Forum Code of Conduct
The aim of the HomeStars forum is give visitors a place to connect with other home improvement enthusiasts and experts, in a respectful and informative way. It’s a place for fun, open, and honest conversations about home improvement and renovation topics.
While a little bit of common sense goes a long way, here is our code to remind you how to participate in a way that will be beneficial to all of our amazing visitors and add value to the site.
Reviews
We have separated the Review and Forum sections for a reason. Please take a close look at our Review Guidelines. If you have had a specific experience with a company then post a review. We will no longer tolerate reviews in the forum.
Inappropriate language
Before you write something, think: if you were standing on a stage with microphone in hand and your grandmother was in the audience, would you still say it? Colourful and enthusiastic language are welcome but there is no tolerance for swearing, racism, idle threats, hate talk or anything else that falls into this category.
Privacy
Don’t write other people’s full names, phone numbers or email addresses, even if it appears in their company listing.
On that note, while we have always had a focus on being open and transparent, we understand the need for code names for accounts in certain occasions. We welcome you to check out our Privacy Policy. However, if the Code of Conduct is abused, those who hide behind fake names and imitation accounts will be not be taken as seriously as those who openly stand behind their words.
Spamming
Do not try to sell anything that isn’t related to the topic of this site. Use Craig’s List or Kijiji instead. Also, if you contribute something, don’t cut and paste your conversation into multiple threads – find the best category to post it in and say it once.
Consequences
Again, we hope that this Code is something that everyone understands innately, but from time to time we may have to step in. This is about ensuring that the safety and comfort of you, the user, it’s not about censorship. Remember, this is a collaborative conversation. If you read something that doesn’t fit with this Code of Conduct that we may have missed, please flag it (click the ! mark icon beside a post ) and we’ll take specific notice.
Posted by NancyP