TechSoup Community Rules and Standards

While the TechSoup Community area is intended to be a virtual space for the open exchange of ideas and experiences, we do have a few simple rules that we ask our users to abide by:

1. Be considerate and fair. Feel free to engage in a spirited discussion or disagree with other participants; however, avoid "flaming," creating posts that attack individuals (members and non-members), companies, or organizations. TechSoup reserves the right, but assumes no obligation, to remove any user-generated content that includes bigotry, racism, sexism, or hatred; promotes illegal activity or physical harm to anyone; and is harassing, libelous, abusive, vulgar, offensive, threatening, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. If you feel the need to strongly criticize an individual, a company, or an organization, do so in the forums that require you to log in and identify yourself -- not in the TechSoup/TechSoup Stock Help forum.
2. You are responsible for your posts. But know that the "list mom" will be listening with her ear to the door. We don't use profanity filters, but we do ask that you refrain from using profane, obscene, intolerant, or abusive language. You are responsible for the content of your messages, and you may be liable for negligent, knowing, or willful misconduct, as well as damages arising from these actions. Do not be a troll: do not post, transmit, or link to malware or other material that is libelous, illegal, defamatory, fraudulent, harmful, threatening, or in violation of others' property or privacy rights. Additionally, be aware that by posting a message or participating in the TechSoup Community, you grant TechSoup the right to modify and publish that information on the site and in other media.
3. No Spamming. Ever. Message boards and billboards are two different things. Please refrain from posting advertisements, promotional materials, or any other forms of solicitation for goods or services. In no part of the forums are you allowed to post spam or promote or offer any goods or services for sale. This includes promotional statements about your company or organization, as well as advertisements for free services or products made within the context of another message; community members will determine what constitutes spam. You should also be warned that overly enthusiastic endorsements of any product (whether or not the author is affiliated with the vendor) may be flagged as spam by our moderators. If you wish to lessen your risk of being flagged as a spammer, you may post a disclaimer stating that you are not affiliated with a company or service. You are also forbidden to contact users off board to promote your services. If you have been asked by a TechSoup moderator to refrain from a particular posting behavior and you ignore these warnings, your account will be terminated.
4. The world is watching. To protect your privacy and the privacy of others, please exercise caution when posting any personally identifiable information about yourself or a third party. This includes your username and password, which should be protected and not shared with any other individual. Sharing personal information about fellow TechSoup community members beyond what is provided by the member in their user profile is prohibited.
5. Think before you click that link. TechSoup is not responsible for the transmission of any viruses, worms, or other forms of malware that you acquire from visiting external links posted on our message boards.
6. Copyright laws apply to the Web. Do not post any material that is protected by copyright unless you are the copyright holder or have the copyright holder's permission. However, you may make fair use of copyrighted material by quoting limited passages of text, provided you credit the author.
7. Edit your message. We do not edit messages before they are posted to the message boards. Please preview your message (using the Preview Message button) before you post it to ensure that it makes sense to others.
8. No shouting. While they may be fun and exciting to write messages in all capital letters, they are NOT FUN TO READ.
9. Sometimes it's best to get a second opinion. While we hope that people use our message boards to freely exchange advice, please be aware that it is just that: free advice. Unless otherwise specified by TechSoup, advice found in posts is not formal technical support or help for any product or service. Therefore, it is probably a good idea to get a second opinion before you make an expensive purchase based on advice you received in our forums. TechSoup is not responsible for any results obtained from the information you get from our site, including any loss or damage caused by a member's reliance on information obtained through a post in the TechSoup Community.
10. Stay on topic. We respectfully remind everyone that this is a technology discussion area for nonprofits and ask that you please only post questions that relate to our mission.
11. No duplicate posting. Please refrain from posting duplicate messages or questions in more than one forum.
12. Be yourself. Please avoid choosing a username with the explicit intention of impersonating another individual; doing so is grounds for removal from this community.
13. Report abuse. Members can report any violations of the Community Rules & Standards by sending a private message or email to an administrator or forum host or by reporting the problem to the TechSoup /TechSoup Stock Help forum.

If your posts violate these Community Standards, we may -- at our own discretion -- remove or move the offending posts and take actions we believe to be appropriate, including, but not limited to: posting a thoughtfully worded reply to your message, sending you an email reminding you of our Community Standards, suspending your posting privileges, or terminating your account.

What to do if your product is criticized

People often discuss specific products in our forums, and remarks can range from high praise to sharp criticism. We make no attempts to regulate speech outside of the guidelines described above. We ask that users exercise reason and fairness when posting messages, but we cannot guarantee that every comment will reflect our wishes. If a thread passes a point where it cannot be salvaged, then we will step in.

Most of the time, we find that the best way to transform a negative discussion into a positive one is to actively engage knowledgeable people. In other words, treat a critical message as a chance to educate people about your viewpoint. Patiently addressing someone’s concerns can turn an argument into a learning opportunity.