Terms of Use

Scope of application

These Terms of Use govern the relationship between you as a user (you) and us as the operators (we, us) of this online community. By using this website in any manner, such as creating an account or interacting with the content in this online community, you are indicating your agreement to our Terms of Use. These Terms of Use apply to all materials published on this site, including texts, images, videos, and other types of content.

If you do not consent to the Terms of Use, you will be unable to proceed with utilizing the online community.

Provided services

In accordance with the terms outlined in this document, we grant users temporary access to the Community Website and its services.  Membership to the community is free and open to all.

Functionality & availability

The range and characteristics of the services offered are contingent upon the website’s current functionality. There is no guarantee of the website’s continuous availability or the provision and maintenance of services and functions. We retain the authority to modify, deactivate, or terminate the community, either fully or partially, at our sole discretion.

User accounts & registration

To join our online community, you must complete the registration process by providing a valid email address.

Minimum age

The minimum age to register is 16.

Nickname

You have the freedom to choose a nickname, as long as it adheres to the rules outlined in our Terms of Use. User nicknames are typically visible to all registered users and website visitors. Nicknames are distinctive and play a crucial role in recognizing users within the community. Once established during registration, they cannot be modified at a later time.

Personal information

It is imperative that all personal information provided during registration is both accurate and regularly updated to ensure its currency. We typically do not verify the identities of profile owners or the accuracy of the information in their profiles. Consequently, we cannot guarantee that each person’s profile on this website accurately reflects their true identity.

Passwords

Please use strong passwords (https://passwordsgenerator.net)

Ensuring the confidentiality of your password is of utmost importance. Sharing access credentials with others is strictly prohibited. You bear complete responsibility for all activities linked to your account. In the event that unauthorized individuals gain knowledge of your access credentials, it is imperative to change your password immediately.

Access denial

We maintain the authority to refuse or revoke access to the website at any time without providing justification.

User-generated content

As a registered user, you have the ability, in accordance with our Terms of Use, to upload and share content on the community website. This includes text messages and photos, which can be made available to others.

Accountability

You are fully accountable for your posts and the content you upload. We retain the authority to remove or modify any content that is considered inappropriate or violates our Terms of Use. Moreover, it is your sole responsibility to adhere to all relevant laws when posting or publishing content on our website.

Accuracy

We do not verify or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the content published on our website. We strongly encourage all users to carefully evaluate the provided content. Furthermore, we assume no responsibility for any damages resulting from the use of the website or the published content.

Ownership & publishing rights

To publish content on this website, you must either own the content or have proper authorization from the rights holder. Content uploaded and made available by you must be free from third-party rights, in particular copyrights, personal rights, and trademark rights.

Third party claims

You agree to keep us indemnified from all claims of third parties resulting from the infringement of their rights by the content posted by you on the community website. This includes the responsibility for reimbursing us for any fees that might incur in defending against legal claims that arise from your infringement of third-party rights. You agree to use your utmost capabilities to assist us in dealing with any third-party claims that may be caused by the content you posted, and specifically supply us all documents required for defense.

Content usage rights

Community operators’ rights

By posting content, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free right to use that content in a manner necessary to operate the community. This includes storing it on our servers, distributing, modifying, and copying the content where needed to publish or provide it.

Rights of registered users and site visitors

The utilization of content of this website, in particular for commercial purposes, requires the prior consent of the creator, resp. the copyright holder.

Visibility of submitted content & user profile data

You generally have the option to set and later change the visibility of your submitted content as follows:

• Public: content marked as public is visible to visitors who are not logged in.
• All Members: content marked this way is visible only to registered users of the community.
• My Connections: this content is visible only to your contacts.
• Only Me: visible only to you.

The same choices regarding visibility apply to the info fields in your user profile. Exceptions are (i.e. visibility cannot be changed):

• Email address, which is always visible only to you.
• Nickname, which is always public, i.e visible to all members and site visitors.
• Your country, which is always public, i.e visible to all members and site visitors.

Prohibited activities & behavior

• Harassing someone, and not showing other disrespectful behavior or using offensive language.
• Posting content that could be considered inappropriate, such as nudity, violence, or hate speech.
• Promoting illegal activities or encouraging dangerous behavior.
• Not respecting the intellectual property of others, plagiarizing and sharing copyrighted material without permission, or infringing on someone else’s trademarks.
• Spamming the community with irrelevant content or solicitations.
• Not respecting other members’ privacy and sharing personal information without their consent.
• Collecting personal data of other members, for example for the purpose of creating contact lists, sending unsolicited marketing materials, stealing identities, or for any other unauthorized or malicious activities.
• Posting photos or videos without the consent of the persons appearing in/on them.

Membership termination

Termination by a registered member

You can terminate your membership at any time by deleting your account. Deleting an account is irreversible, and any media previously uploaded and posted by you gets deleted too. Your forum posts will not be deleted, so the respective discussion threads will be preserved. Your nickname will be made unrecognizable by replacing it with the term “Deleted User”.

Termination by the community operators

We reserve the right to take action against users who breach these Terms of Use, up to and including the immediate termination of their account.

Data privacy

Information on the collection and use of personal data can be found here: Data Privacy Page

Changes to the Terms of Use

We might occasionally change these terms. Whenever we make noteworthy changes, we’ll let you know either by posting an announcement on the site or by emailing you. Unless stated otherwise, modifications will go into effect on the day that they are posted. By continuing to use this site after changes have been made, you are agreeing to these revised terms. If you don’t agree with these new terms, discontinue using the site.

This document was last updated on 10/31/2023.