YourMTB.com Community Rules

YourMTB.com is a community of enthusiasts, athletes and business people all interested in, participating in and/or doing business involving mountain biking. The website is built around the concept of "citizen media" (also known as "participatory media," "we media" and other names). Much of the content on the website comes from members of this community -- not just the editor and/or staff of YourMTB.com.

As such, we work hard to have YourMTB.com be a friendly, relaxed online gathering place where all members of the community can enjoy their interactions with others who share their passion for mountain biking, and share their tales from the trail. What's important to you is probably important to others in the YourMTB.com community, because we all have a common love of this sport.

Because YourMTB.com users play such a critical role in this website, the direction of this operation will in large part be determined by the desires of the community and its members. However, this does not mean that the website will be allowed to become a free-for-all. We have therefore established the following Community Rules. Users not following these rules, at the sole discretion of YourMTB.com administrators, may have their user registrations removed and their e-mail addresses banned from future use of the website.

Registration Requirements

1. Anonymous content submissions are not allowed (except for leaving comments about other content on the site; that's OK). In order to post content on YourMTB.com, a user must register and provide personal information. The registered user can choose to be known publicly on the site using a nickname (for example, "MTB Babe") which is attached to the user's content and comments -- but YourMTB.com administrators will know the identity of the user. We prefer and recommend that you use your real name when submitting content to YourMTB.com. If you are posting you photos and stories -- and you are proud of them -- then it just makes sense to take credit for them! But we don't require this.

2. We require you to use your real e-mail address. When you register, we will send you a confirmation e-mail; you must reply to this e-mail in order to complete your registration.

Guidelines for User Behavior

1. Please treat everyone as if they were your riding buddies. Don't get into violent arguments and flame wars. This is about mountain biking! It's about fun.

2. Respect others' opinions and their rights to hold them.

3. All user-submitted content should be appropriate for all ages. Mountain bikers of all ages look at YourMTB.com, so keep that in mind -- especially when submitting photos.

4. Don't assume that everything you read on YourMTB.com is accurate. Because a large number of members of the community are contributing content, not everything is going to be real. We trust that most people who submit articles, photos and videos to the website do so in the spirit of sharing and fun, and that what they offer will be genuine. But read and view what you find on the website with healthy skepticism.

Content-Submission Guidelines

1. Articles, photos, videos and other content submitted to YourMTB.com should be about the topic of mountain biking. "Off-topic" submissions may be removed at the sole discretion of YourMTB.com administrators.

2. No pornography, hate speech, calls to violence, excessive obscenity, etc. Such content may be removed at the sole discretion of YourMTB.com administrators. Website users who discover such objectionable content should alert YourMTB.com administrators so that action can be taken. "Report objectionable content" links are attached to all user-submitted content on the website.

3. You must own the content that you submit to YourMTB.com. This is one of our most important rules. Don't post someone else's great mountain-biking photo and pretend that it's your own, for instance, because you want to win one of our best-photo contests. The person who holds the copyright of that image could sue you. And, we'll yank your membership and ban you from using YourMTB.com again. Website users who spot such "borrowed" content should alert YourMTB.com administrators.

4. Be careful about personal information that you share as part of the content you submit to YourMTB.com, because it will be visible to a wide audience. Also, don't post personal information about other people within your submitted content unless you have their permission.

5. Please post comments about others' content in the most-appropriate place; do not post in multiple places.

6. Press releases are generally discouraged, but may be OK in appropriate areas. But use good judgment; posting a press release in an inappropriate area might do more damage to your brand than help it. Outright sales pitches may not go over well. (Consider buying an ad on the website instead.) YourMTB.com administrators have sole discretion about removing press releases that have been submitted to the website, for any reason.

Rules and Responsibilities

1. You are responsible for what you say and what you submit.

2. Your words and images must be your own or ones you have permission to use. Respect the rights of trademark and copyright holders.

3. By submitting content, you agree that YourMTB.com and/or the Enthusiast Group Inc. can publish it anywhere on the YourMTB.com website, and in e-mail newsletters and other communications with website users.

4. You agree to permit YourMTB.com and/or the Enthusiast Group Inc. to publish your content externally of the website and its associated digital communications methods, in exchange for participation in a profit-sharing program as specified in our Terms of Use.

5. If you see something published on the website that is inappropriate or abusive, alert the YourMTB.com administrators by clicking on the "Report inappropriate content" button.

6. Personal attacks on other users are not allowed.

7. Do not post sexually explicit, profane, vulgar, obscene, libelous, abusive, misleading or unlawful materials on YourMTB.com, or any material that infringes the rights of others or interferes with the ability of others to enjoy using this website.

8. If you post digitally altered photographs to the website, they must be identified as such. (Example: "Photo illustration" or "Digitally edited photo.")

9. Spam or multiple copies of the same content or post are not permitted.

Rights of YourMTB.com Administrators

1. We may edit, delete or reject any content that, in our judgment, violates these Community Rules or our Terms of Use.

2. We may terminate the account of any user who violates these Community Rules or our Terms of Use, and block that user from future use of the website.

This policy was last updated on May 19, 2006.