Terms and conditions

Disclaimer

NEVER rely on information or opinions posted on IfWeCanYouCan to replace the information that you receive from other sources. While IfWeCanYouCan is full of great information, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information provided from user-generated content.

IfWeCanYouCan is founded on the principles of altruistic support, empowerment, information and encouragement. Use good judgment when considering how to use information derived from the site and consult as many people as possible before deciding upon a course of action. Remember that what's right for one person may not be right for you

IfWeCanYouCan is not liable for any loss or damage caused by information obtained through our site.

Getting Started

It might be intimidating at first to post a message or to join in a live chat. No problem. You're welcome to log on and read posts until you feel comfortable. Of course, we encourage you to join the discussions. We have a very supportive community and we welcome your contributions.

Before you can post, you must register with IfWeCanYouCan and establish a username. Your username is a unique and consistent identifier. Your username may not be a Web site or email address. If you register your username as such, your account will be closed, and you will need to reregister. If you have concerns that a new username is very close to your own, contact an administrator at admin@ifwecanyoucan.co.uk.

Browse First

Before you post, browse the site content to become familiar with the community. Read the forum descriptions to determine where your post best belongs. Misplaced threads will be relocated.

Get to Know the Moderators

Our volunteer moderators are responsible for welcoming new users and assisting all users. They have been screened and were selected to serve based on their judgment and ability to uphold the IfWeCanYouCan rules. If you have questions, contact us.

Moderators contribute just as other users do. They are held to the same standards when posting as any other member.

They moderate the site and look for rule violations. They may delete and edit posts and close threads without notice. They may discipline and suspend users who fail to adhere to the rules (see Discipline and Appeal for more information).

Moderators understand that the various IfWeCanYouCan channels have slightly different tones. What's acceptable in one area of the site may be considered out of line on another.

Use the Search Feature*

Before asking a question, use the search feature to see if there's recent information on your topic. Many questions will come up repeatedly on IfWeCanYouCan. If you're wondering about a specific source of funding, for example, there's a good chance an article - or 10 - already exists. The search link is located in the navigation menu. Keeping information on the same topic confined to as few threads as possible helps users quickly find the information they need.

Create Descriptive Titles

Make thread titles as specific and descriptive as possible. Sometimes posters will start a thread with a very general title such as, "Guess what?" or "Strange airline policy". Be as helpful as possible in your thread titles, and if you want to improve or change your thread's title after you create it, ask a moderator for help.

Welcome Newcomers

IfWeCanYouCan is friendly, informative, fun and thriving. When newcomers arrive, welcome them. By helping folks learn, you provide a shining example of what this community is about, and you help ensurethat IfWeCanYouCan continues to flourish. New users may not understand IfWeCanYouCan and its history as well as you do. Remember we were all new once.

Respect our Diversity

IfWeCanYouCan users come from all walks of life. We are as diverse in our makeup as we are alike in our passion for enterprise. Because we all bring a unique perspective to the forum, our collective experience is broadened, and we gain new insights.

Our diversity demands that we respect each other. Due to the inherent constraints of the Internet, humor, sarcasm, language and slang can be easily misinterpreted - especially when crossing cultural boundaries.

When posting a message, pay extra care to how it might be interpreted. And when you come across a post that offends you, read it with an eye toward giving the poster the benefit of the doubt.

If you have an issue with a post, please contact us. Do not make a situation worse by publicly responding.

Guard Your Privacy

Keep personal information personal. If you want to share your personal information with another member of the community, do so via e-mail or private message.

IfWeCanYouCan respects users' privacy. None of your personal information will be posted on the forums unless you post it yourself.

Guard Others' Privacy

With the exception of public figures, do not post names, addresses, phone numbers or e-mails of other IfWeCanYouCan users. This information will be removed by moderators.

Posts that ask users to submit personal information will be removed. This includes, but is not limited to, communications that ask for personal information submitted via e-mail, mail, telephone, surveys, or research studies unless this request is specifically asked for from a recognised administrator of IfWeCanYouCan.

For more information, read IfWeCanYouCan’s Privacy Policy.

