Rules

General Guidelines

• 1) This is a forum for marketers of all experience levels. We have 20-year veterans and we have people who are just starting out. Remember that we all started somewhere. Today’s newbie is tomorrow’s millionaire.
• 2) Our goal is to foster an environment for learning and networking with a strong foot in reality. There are no easy buttons, there are no magic beans... Be earnest and work hard and you'll have an entire community of Builders on your side.
• 3) Don't be afraid to ask questions, it's better to admit when you don't know something than to pretend you do. It's better for you, and it's better for the community. There's no room here for the guru mentality.
• 4) Builder Society is more or less safe for work. As a rule of thumb, keep the images Safe-For-Work but don’t worry too much about the text. This makes it’s safe for members to browse BuSo in public places. However, please don't go overboard with your choice of words. Excessive cursing is discouraged.
• 5) We strive to be a member-moderated community. Don’t be shy to hit the report button if there’s a post that makes you uncomfortable or that violates our guidelines. We will never throw you under the bus or share who sent the report.
• 6) BuSo welcomes entrepreneurs globally to register. However, if you aren't able to communicate in English coherently, you may be restricted from posting. You will still be able to enjoy all of the added benefits of membership, including private conversations.

Parameters for Posting

• 7) Each post must contain something of substance. For instance, instead of posting “Thanks” you can just hit the like button, that’s what it’s there for. This keeps the signal-to-noise ratio better and the overall quality higher. We view low-effort posts, including all AI content, as litter to be deleted.
• 8) No image over 5 MB will appear on the site. If you see a Red X in place of an image, this is why. Consider resizing, optimizing, and replacing it if it's critical to your post. Don't link to an external image. Upload it to Imgur or a similar service and embed it using the option in the post editor or wrap the direct URL in image tags in your post like this: [img]https://www.example.com/image.jpg[/img].
• 9) No thread-crashing. This refers to attempts to immediately derail the conversation, steer it away from the intended topic, or to discredit the poster who started the thread.
• 10) When starting a thread, your title must describe the topic of the post and the opening post must introduce the topic thoroughly. Do not simply copy and paste content from another site. If you post a link, you must describe what is on the other side of the click sufficiently. Users are not expected to have to leave the forum to understand the topic at hand.
• 11) Keep debates civil and without personal attacks. Disagreements are expected and tough, direct language can be helpful, especially to those who have volunteered themselves to it by operating a public journal. Always have a positive purpose in mind when posting.
• 12) This isn’t the ideal forum to talk about politics, religion, or controversial current events. These topics aren’t banned, but remember to act professionally and respectfully to your fellow members. If you can't maturely discuss these topics without emotionally charged language, don't talk about it. Please confine this discussion to the Water Cooler.
• 13) Don't ask an advanced user a question in private that you could just as easily ask the entire community. Contribute by creating the opportunity for discussion and learning. Advanced users are under no obligation to be here at all, let alone to serve you in secrecy.
• 14) Private conversations are just that, and it's bad form to post them publicly. Do not share anyone's personal information, and don't out their websites or projects.
• 15) Don't challenge moderator decisions publicly. Feel free to send a private message to any moderator to discuss applied actions, but don't derail the conversation or poison the atmosphere.
• 16) Sharing or asking for information that enables illegal activities to be performed is completely prohibited.
• 17) Any user with a username or avatar found to be imitating another company or individual, or implying a false association, will be given a warning and a new, horrible username or avatar. You also may not have a username that describes a product or service you're selling, such as "PBNLinks4Sale."
• 18) All new users must start in the Orientation room. After posting 2 messages and receiving 2 likes, you will be able to post in all sections of the forum and send private messages. A great way to start is with an introduction thread. Do not ask for likes to bypass this system.

Regarding Self-Promotion

• 19) We encourage you to open threads to talk about your latest projects, what you’re working on, and to share with the community. However…
• 20) It’s easy to tell whose intentions are to gain and share knowledge and who’s just trying to blatantly promote their stuff. The former is encouraged; the latter will get you at least a warning. We’re all marketers here, you're not fooling anyone.
• 21) You cannot sell outside of the marketplace. This includes promoting your products and services, linking to landing pages, generating leads, attempting to flip your sites, etc. We carefully approve every marketplace sales thread in order to protect the Builders. Contact us about offering your own products and services.
• 22) Do not respond to (or post) attempts at phishing for sensitive information. This incudes public offers to buy any and all websites, recruitments for private groups, joint venture offers, etc. It's a scam and you're the mark. Legitimate postings are in the Marketplace.
• 23) Do not send unsolicited private messages promoting or selling your products or services. Builders are encouraged to report such members to a moderator.
• 24) Don't post affiliate links. If one is posted by a staff member, then they are officially condoned and respected companies who's commissions go towards supporting the forum. Otherwise, please report these links to the moderators.
• 25) These rules aren't cut and dry. There will always be unique situations. The moderators have the power to use their judgment on a case-by-case basis. If you aren’t sure, send a private message to a staff member.
• 26) Buyers and Sellers are both encouraged to read the Marketplace Guidelines before posting in the Marketplace.

Signature Rules

• 27) You may link to your internet marketing blog, your social media accounts, etc., using text links only. But you cannot sell outside of the Marketplace.
• 28) Signature image banners may only link to products, services, or lead magnets in a Marketplace thread, or to other internal BuSo threads. They cannot be used to promote anything outside of BuSo.
• 29) Signature image banners are available to BuSo Pro members.
• 30) The standard and suggested size for signature banners is 745x100. Obscene or distracting signatures will be removed.
• 31) Animated images will not be visible.

Earning Badges