UPTOWNflavor

As adults we know that everyone isn’t always going to agree. Think about it, the discussions would get rather boring rather quickly if we were all in accord. However, the goal is to be able to express your opinion in an intelligent manner that is respectful of other people’s opinions.

Abe Lincoln said it best: “You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.”

Although we do our best to allow people to express their opinions freely in the comments sections, we will never be able to please everyone. Some readers feel that every comment should be posted no matter how foul and off-topic it is, while others feel that all of the comments should be moderated.

We do not tolerate antisocial, disruptive, or destructive acts, including “flaming,” “spamming,” “flooding,” “trolling,” and “griefing,” as those terms are commonly defined and used on the Internet.

Toes will be stepped on as a result of having and enforcing a code of conduct but that’s part of having an open forum. Although it is preferred that a commenter use only one identity when commenting, it is not required. Besides, we have ways of finding out who you are [insert evil laugh here].

Comments will not be deleted or moderated based on the fact that the editor(s) agree or disagree with the comment. A comment will be moderated based on the nature of the infraction of one of the following guidelines listed below. Of course, these are just guidelines and we prefer that you use your best judgment before commenting on a topic. If a topic is spinning quickly into personal insults or moving completely off-topic, we will close the comments on that thread.

COMMENTS

In an effort to combat excessive S.p.a.m (you wouldn’t believe how much crap comes through the filters) occasionally new posters will have their comments moderated. It is nothing personal. Just click on the “submit comment” button and your comment will appear if and when we approve it. If we approve your comment, you’ll be able to login and comment freely from then on or at least until you do something that violates the rules (see below). Please note that comments sometimes slip into the Spaminator undetected.

Unfortunately all comments are not in the nature of good spirited fun, therefore we reserve the right to delete any comment. This is at the discretion of the editor(s). Think of it this way, if you come into someone’s home and start insulting their guests or get belligerent, more than likely you will be asked to leave. The following outline of acceptable and unacceptable comments is pretty standard ‘netiquette’ and you will find the same policies on other respectable sites.

If a commenter habitually abuses our comment policy, we will delete the offensive comments and ban the I.P. address after the third offense. Your opinions are more than welcome however, in order to maintain the integrity of the site we ask that you be respectful and tactful in your responses and stick to the topic of the thread that you are responding to.

If your comments have been removed it was likely due to one or more of the following anti-social behaviors: trolling, flaming, or baiting, etc.

Constructive Comments:

• Constructive comments respond to the content in the post, or to a comment left by another reader.
• Constructive comments can disagree with the content in the post but they never insult the writer of the post, other commenters, etc.
• Constructive comments are usually pretty short, offer constructive criticism in a positive tone, and are open to being contradicted by other readers.
• Constructive comments are always on topic, and never contain spam or spam-like content.

Destructive Comments:

• Destructive comments insult the writer of the post, other commenters, etc.
• Destructive comments are often long, negative in tone, contain profanity, threats, or invective content.
• Destructive comments go off on tangents or go-off topic, and often contain spam or spam-like content.
• Destructive comments are almost always anonymous, and usually contain fake contact information.

BUSINESS OWNERS:

If you are a business owner, it can be frustrating to discover that someone has been writing negative things about your business. The information below will offer guidelines on how to deal with negative posts you may find on this site.

If your business received a negative review by one of our readers:

Not every business receives positive feedback, that’s just a fact.

DON’T overestimate the impact of a single negative comment. It happens to even the best businesses. In fact, negative sprinkled in with positive comments often act to enhance credibility by illustrating the honesty and openness of the environment. That said, if you see a trend of negative reviews, you may want to take this feedback and determine if there is a way to improve your business.

DON’T lash out at the people who have written negative comments about you because it will have one of two effects: it will backfire on you or it will open a positive channel of communication. The latter is the desired effect. Consider waiting a day or two before responding to any negative comments. Be sure to put yourself in the mindset of your customer, and recognize that your tone may come across as defensive, so tread lightly.

DO take the feedback to heart… but remember that each comment is just one person’s opinion, and doesn’t necessary represent the mindset of all of the readers.

The comments are open on this site in order to let people voice their opinions, even if those opinions are negative or sarcastic.

If you are considering legal action:

UPTOWNflavor simply provides a place online where people can post their opinions. If you believe a post or comment is libelous or actionable for any reason, you may contact the user through the site to express your concerns about the review.

A recent case on this issue, Zeran v. AOL, 129 F. 3 327, 330 (4th Cir. 1997), states: “By its plain language, § 230 creates a federal immunity to any cause of action that would make service providers liable for information originating with a third-party user of the service.”

Here’s another resource you may want to check out before you decide to sue: http://www.thefirstamendment.org/antislappresourcecenter.html

EVENT SUBMISSIONS

We love receiving your event submissions. Please send them to info[at]uptownflavor[dot]com or you can post them directly to our Google Calendar (just ask to be added). All events are subject to editorial discretion. We cannot guarantee the posting of every event that you submit due to time and staff constraints. We also appreciate love donations to our pay pal account if we have posted your events on a recurring basis.

FAIR USE POLICY

While standard linking is the most effective way to back up a blogger’s ideas or recognize an outside source for an idea, UPTOWN flavor™, where at all possible, will cite the originator of the idea or story. Recycling news is a useful function for meta-news sites like UPTOWN flavor™ and as such is always appropriately cited.

UPTOWN flavor™ may occasionally use excerpts of published content or use thumbnails of protected images for the purposes of comment, criticism, or satire. In these instances, we always provide a link back to the original content that is the subject of the post. We evaluate all fair-use situations on a case-by-case basis. If you feel that your information or images have been improperly used by our site, please contact us directly and we will immediately remove the questionable content, upon review.

UPTOWN flavor™ often relies on public domain images, such as those provided by many government sites, Creative Commons licensed photoblogs/photo sites, and GPL stock sites. UPTOWN flavor™ also makes arrangements with independent photographers to allow us access to their work. If you would like to allow UPTOWN flavor™ to use your images, please contact us or submit them to our photo pool on Flickr.com.

Per standard journalistic courtesy (we are essentially an online media source, not a random crowd), we expect to be credited if our news, tips, or quotes are used by you. If you’re gathering information for a story in a newspaper or other media source, we recommend that you tell us so upfront.

DISCLAIMER

UPTOWN flavor™ does its best to verify the validity of the information posted but is not responsible for dates, times or locations that may have changed from the date of posting. When possible we will update or correct discrepancies that are brought to our attention. UPTOWN flavor™ publishes rumors, overheard conversations, conjecture and opinions, as well as accurately reported factual information. We will cite our sources if the information has been verified as factual. We are not a news agency, nor do we claim to be.

UPTOWN flavor™ may contain errors or inaccuracies. We do not guarantee the accuracy, and no reliance should be placed upon the correctness or reliability of our content. Further, links to content and quoted material from other sites are not the responsibility of UPTOWN flavor™. We will correct all inaccuracies (found to be factual) brought to our attention.

COPYRIGHT, TRADEMARKS AND LOGOS

UPTOWN flavor™ and its logo are the trademark of the owner. UPTOWN flavor™ is a site that operates under a Creative Commons license (see sidebar). When in doubt, please contact us.