IfWeCanYouCan Events

Many IfWeCanYouCan users get together socially, and there are often IfWeCanYouCan events. Events announced on IfWeCanYouCan must be open to all users (no women-only events or gatherings limited to those under age 30, for example). IfWeCanYouCan is not a dating service, and posts of that nature will be removed.

Commercial and Charitable Messages

a. Commercial posts. Posts containing promotional messages for commercial products or services - including but not limited to Internet sites, business advertisements and solicitations to donate miles or points are prohibited and will be removed. IfWeCanYouCan is not a marketplace and nothing is to be offered for sale or conditioned on an exchange of money or barter. If you spot a commercial post, please report it.

b. Charitable posts. IfWeCanYouCan supports a variety of charitable organisations through the Entrepreneurs’ Forum. Because charities vary widely as to suitability for our diverse usership, the organization must be approved by IfWeCanYouCan's administrators before posts soliciting contributions may be placed on IfWeCanYouCan. To request approval of a charitable solicitation, write to admin@ifwecanyoucan.co.uk

How to Report Bad Posts

Our volunteer moderators read as much as they can on IfWeCanYouCan, but they can't get to every post so your help is appreciated in keeping IfWeCanYouCan a polite community. If you see a post that does not comply with the rules, please contact us. Your message will be sent to site moderators who will review the post.

User's Grant of Limited License

While users own the content and interest in their posts, posting on IfWeCanYouCan grants IfWeCanYouCan and its subsidiaries the right to reproduce the content in any medium without notification or compensation. Users' posts cannot be printed or duplicated in any way by a third party without the consent of the authors. Once you submit a post, IfWeCanYouCan has no obligation to remove or edit that post's content.

Industry Professionals

Several business support professionals and business intermediaries post or lurk on IfWeCanYouCan. We welcome their participation, but be aware your posts may be read by representatives of various governmental/commercial/competitor organisations.

News Professionals

Many news stories have been generated by reporters who read IfWeCanYouCan. Reporters may contact users through private mail or e-mail, or they are welcome to contact IfWeCanYouCan administrators for assistance. It's up to users whether or not they wish to respond.

Multiple Usernames

Users are not allowed to have multiple IfWeCanYouCan accounts or usernames. Multiple accounts will be closed and involved users can be subject to the disciplinary process.

Signatures

We do not wish to restrict your right to display personal views, ideology, etc. but do ask that you remain respectful of others in your signature lines.

Users whose signatures include any of the following will be subject to disciplinary action:

• Affiliate links
• Commercial links
• Spam

Follow these rules when creating your signature:

• Use the normal posting font size.
• Limit your signature to two lines.
• Text should comply with our regular posting rules. No all-caps, no alternating caps, etc.
• Do not make your signature too long or obtrusive through overly creative use of punctuation, color, etc.
• Avoid putting your username in your signature as it's already on the top of each of your posts.

If you have any questions as to whether something is acceptable, send a private message to a moderator.

Examples of Actions That Will Lead to Disciplinary Action

• Deliberately misquoting other users
• Using more than one IfWeCanYouCan account to mislead posters
• Using IfWeCanYouCan for commercial purposes
• Posting private emails and messages without the author's permission
• Attempting to defraud any user
• Discussing specific moderator actions
• Personal attacks or threats on other users or groups
• Obscene or offensive language/material
• Furthering illegal activity
• Invasion of another's privacy
• Posting copyrighted material
• Padding post counts
• Post stalking
• Repeated posting of disruptive posts
• Abuse of private messaging and emails obtained through IfWeCanYouCan

Deliberately Misquoting Other Posters

You may use the quote feature to respond to specific posts from other users. However, changing the meaning or words of a quote while still attributing it to the other user is a violation of IfWeCanYouCan's rules. Anyone doing so will be subject to the disciplinary process. (The use of ellipses to show a quote was abbreviated is allowed, so long as the original meaning is not lost.)

Using Multiple IfWeCanYouCan Accounts to Mislead Posters

Users are allowed one IfWeCanYouCan account.

