Paid Advertising Terms of Service

These Paid Advertising Terms of Service ("Ad Terms") govern paid ads on the Automate America platform: ads shown in the feed, on the listing pages (professionals, open work, companies, products and services), on the blog and in members' dashboards. By purchasing advertising on Automate America, you ("Advertiser") agree to these terms, which supplement our general Terms of Service.

Automate America provides advertising opportunities to help companies reach qualified professionals in the industrial automation, engineering, and professional services industries.

Automate America offers the following advertising placements:

2.1 Ads in the Feed and on Pages
An ad you create is shown as a unit labelled "Sponsored" among the items in the feed, on the listing pages, on the blog and in members' dashboards, placed by how relevant it is to each viewer.

2.2 Boosts
Promoting your own posting, profile, product or service is a Boost and is governed by the Boost Terms.

2.3 No Ads in Email
Automate America does not place ads in emails.

The specific placements, dimensions, and formats available are subject to change. Current specifications are provided at the time of purchase.

To advertise on Automate America, you must:

• Have a signed-in Automate America account whose profile carries the business details the ad form asks for before an ad can go live
• Be in good standing with our Terms of Service and community guidelines
• Pay for the ad by card when it is approved (Section 6)
• Represent a legitimate business relevant to the industrial automation, engineering, or professional services industries
• Have authority to bind your organization to these Ad Terms

Automate America reserves the right to decline advertising from any entity at its sole discretion.

4.1 Submission Process
Ads are submitted through the Post an Ad form (/?section=create-ad). A submission includes the ad's text, image and link and any targeting the form offers.

4.2 Review Period
All advertisements require administrative approval before going live. We may request modifications before approving your ad.

4.3 Approval Criteria
Advertisements are reviewed for compliance with these Ad Terms, our general Terms of Service, and our content guidelines. Approval of an ad does not constitute endorsement of the advertiser or their products and services.

4.4 Modifications
Any change to an approved ad sends it back for review, and it does not run again until Automate America approves the change.

All advertisements must meet the following requirements:

5.1 Relevance
Ad content must be relevant to the industrial automation, engineering, manufacturing, or professional services industries. Advertisements for unrelated products or services will be rejected.

5.2 Accuracy
All claims made in advertisements must be truthful and verifiable. Misleading statistics, exaggerated claims, and false testimonials are prohibited.

5.3 Professional Standards
Advertisements must maintain professional standards appropriate for a business-to-business platform. Content must be clear, legible, and free of offensive material.

5.4 Legal Compliance
Advertisers are responsible for ensuring their ads comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, including but not limited to FTC advertising guidelines, truth in advertising laws, and equal employment opportunity regulations.

5.5 Trademarks and Intellectual Property
Advertisers must have proper authorization to use all trademarks, logos, images, and other intellectual property in their advertisements.

6.1 How an Ad Is Priced
A paid ad is sold by the week, for the number of weeks you choose, with a lower weekly price for longer runs. The price is shown in the ad form before you submit the ad and again before you pay. You are never charged per impression or per click.

6.2 Payment Terms

• Payment is due before the ad runs, by card through our payment processor (Stripe); Automate America never receives your card number
• All prices are in US Dollars (USD)

6.3 Taxes
All prices are exclusive of applicable taxes. Advertisers are responsible for any sales tax, use tax, VAT, or other taxes applicable to their advertising purchases.

7.1 Campaign Duration
An ad runs for the number of whole weeks you buy.

7.2 Start and End Dates
An ad starts running once Automate America has approved it and you have paid for it, in either order, and stops at the end of the weeks you bought.

7.3 No Renewal
Ads never renew. To run an ad again, repost it; a reposted ad is reviewed and paid for again.

7.4 Pausing or Ending an Ad
You can pause or end your ad from your Ads dashboard (/dashboard/ads). Refunds follow Section 2 of the Refund Policy.

8.1 Available Metrics
Impressions (the times the ad was shown to a viewer), clicks, and the click-through rate worked out from them, by day as recorded.

8.2 Reporting Access
Your figures are shown on your Ads dashboard (/dashboard/ads) as they are recorded.

8.3 Data Accuracy
Performance data is provided on a best-effort basis. Minor discrepancies may occur due to bot filtering, ad blockers, caching, and data processing delays. Automate America does not guarantee the absolute accuracy of reported metrics.

