don’t try to make me responsible for other sites, bad weather, global warming or any malady that befalls you.

So there it is. I've done the disclaimer thing. Aren’t you glad we got that out of the way? Now back to the business of blogging about genealogy and family history.

* Inspiration for this disclaimer provided by Valorem Law Group.

©2013, copyright Thomas MacEntee