Using IfWeCanYouCan for Commercial Purposes

IfWeCanYouCan prohibits advertising, commercial sales and solicitations through posts, private messages or emails accessed through IfWeCanYouCan. Anyone using IfWeCanYouCan for commercial purposes will be subject to the disciplinary process.

Posting Private Emails and Messages Without the Author's Permission

This is an invasion of privacy, possibly unlawful, and users who violate this will be subject to the disciplinary process.

Attempting to Defraud any Member

Anyone who uses IfWeCanYouCan in an attempt to defraud a user will have his or her access revoked.

Discussing Specific Moderator Actions

On-board discussion of moderator decisions - including post deletions and user discipline - is not allowed and will be removed. Users will also be subject to disciplinary action. Similarly, posts announcing a user’s return to IfWeCanYouCan after a suspension or ban are not allowed. If you have a question about a moderator action, contact the moderator directly or Stephen Green.

Personal Attacks

We encourage a healthy exchange of opinions. If you disagree with another user, challenge the opinion or idea - not the person. Personal attacks, insults and "flaming" will not be tolerated and will be removed, and the violator will be subject to disciplinary action. You may challenge others' points of view and opinions, but do so respectfully and thoughtfully. Attacks against groups or individuals will not be tolerated.

Do not retaliate or respond to a personal attack. Too often, when an initial attack is made, others join the fray and, instead of becoming part of the solution, become part of the problem. Do not accuse others of being trolls. Should there be users whose posts you don't care to read, you can put them on your ignore list.

If you feel that you are being attacked or harassed, contact us.

Obscene or Offensive Language/Material

Any posts containing communications or hyperlinks that are knowingly false and/or defamatory, inaccurate, obscene, profane, threatening, harassing, offensive, vulgar, abusive, hateful or bashing - especially those aimed at sexual orientation, gender, race, color, religious views, political orientation, national origin, or disability - will not be tolerated and will be removed. Individuals who post offensive material or links to such will be subject to disciplinary action.

There is no public list of prohibited words; if you believe a word is questionable, don't use it. If you find a questionable message in any of the forums, contact a moderator who will determine whether the message meets our objective of offering a friendly and flame-free community. Using spaces, symbols, acronyms and other methods to express vulgarities while avoiding IfWeCanYouCan's censors is still a violation.

Posting to IfWeCanYouCan is a privilege, not a right.

Furthering Illegal Activity

Posts that further illegal activity (i.e., buying and selling, direct fraud) will be removed without notice and posting users' IfWeCanYouCan accounts subjected to revocation.

Invasion of Privacy

Users posting another user's private information, including but not limited to phone number, address, name or other identifiable information, will be subject to disciplinary action.

Posting Copyrighted Material

Information copyrighted or owned by any individual or entity other than the person posting should not be posted without the consent of the owner. If such an event occurs, the individual posting the information shall be held solely responsible. IfWeCanYouCan shall not be held responsible for information posted by a user that may violate copyright law. If there is a news article or other piece of information you'd like to share from the web, credit the source of the information and/or give a brief two- to three- paragraph recap of the news and provide the appropriate link to the source.

Padding Post Counts

Posting meaningless information in an effort to increase one's post count is not permitted. Posts will be removed. Users who engage in this are subject to disciplinary action.

Post Stalking

A few users have in the past followed others around the board and posted sarcastic or hurtful comments in response to many of their posts. We consider this harassment, and will delete such posts. Anyone engaging in this activity will be subject to disciplinary action. If you suspect you're being stalked in this way, contact a moderator.

Repeated Posting of Disruptive Posts

Posters who repeatedly post items that create disruption will be subject to disciplinary action.

Abuse of Private Messaging and IfWeCanYouCan E-mails

IfWeCanYouCan's private messaging and e-mails obtained through IfWeCanYouCan, while "private", still fall under the rules established here. They should not be used for commercial purposes, to send spam, to solicit cash payments, or to threaten or harass users, moderators or administrators. Users who use them to circumvent the rules of the community will be subject to disciplinary action. If you receive this type of communication, report it immediately. Do not publish it on the board.

