Terms and rules

***TalkBass.com Terms of Use***

The providers ("we", "us", "our") of the service provided by this web site ("Service") are not responsible for any user-generated content and accounts ("Content"). Content submitted express the views of their author only.

You agree to not use the Service to submit or link to any Content which is defamatory, abusive, hateful, threatening, spam or spam-like, likely to offend, contains adult or objectionable content, contains personal information of others, risks copyright infringement, encourages unlawful activity, or otherwise violates any laws.

All Content you submit or upload may be reviewed by staff members. All Content you submit or upload may be sent to third-party verification services (including, but not limited to, spam prevention services). Do not submit any Content that you consider to be private or confidential.

We reserve the rights to remove or modify any Content submitted for any reason without explanation. Requests for Content to be removed or modified will be undertaken only at our discretion. We reserve the right to take action against any account with the Service at any time.

You are granting us with a non-exclusive, permanent, irrevocable, unlimited license to use, publish, or re-publish your Content in connection with the Service. You retain copyright over the Content.

These terms may be changed at any time without notice.

If you do not agree with these terms, please do not register or use this Service. If you wish to close your account, please contact us.

***TalkBass Forum Rules***

Rule #1: Respect your fellow members. All registered users must address fellow members with the utmost respect at all times. If you do not agree with a fellow member, be courteous in your response. Thomas Jefferson said it best: "When I hear another express an opinion which is not mine, I say to myself, he has a right to his opinion, as I to mine".

Because of the limitations of text-based communication, the expression of intent can be tricky. One of the most common triggers of rule violations is the misinterpretation of intent behind a post. Use smilies often, and remember, it never hurts to begin a response with "In my opinion"...

If you do not address everyone on the board with respect, be prepared to lose your membership.

Please remember that threads are not your personal property and others are welcome to post relevant comments in them, including clubs and ads. We do not allow exclusionary posts here, so please do not state that certain other members (for any particular reason) cannot post in your thread.

Rule #2: Do not post profanity or obscenity. Because this forum is viewed by bassists of all ages, all posts must be suitable for viewing by minors. All profanity must be completely covered with asterisks, or completely substituted with "@%$#" symbols. Better yet, leave it out. Any use of creative lettering or partially masked profanity is not allowed. Obscene material, Strategically covered nudity, Sheer or see-through clothing, Lewd or provocative poses, Close-ups of breasts, buttocks, or crotches is not permitted, nor are links to websites containing such material or anything deemed inappropriate for minors. If what you have to say wouldn't be suited for network TV, the workplace, or your family, don't post it here.

Rule #3: Off-limit Topics & Forum-Specific Rules Controversial topics will be VERY closely moderated. Politics and religious debate/discussion are not allowed in any forum unless specifically allowed by the forum's posted rules ("sticky" threads). All gear 'for-sale' and 'wanted' text must be limited to posts in the TalkBass Classifieds category. The Bass Guitar Classifieds are open to Supporting Members only. If you want to post your 'for sale' or 'wanted' text in your signature, a Supporting Membership is required. "What's it worth" posts for personal instruments are limited to Supporting Members. If you'd like more info on becoming a supporting member, please see this page. Solicitations for charity are not allowed in the public forums. You are responsible for noting any forum-specific rules pinned to the top of any forum. For example, please note the Bass Guitar Classifieds Rules and the Off Topic forum rules

Rule #4: Cultural Sensitivity Negative remarks based on race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or religion will not be tolerated. Objectification will not be tolerated.

Rule #5: Questioning a Moderation Decision Publicly If you have a disagreement with a moderator (If your thread gets deleted, if you get a warning, etc.), DO NOT post your complaint publicly on the forums. If you would like to raise a complaint regarding a moderator's actions, start a private conversation or email the moderator. If the moderator's response is unsatisfactory, please contact the forum admin staff by clicking the "contact us" link in any page's footer.

We take all complaints seriously, but posting your dissatisfaction publicly will result in a rule violation.

