OK, you know if we're using the term "super" there is a pun involved. So sue me. But we're excited to tell you that our newsletter giveaway for the month of October is from Little Capers, a pretend-play favorite at ZRecs for their high-quality, non-commercial, non-violent superhero ensembles. We reviewed Little Capers in early 2008 and wrote about them again this year, making wildly unsubstantiated claims sure to draw the truth-in-advertising ire of the FTC. (That post is a parody, but the blog disclosure issue is not: We've been aggressive proponents and exemplars of transparent blog disclosure policies, have never received payment for a review, no longer keep any review samples, and will always clearly disclose any compensation for product mentions or promotions, as we are about to do right now.)

This giveaway is the first paid placement in our monthly newsletter, and it gives us warm fuzzies to see a company we love helping to support our site. ZRecs currently does not cover the time we invest in it by any rational measure, and we are trying to change that so that our game-changing investigations, unbiased and thoughtful product reviews, and in-depth product research can continue to come your way.

We also love, love, love how supportive our readers have been as we work to develop independent, integrity-driven ways to support our blogging. We got hundreds of comments in our quick survey last month that reflected overwhelming support for our work and faith in our ability to do this right. For those of you who offered detailed comments on what would work for you and what won't, we welcome that ongoing conversation. ZRecs readers, you rock.

If you work at a company that believes in what we do and is interested in stepping up to the plate, take a look at our advertising and service rate sheet. If you have any products currently in our review queue, please understand that paid services are offered independent of our reviewing process, and that the companies we turn to again and again for products to consider for review are those that welcome not only positive but mixed and negative reviews of their products. Still, we will disclose any current or future paid services at the time of our independent review. You stay classy, we stay classy, our readers trust us when we like what you do, and everybody wins.

If you don't currently subscribe to our monthly newsletter (last month we gave away a five-pack of ThinkSport water bottles) we invite you to sign up to receive it, and for a chance to be entered to win a great prize from Little Capers. Our monthly newsletter offers links to the best posts of the previous month across the ZRecs Network, a little inside information about what we've been up to or are working on, and a giveaway that is simple to enter and only open to newsletter subscribers. Add to that the fact that your interest in opening that newsletter offers us value we can sell to sponsors and thus support the ZRecs blogging you love, and it's win/win/win. Actually, I lose track of how many wins are involved. Once you're subscribed (and if you already are) you'll be eligible for our newsletter giveaways each and every month.

We'll send out the newsletter on Monday with a call for interest, and on Tuesday we'll draw winners from subscribers who raised their virtual hands to say "count me in."