Communications of IfWeCanYouCan users to IfWeCanYouCan moderators are subject to review by other moderators and IfWeCanYouCan administrators at the discretion of the moderator recipient when deemed necessary for consultative purposes. Moderators reserve the right to share such private messages with other moderators and/or the staff, administrators and owners of IfWeCanYouCan at any time.

Discipline Purposes

The purpose of discipline for violating the rules is not to punish users, but to protect IfWeCanYouCan users and to facilitate effective discussion on the IfWeCanYouCan site. Moderators and administrators may consider all relevant facts before imposing discipline, including the likely effect of the user’s conduct on the site, the experience of the user, the nature of the violation and the history of discussion in the forum. Discipline may be imposed even if the user did not intend to violate the rules or even if similar conduct was tolerated earlier in the same or other forums.

Types of Discipline - Progressive Discipline

If a moderator or administrator deems it effective, progressive discipline may be imposed for a rules violation. In general, progressive discipline has the following levels and each level need not be used if the moderator or administrator deems the violation to call for a different progression:

1. Warning. The moderator or administrator identifies the user’s improper conduct and notifies the user that future violations of that or other rules will result in suspension or revocation of access.
2. Suspension for one week. The moderator or administrator suspends a user violating the rules for one week and notifies the user that future violations of that or other rules will result in suspension for one month or revocation of access.
3. Suspension for one month. The moderator or administrator suspends a user violating the rules for one month and notifies the user that future violations of that or other rules will result in revocation of access.
4. Revocation of access. The moderator or administrator revokes access privileges for repeated or serious violations of the rules.

Types of Discipline - Summary Revocation

A moderator or administrator may revoke access privileges as a first discipline if deemed reasonably necessary to prevent immediate and serious disruption in one or more forums. Examples of rules violations which may result in summary revocation are: posts from users which constitute "spam" or unbridled commercial posting, repeated cross-posting to multiple forums or posting obscene, fradulent or defamatory material.

Appeal

Discipline imposed by an administrator shall be final when imposed. If discipline was imposed by a volunteer moderator, the disciplined user may appeal to the administrator within 20 days of imposition. The appeal shall set forth the details of the discipline imposed, including the moderator's stated reasons for it and a concise statement of basis of the user’s appeal. To request an appeal, submit an email via the Contact Us page. The administrator's decision on the appeal shall be final when communicated to the user.

Reinstatement

Not less than six months after revocation of access, the former user may request reinstatement. The user shall address that request to the administrator at admin@ifwecanyoucan.co.uk and set forth a concise statement identifying fairly the date and grounds of revocation and the basis for seeking reinstatement. If the request is denied, a later request for reinstatement may not be made until at least one additional year has passed, unless the decision denying reinstatement sets forth a shorter time period.

IfWeCanYouCan Rights

IfWeCanYouCan reserves the right to remove any content posted on our site at any time for any reason and to organize topical forums in order to best serve the majority of our visitors and users. IfWeCanYouCan reserves the right to revoke users' accounts. Decisions as to whether content violates our rules will be made by moderators and administrators.

IfWeCanYouCan reserves the right to delete messages that violate applicable laws or that may be harmful to others. IfWeCanYouCan does not have the ability to restrict conduct or communications that might violate our rules prior to transmission on the Internet, nor can we ensure prompt removal of offending forum posts.

IfWeCanYouCan reserves the right to limit access to the site to users who meet experience requirements or other criteria and to change those requirements at any time.

The content of messages does not constitute approval or necessarily reflect the views of IfWeCanYouCan. You participate at your own risk on the forums, in chat and in e-mail. You take responsibility for postings under your identification and use the information provided here at your own risk. IfWeCanYouCan takes no responsibility for the content or opinions posted here.

IfWeCanYouCan reserves the right to makes changes to the rules without notice. As it's impossible to address every issue that could arise on is site, just because an issue is not covered in these rules, does not mean it will or will not be allowed.

By posting to IfWeCanYouCan, you agree to abide by our rules.

*Where and when available.