How I have managed to run this blog since December 2006 and never have a privacy policy is beyond me. In fact, it never really occurred to me that I needed one until just recently. This is just a blog where people read my posts, maybe leave a comment or two, and if you really like me, subscribe to my newsletter. I’m not exactly collecting valuable data that I’m going to use in nefarious ways. (or am I?)

Yet the powers-that-be will beg to differ. So I have written this privacy policy in hopes to alleviate any fears that this blog is harmful to your computer, finances, privacy, love life, etc. I make no promises about this blog adversely affecting your mental health though.

Here it goes:

1. Leaving a comment or subscribing to my newsletter requires you give your email address. Your email address stays 100% confidential. I never sell, rent, or give away your email to any third party for any reason. If you leave a comment, I might send you a quick thank-you note via email, but that’s about it.

2. I do use third-party advertising on this blog (mainly Amazon.com and Google Adsense). They both utilize cookies and collect non-personal identifying information about you.

We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.

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One of my goals for 2009 is to increase the number of comments this blog receives as a way of giving it more of a "community" feel. Also, the more comments a particular post gets, it turns into a conversation, rather than me just writing my usual boring prose for you to read each day.

So here is a brief list of posts that have been commented on recently. Feel free to throw in your own two cents to any of these posts, or any post in the future. Don’t be shy!

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Hope everyone in the US has a happy Thanksgiving this year! Remember not to eat too much turkey and definitely don’t overdo the wine. I’ll be taking a day off from posting today, but I’ll be back to the grindstone tomorrow with another installment of Friday Link Love!

Stay safe, and enjoy the holiday!

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Welcome to Brad’s Reader! If you are reading this, then you are new to this blog. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to explore my little home on the internet. To help you out, I decided to put together this little "Welcome Guide" so your exploration is not in vain.

What is Brad’s Reader?

I started Brad’s Reader so I could write about literature, books, the publishing world, writing, and even a little philosophy. Lately, ebooks have really captured my attention and I am very interested in using new technology to distribute and consume literature.

This blog began in December 2006. Since then, the appearance has undergone a few cosmetic changes, but the essence of the blog remains the same.

Every so often I tread lightly in the world of politics. This is not a political blog. There are thousands of blogs dedicated just to politics for you to get your daily fix. However, there are some issues that cross-over from politics to literature and I feel it is necessary to write about them here.

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It has been a while since I added new links (and deleted some old ones) to my Top Post page. But today I finally forced myself to sit down and get it done. I try to feature posts that ranked high in my analytics program, the result of a lot of good "buzz" around the net.

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Have you noticed my posts have been a little sparse lately? Well, if you have you’re not alone. This past week has been hectic, to say the least, and I have been doing a little traveling with spotty internet, so posting hasn’t been easy.

The good news is, however, that I’m back and will be posting according to my unofficial "official" posting schedule. The summer months are always a little slower as far as blogging goes. I’m planning to step things up in the fall and winter months. And, like I have mentioned in the past, will be re-organizing the ads and maybe making a few other changes to the blog.

I hope everyone out there in the blogosphere is enjoying their summer! Have a safe and happy Monday!

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I hope all of you are enjoying your weekend, especially because it’s the first day of June and summer is pretty much here, as far as I’m concerned. I just wanted to write a quick post about some "housekeeping" items I need to address.

Friday Link Love will return next week
I apologize for not getting my Friday Link Love post up this week. I really don’t have a good excuse other than I was so tired on Thursday night (when I write the  link love posts) that I could barely put together a coherent sentence. On top of that, I kinda slacked off on collecting various posts to use. I can’t remember the last time I missed a Friday Link Love post, so this doesn’t happen very often.

Monthly Newsletter on Hold…for now
For those of you who subscribe to my monthly newsletter, it is currently on hold for the time being. Why? I’m working out a way give the newsletter a complete makeover (as far as content is concerned). Once I hammer out the details, you can be sure that your favorite newsletter will be back into your mailbox in no time!

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I want to congratulate Sheri Doyle, who won the $30 Amazon gift card by commenting on this blog during April’s comment contest! Please check out Sheri’s blog One of the Best Things.

If you didn’t win, don’t worry, there will be plenty more opportunities for you in the near future. I’m not sure exactly when my next giveaway will be, but you can be certain it will be soon!

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I’m back! I apologize for not posting in several days – I’ve been busy with a few other projects and found myself short on time. Instead of writing several posts to cover several topics, I’m gonna combine them into one post to save me (and you) time. Here’s what’s going on at Brad’s Reader:

Comment Contest Winner to be Announced

The good news is that a winner has been picked and notified for my April 2008 Comment Contest! I’ll be announcing the winner soon (probably before the weekend), and the $30 Amazon gift card is on its way! If you didn’t win, don’t worry, I’ll be holding many more contests like this in the near future.

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As a way of promoting this blog, I decided to start selling uber-cool Brad’s Reader stuff. Check out my little shop at Brad’s Reader Gear – I’ll be adding more products and designs in the very near future. Right now you can buy t-shirts, tote bags, mouse pads, coffee mugs and other cool stuff.  And don’t worry, the quality is pretty good. I have put my money where my mouth is and bought samples of the stuff I sell, so I can say with confidence that you will be happy with whatever you decide to purchase.

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