ActiveRain Community Guidelines

The following are the ActiveRain Community Guidelines. For an expanded explanation/definition of each point, simply click on the highlighted links.

Respect the Real Estate Industry 

ActiveRain is a place where real estate professionals can network with their peers and discuss industry insider topics. It is also a public forum where consumers can pull back the curtain and see what the real estate industry is really about. 

Because of this level of transparency and openness, ActiveRain members must remain zealous in their quest to represent our industry in as true and professional of a light as possible, for both their fellow professionals, and the consumers who access this platform.

Respect the Fair Housing Ethos

You must not violate any Fair Housing Laws, posts that could be interpreted as indicating a preference of a protected class will be removed. Violations of this guideline may result in loss of access to the site.

From HUD's website: http://www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/FHLaws/yourrights.cfm
"It is illegal for anyone to Advertise or make any statement that indicates a limitation or preference based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or handicap. This prohibition against discriminatory advertising applies to single-family and owner-occupied housing that is otherwise exempt from the Fair Housing Act."

Respect the ActiveRain Community

Being a part of any community requires a certain level of trust. Don't abuse the site or your fellow members. By joining the ActiveRain community you are given a platform to present your ideas and opinions to a large number of people. We trust you to be responsible with that platform; thousands of other ActiveRain members are also counting on your trustworthiness.

• The ActiveRain community and real estate industry as a whole will only be respected to the degree of character represented by the actions of it's professionals. Do not conduct yourself in a way that disgraces your fellow member's on this network.
• You must not violate any Fair Housing Laws, put a link to the link below, and specify that posts that could be interpreted as indicating a preference of a protected class will be removed. Violations of this guideline may result in loss of access to the site.
• Do not take malicious action against the network.
• Do not advertise yourself or your services in the comment section of another members blog post.
• Do not personally attack another person.
• Do not slander another person. 
• Do not send unsolicited emails, or faxes, or make unsolicited phone calls to another member.
• Respect the public that this community serves and derives its living from.
• Do not violate any laws of your local jurisdiction. This includes all Fair Housing related laws.
• Do not republish any content initially revealed in a Member's Only post.
• Respect copyrights. Only upload content/images that you have the right to use (what you have paid for or own), and whose copyright rules allow for commercial use.
• Do not plagiarize (copy and paste) content from another source, and publish it as your own. You must obtain expressed permission from the original source to republish, and give reference to such within the body of your post. Permission to re-print is NOT the same as permission to re-publish. This also applies to publishing other real estate listings that are not your own.
  
• The point system is intended to encourage and reward genuine effort. Points for blogging will only be awarded for your own majority original content. Examples of what doesn't qualify for points: jokes, recipes, inspirational quotes, poems, re-published marketing materials like newsletters, press releases and news articles, information from government websites, bible verses, large copied sections of the MLS, or posts that only contain links and keywords, but offer no value for consumers.
  
• We encourage free speech and defend everyone's right to express unpopular points of view. But we don't permit hate speech, which contains slurs, or the use of stereotypes intended to attack or demean a particular gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or nationality.
• There is zero tolerance for predatory behavior, stalking, threats, harassment, invading privacy, or the revealing of other members' personal information. Anyone caught doing these things may be permanently banned from ActiveRain.
• Do not attempt to selfishly manipulate search engine results through blackhat SEO techniques, such as Keyword Stuffing, or by posting endless copied sections of your local MLS. Violation of this guideline may result in an immediate termination of your account/profile.
• Do not post the same exact content over and over to your blog. You are not awarded points for duplicate content. Please only post any piece of information in your blog one time.

Please take these rules seriously. Don't try to look for loopholes or ways around them; please take them to heart and try to respect the spirit in which they were created. We administrate this community using logic and common sense, and we will give greatest regard to the intention of the rule. If we decide to terminate your account as a result of a violation of these Community Guidelines, you will be prohibited from ever signing up for another account!

We Review Content Flagged As Inappropriate

When content on ActiveRain is flagged as inappropriate, we will review the content to determine whether or not it violates our Community Guidelines. If we remove content after reviewing it, you should assume that we removed it purposefully, and you should take our warning email seriously. If you find content on ActiveRain that you believe violates the intention of our Community Guidelines please flag it for our review. If the content does not have a flag feature available, please contact support with the details of the violation. Please do not attempt to correct or discipline another ActiveRain member directly!

ActiveRain is built for Community

We built ActiveRain as a place for real estate professionals to network and create a sense of community/belonging. This is your community! It is our members that make ActiveRain such a special place.

• Have fun with the site. Don't be afraid to dig in! There's a lot to do and learn here.
• Let ActiveRain staff and other members know what you are thinking. Member feedback is essential to our continued growth and development
• Get connected. At first ActiveRain may seem, both at the same time; so big that you could never be heard, and so small and cliquish that you will never be a part of it. Everyone experiences this phenomenon. Our suggestion is to start off slow; read blogs, then start commenting on posts that interest you, and once you feel ready, blog away!

—The ActiveRain Team