Techsoup Community Standards

The TechSoup Community area is a virtual space for the open exchange of ideas and experiences, but we do have a few simple rules that we ask users to abide by.

1. Be considerate and fair. Feel free to engage in a spirited discussion or disagree with other participants; however, stay fact-based avoid "flaming," creating posts that insult individuals, companies, or organizations. We don't use profanity filters, but we ask that you refrain from using profane, obscene, intolerant, or abusive language. 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, identify yourself and stay fact-based.
2. You are responsible for your words. 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. We do not edit messages before they are posted to the message boards. Please preview your message before you post it to ensure that it makes sense to others. Also, 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. Please do not start threads in our community only to promote/sell your products or services. You may reply to a post by someone else and mention your product, however, repeated posts with exactly the same information or overly enthusiastic endorsements of any product (whether or not the author is affiliated with the vendor) may be removed as spam by our moderators. To lesson your risk of being banned from our community: (1) Fill out your online profile, (2) Be transparent in your posts and in your online profile about your affiliations with any company or service you mention, and (3) Do not reply to threads only in order to mention your product (please, at least sometimes, offer help, questions or comments that have nothing to do with your product or services). You are also forbidden to contact users off board to promote your services. If you are asked by a TechSoup representative to refrain from a particular online behavior and you ignore the warning, your account will be terminated.
4. 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.
5. No duplicate posting. Please refrain from posting duplicate messages or questions in more than one forum.
6. The world is watching. 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 anyone. Sharing personal information about fellow TechSoup community members beyond what is provided by the member in their user profile is prohibited.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. No shouting. While they may be fun and exciting to write messages in all capital letters, they are NOT FUN TO READ.
10. 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.
11. Be yourself. Please avoid choosing a username with the explicit intention of impersonating another individual; doing so is grounds for removal from this community.
12. 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.