While the TechSoup Community area is a virtual space for the open exchange of ideas, we do have a few simple rules.

1. Be considerate and fair. Feel free to engage in a spirited discussion or disagree with other participants, but avoid creating posts attacking individuals, companies, or organizations. TechSoup reserves the right to remove or edit any posts that include bigotry or hatred; promote illegal activity; or are harassing, libelous, abusive, or objectionable.
2. You are responsible for your posts. You are responsible for the content of your messages and are liable for negligent, knowing, or willful misconduct, as well as damages arising from these actions.
3. No spamming. Please refrain from posting advertisements, promotional materials, or any other forms of solicitation for goods or services. Enthusiastic endorsements of any product may be flagged as spam by our moderators, so please post a disclaimer stating you are not affiliated with a company or service. You may not contact users off board to promote your services. Repeated violations will result in account termination.
4. 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.
5. Copyright laws apply to the web. Do not post any material protected by copyright unless you are the copyright holder or have the copyright holder's permission. You may make fair use of copyrighted material by quoting limited passages of text, provided you credit the author.
6. No shouting. Messages in all capital letters are not fun to read.
7. Weigh tech decisions carefully. TechSoup is not responsible for any results obtained from information you get from our site, including any loss or damage caused by reliance on information obtained through a post in the TechSoup Community.
8. 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.
9. No duplicate posting. Please refrain from posting duplicate messages or questions in more than one forum.
10. Be yourself. Please avoid choosing a username with the explicit intention of impersonating another individual; doing so is grounds for removal from this community.
11. Report abuse. Members can report any violations of the Community Rules and Standards by sending a private message or email to an administrator or forum host or by reporting the problem to the TechSoup Help forum.

We find that the best way to transform a negative discussion into a positive one is to treat a critical message as a chance to educate people about your viewpoint, turning an argument into a learning opportunity.

What are the TechSoup forums?
The TechSoup forums are a moderated community where you can get expert and peer answers to your tech questions, discuss issues relevant to the social benefit tech sector, and offer advice to others.

Are the forums only for nonprofits?
No. Our forums are open to all who use tech for the greater good, including nonprofits, libraries, social enterprises, collectives, and consultants.

Great! I'm a consultant. That means I can advertise my services on the forums, right?
No. Spamming is strictly forbidden. Please see our Community Rules and Standards for more information.

How do I sign up?
If you are already registered on TechSoup, your login is the same. If not, you must create an account. In either case, please create a forums profile so our community can get to know you.

How do I participate?
To post a new message in an existing topic, you may use the field at the bottom of the thread and hit Reply for a quick response, or you may select Use rich formatting to create a response with links, bullets, and other features. To create a new topic, click on New Post. Give your topic a clear title, and add relevant tags. Many organizations have similar questions, so before you begin a new topic, use the Search Community feature to find ongoing related discussions that you can join or learn from. 

I'm brand new to the forums. Where do I start?
The Introduce Yourself forum is a great place to start. Let us know who you are, what you do, and what you’re interested in. A friendly forum host will welcome you and help get you started. 

Who are these forum hosts? And what are Stars?
Forum hosts are TechSoup volunteers who moderate conversations to keep them on topic, and make sure your questions get answered. Stars are helpful members of the community who answer questions, spread the word about TechSoup, and offer feedback to improve our platform and policies. 

How do I know when someone has responded to my post?
By default, you will be subscribed to receive email notifications from topics you post in. To opt out of notifications, uncheck Email Me Replies to This Post.

I'm really interested in a specific topic. How can I keep up with all the latest posts?
You can subscribe to any forum category by email or RSS using the links in the My Control Corner section to the right when you are in the forums.

I love this content. How do I let the world know?
You can "favorite" content by clicking the star in the My Control Corner section. This will show up in your forum profile so you can find it again easily, and let others know what you found helpful. You can also rate a forum thread or blog entry from one to five stars.

What is the TechSoup Blog? The TechSoup Blog provides nonprofits and libraries with news, tips, and other information to help them better use and understand technology. From event updates and insightful analysis, to resource lists and online learning opportunities, the TechSoup Blog is the place for technology news for the nonprofit community.