Rule #6: Use Courtesy via PM & IM Please use courtesy when using the E-Mail, ICQ, or IM functions of the board. Any complaints of members abusing these messaging functions will result in membership termination.

Rule #7: Spam = BAD The posting of non-solicited advertisments in the forums will not be tolerated. If you own, operate, or are employed by a music-related business be sure and read the Commercial User Policy for specific participation guidelines. Please contact TalkBass to discuss advertising opportunities. Classifieds Forums are provided for personal sales, however a Supporting Membership is required to post. Non-Supporting Members must also refrain from posting 'for sale' ads or links to ads in their profile signatures. Posting links to personal external sale ads or auctions is not allowed anywhere on TalkBass and may be deleted with or without notice. Threads soliciting donations (for charity) are not allowed in the general forums; Donation solicitations are not to be sent via PM, or TalkBass email. If you have a charity to promote, please contact us. Solicitations for donations or appeals at sites such as gofundme or kickstarter is not allowed anywhere on TalkBass under any circumstances.

Links to personal/professional websites: To avoid the appearance of "redirect spam", linked content (i.e. - mp3 files, PDF or image files, lesson/educational material, etc.) to a personal/professional website must be linked directly to the content rather than to a web page containing the content plus other website information such as links and menu redirects. In other words, when linking to an external site for educational purposes, the only place site information should be visible is in the address bar.

Users who post solely to promote YouTube videos or other self-generated content, while otherwise not interacting or conversing with the community, will be considered spammers.

Users who have a video series of free content may post about it, but the posting should be limited to a single thread rather than multiple threads announcing each new video.

Rule #8: Represent yourself truthfully. Please be honest when representing yourself on TalkBass.com. Using two or more user accounts concurrently is prohibited. Registering duplicate accounts to circumvent a ban is prohibited and will result in a permanent ban of all accounts. If you receive remuneration (financially or in kind) from a company and post as a shill, or register a duplicate username to act as a shill, the entire posting history of both accounts will be wiped from TalkBass, and the action will be made public. TalkBass.com reserves the right to check internet IP addresses for verification.

Rule #9: Endorsed Artist / Remuneration Disclosure If you are an artist who endorses a music-related company, or if you receive remuneration (financially or in-kind) as the result of a relationship you have with a company, please disclose this via the "Disclosures" field in your profile. The text should be plain and clear, with no disclaimers, hype etc. For example: "Endorsing Artist: Joe Doe Basses" or "Affiliated with JD Amps" or "Discounted Gear: JD Amps", etc.

Also, please preface any relevant gear reviews on product you're affiliated with, with a brief disclosure in the post itself.

The purpose of these disclosures is to provide those who read your posts with the full knowledge of your situation, when considering your opinions on gear. We recognize the fact that in some circumstances a minor discount or other "non-endorsing" remuneration may be too insignificant to consider for disclosure. We trust that as honest bass players you'll use your best judgment and moral guide to determine if your fellow members would benefit from the disclosure of this information. TalkBass reserves the right to require disclosure if the remuneration is deemed significant.

In addition, TalkBass reserves the right at any time to decide that an endorsers posting history has moved them from 'happy endorser' to 'free advertising mouthpiece'. From that point forward, until further notice is provided to the contrary, the endorser shall be considered to be a full Commercial User for purposes of discussion of the gear in question. All future posts must then be made in accordance with the Commercial User Policy (CUP)

Rule #10: No Trolling Any member that posts in a trolling manner will not be tolerated. Trolling is defined as making inflammatory posts to inflame others, while lacking in substance pertaining to the thread topic. Post edit functionality should be used to fix minor mistakes only. Any use of the forum’s post edit function to alter the original intent of a post, or to remove content that results in damage to the exisiting discussion, is a violation of this rule. Moderator discretion applies.

Rule #11: Do not post copyrighted material This should go without saying. If we have to take down copyrighted material more than twice in a 3-year period, your account will be terminated and IP blocked.