Our Town Almanac
An almanac of your town · directory, events, history, people & a town newsletter Our Town Almanacourtownalmanac.com · one town at a time · free listings · for newcomers and locals

Advertising & labeling policy

The Almanac is free to read and free to be listed in. Local business sponsorships are how we plan to pay for it (none are running yet). Here’s exactly how they work.

  1. Free listings stay free. Every eligible local business gets a basic listing at no charge, forever. Paying never changes, moves or hides anyone else’s listing.
  2. Everything paid says “Sponsored.” The word is in plain text right next to it, on phones and computers, in a shaded box with a border, so it can’t be mistaken for our own content. You never have to click or hover to see it.
    • Website featured spot: “Sponsored · Featured listing”
    • Newsletter and other web spots: “Sponsored”
    • Classifieds and job posts: “Classified · Sponsored”
  3. Lists stay A–Z. Directory and category lists are always alphabetical. Featured spots appear only in a separate labeled box above the list, and the sponsor’s free listing stays in its normal A–Z place.
  4. Stories can’t be bought. Sponsors don’t choose, preview or approve what we write. Local Voices, celebrations, Hometown Heroes, history and our own stories are never for sale. If someone we write about has paid us for anything, we say so in the story.
  5. No pay-for-praise. We don’t sell “Best of,” “Top-rated” or “Recommended” titles. We don’t publish ratings or reviews, and we never write, buy or sell reviews.
  6. Some places never carry ads. Celebrations, Hometown Heroes, veterans tributes, election pages and history pages carry no sponsor content, and no ads sit beside them.
  7. No political ads. None, for any candidate, party or ballot question.
  8. We can say no to any ad that’s misleading, unlawful, or for adult content, gambling, firearms sales or tobacco/vaping. Every ad must be true and able to be backed up.
  9. Clear terms before you pay: price, how long it runs, no automatic renewal unless you ask for it, how to cancel, and the refund rule. You get a receipt for every payment.
  10. Links. Paid links carry a “sponsored” tag for search engines.
  11. Numbers we show sponsors are real: our email service’s click counts and our page counters’ visits, with source and date. No made-up reach.

Questions or concerns: hello@ourtownalmanac.com. The publisher reads and answers every one.

Policy updated October 19, 2026. See also How we’re funded and Advertise.