Who are TechSoup's bloggers?
Our blog team is composed of TechSoup staff from across Content, Community, TechSoup product donations, TechSoup for Libraries, NetSquared, and other TechSoup Global Network teams and projects. We also have some terrific consultants and community forum moderators who contribute regularly to the TechSoup Blog. In addition, we feature posts from guest bloggers who are experts in nonprofit and library technology fields from around the world.

How do I participate?
You can read, rate, and share blog posts without joining TechSoup! Rate a blog post you like by clicking on the number of stars near the title of the post, where it says Rate This. You can also comment on posts and subscribe to posts via email or RSS feed.

How can I comment on a blog post?
In order to comment on a blog post, you must be logged in to TechSoup. If you are already registered on TechSoup, your login for the blog or forums is the same. If not, you must create an account. Learn more about creating an account and a forums profile.
To post a comment on a blog post, you may use the section at the bottom of a post where it says Leave a Comment and click Post when you’re ready to share it.

I'm really interested in a specific topic. How can I keep up with all the latest posts?
You can subscribe to any blog post or to the full blog by email or RSS using the links in the My Control Corner or Options sections to the right when you are in the blog.

What is the licensing on the TechSoup Blog? Can I reuse or excerpt the content I find here?
While we authorize and encourage the use of our content, we feel it's important that our contributors receive appropriate credit. All content posted on the TechSoup Blog is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. You are free to share, republish, or remix as long as you attribute TechSoup clearly as the original source and include a link to the original blog post.

Other content throughout TechSoup.org, TechSoup Global's other websites, and our international partners' websites has individual licensing, so please see the specific restrictions for that content. If you're unsure about the licensing on a particular post or article, please contact us with any questions at copyright@techsoup.org.

Please note: In the case of images and multimedia that we have sourced from others, you need to obtain permission to republish with those authors or photographers directly, as they may have different terms from TechSoup.

Does TechSoup have a relationship with products that are blogged about?
TechSoup is a trusted technology resource that offers a variety of information and services for the benefit of the nonprofit sector, including instructional articles for nonprofit staff members and technology planning information for executives and other decision makers. Our product philanthropy services, like TechSoup product donations, are open to all qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and public libraries. TechSoup routinely receives merchandise from manufacturers for the purposes of distribution to such aforementioned 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations; and, or, for the purposes of product review. The reviewed product's value varies by product.

Contact TechSoup's blog team
Questions or comments? Please contact us at lendahand@techsoup.org.

What is an online event?
An online event is a scheduled event that happens primarily over the Internet. At TechSoup, we offer a variety of different online events using different tools.

• Webinars. Short for web-based seminars, webinars are usually presented as an interview, lecture, or demonstration from experts on a wide array of topics. These presentations can be slide-based and can include visits to live websites. TechSoup uses a variety of different tools to present webinars, including ReadyTalk and Citrix Online's GoToWebinar.
• Live interactive events. TechSoup's Nonprofits Live series includes presentations in the form of interactive online panel discussions hosted on Watchitoo.
• Tweet chats. These chats are online discussions utilizing the popular microblogging service Twitter, held at designated times using a specified hashtag. Read more about tweet chats on our Social Media 101 wiki.

How do I sign up?
For webinars and interactive talk-shows, sign up using the registration page provided. Participants do not need to pre-register for tweet chats.

How do I participate?
For webinars and interactive talk-shows, detailed instructions will be emailed to you explaining how to join the live event. You will need to hear and see the event, so carefully follow the instructions sent to you following registration. As participants primarily communicate with the presenters via chat, you will not need a microphone. For tweet chats, you can join at the designated time on TweetChat.com to follow along with the conversation. Participate in the conversation on Twitter using the specified hashtag.

Are online events archived?
Most webinars and interactive talk-shows are recorded and posted on the TechSoup website.

Are your online events accessible? 
We're excited to offer live captioning for our webinars upon request. Please contact webinars [at] techsoupglobal [dot] org 72 hours in advance with accessibility requests. 

Whom do I contact for more information?
For information regarding tweet chats and live interactive events, contact Michael DeLong at mdelong [at] techsoupglobal [dot] org. For information regarding webinars, contact Kyla Hunt at khunt [at] techsoupglobal [dot] org.