8.4 No Performance Guarantees
Automate America does not guarantee specific performance results such as click-through rates, conversion rates, or return on ad spend. Results vary based on ad quality, targeting, market conditions, and platform traffic.

The following types of content are prohibited in all Automate America advertisements:

9.1 Competitor Attacks
Advertisements that directly attack, disparage, or make unfounded negative claims about competitors or their products and services.

9.2 Misleading Employment Promises
Ads that guarantee employment, specific salary amounts, or job placement outcomes that cannot be substantiated.

9.3 Discriminatory Content
Any content that discriminates based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected class under applicable law.

9.4 Other Prohibited Content

• Content promoting illegal activities or substances
• Sexually explicit or suggestive material
• Content that infringes on third-party intellectual property rights
• Malware, phishing, or deceptive download links
• Political advertising or advocacy
• Gambling or lottery promotions
• Tobacco, firearms, or alcohol advertisements
• Multi-level marketing (MLM) or pyramid scheme promotions

10.1 Right to Reject
Automate America reserves the right to reject any advertisement at its sole discretion, including but not limited to ads that violate these terms, our community guidelines, or applicable laws.

10.2 Right to Remove
We may remove any previously approved advertisement at any time if:

• The ad is found to violate these Ad Terms or our general Terms of Service
• We receive valid complaints about the ad content
• The ad is found to contain inaccurate or misleading information
• Continued display would expose Automate America to legal liability
• Changes in law or regulation make the ad non-compliant

10.3 Notice
When an ad is rejected or removed, you may ask Automate America for the reason (Section 14). You may submit a revised ad for review.

10.4 Refunds for Removed Ads
If an ad is removed due to policy violation by the Advertiser, no refund will be provided. If an ad is removed for reasons not attributable to the Advertiser, a prorated refund for the remaining campaign period will be issued. Ask through Section 6 of the Refund Policy.

11.1 Content Responsibility
The Advertiser is solely responsible for the accuracy, legality, and compliance of all advertising content submitted to Automate America. Approval of an ad by Automate America does not transfer liability to the platform.

11.2 Indemnification
The Advertiser agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Automate America, Inc., its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from:

• The Advertiser's advertising content
• Violations of these Ad Terms
• Violations of applicable laws or regulations
• Claims of intellectual property infringement
• Any third-party claims related to the Advertiser's advertisements

11.3 Limitation of Liability
Automate America's total liability for any claims arising from advertising services shall not exceed the total amount paid by the Advertiser for the specific ad campaign in question. Automate America is not liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages.

12.1 Right to Modify
Automate America may modify these Paid Advertising Terms at any time. Changes are posted on this page with a new version and effective date; a change never affects an ad you have already paid for (Section 12.3).

12.2 Acceptance of Changes
Continued use of Automate America advertising services after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the modified terms.

12.3 Active Campaigns
Changes to these terms will not affect the pricing or terms of advertising campaigns that are already in progress at the time of modification, unless required by law.

13.1 Governing Law
These Paid Advertising Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of South Carolina, without regard to conflict of law principles.

13.2 Jurisdiction
Any disputes arising from these terms shall be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Greenville County, South Carolina. By purchasing advertising on Automate America, you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of these courts.

13.3 Informal Resolution
Before initiating formal proceedings, the parties agree to attempt to resolve disputes informally by contacting Automate America at info@automateamerica.com.

For questions about these Paid Advertising Terms or to discuss advertising opportunities:

Automate America, Inc.
PO Box 1638
Greer, SC 29652

Advertising Inquiries:

• Email: info@automateamerica.com
• Phone: 586-770-8083

Legal Inquiries:

• Email: legal@automateamerica.com

General Support:

• Email: support@automateamerica.com
• Phone: 586-770-8083
• Hours: 6am-9pm EST, Monday-Sunday

By purchasing advertising on Automate America, you acknowledge that you have:

• Read and understood these Paid Advertising Terms of Service
• Authority to bind your organization to these terms
• A valid payment method for advertising charges
• Ad content that complies with all guidelines and applicable laws
• Agreed that advertising performance results are not guaranteed