Reviews Guidelines

These Reviews Guidelines (“Guidelines”) provide guidance to Reviewers and Vendors and govern the Slashdot Media (“Media Company”) Review Services and Reviews Program.    

The Review Services provide potential software buyers the ability to express their experiences and opinions about software in the form of a Review and to evaluate software based on peer reviews.  Vendors also receive valuable information regarding their products and services from an end user point of view and through the Review Program, the ability to offer feedback to Reviewers.  

Acceptance. By accessing the Review Services you: (i) represent and warrant that you are at least eighteen (18) years of age; and (ii) agree to all the terms and conditions of these Guidelines. You acknowledge that you have read and understood these Guidelines and that these Guidelines have the same force and effect as a signed agreement. We may terminate your ability to use or access the Review Services at any time if: (a) you have breached or threatened to breach these Guidelines; (b) we are required to do so by law; (c) we no longer make the Review Services available for any or no reason, or (d) for any reason whatsoever, in our sole discretion.

We treat all information provided via this Reviews Program in accordance with our privacy policy available at https://slashdotmedia.com/privacy-statement/, which is incorporated by reference.  Further, your use of the Review Services is subject to our Terms of Use Agreement provided at https://slashdotmedia.com/terms-of-use/ incorporated by reference.  

Certain Reviewers may receive an incentive as provided within these guidelines (“Incentive Program”).  Under no circumstances may any Reviewer accept, nor any Vendor offer, any incentive in exchange for any Review except as provided by the Incentive Program. Vendors and Reviewers recognize and acknowledge that doing so could violate federal, state and/or international law.  If Media Company becomes aware of any Reviewer or Vendor accepting or offering incentives outside the Incentive Program, Media Company will take appropriate action, including legal action, at its discretion.  

As part of the Incentive Program, Media Company requires any Reviewer who receives an incentive of any amount for conducting a Review, to disclose that information in the Review by stating at the top of the Review that “This review was provided in exchange for compensation by the seller of this product” along with a description of the specific compensation accepted.  For example, if the Review was provided in exchange for a $5 Amazon gift card, the Reviewer must post at the top of the Review “This review was provided in exchange for a $5 Amazon gift card by the provider of this product.”  

Reviewer Guidelines:  All review writers must follow the rules and procedures in these Guidelines. Should Media Company become aware of any submitted Reviews that do not follow these Guidelines, it will reject the review, and may also choose to take legal or other action against the Reviewer.  Reviews that do not comply the Guidelines will be flagged and handled in accordance with the procedures located in these Guidelines.  

Vendor Guidelines: This section explains requirements that Vendors must know and follow in reference to their participation in our program.  The information included in these Guidelines consist of procedures and policies that Vendors must follow, best practices, and what is expected of all Vendors.  For more information, log into your account in the Vendor portal (“Vendor Portal”).  

DEFINITIONS:

“Site” or “Sites” are websites, including but not limited to sourceforge.net, slashdot.org, and linuxjournal.com, that are owned, operated, controlled, or licensed by Media Company, our Affiliates, or authorized Third Parties to provide the Services hereunder.

“Site User” means a user of our Sites who accesses, views, and/or interacts with or consumes content, writes Reviews, contributes content, or performs various other site interactions.

“Review” or “Reviews” are evaluations and opinions about software products and/or services conducted by a Reviewer.

“Review Services” means the service by which Media Company provides Reviewers the ability to contribute a Review on one or more of our Sites.

“Review Program” means the guidelines, policies, rules, and processes that govern how we will accept, process, and manage Reviews as outlined in these Guidelines.

“Reviewer” is a Site User that contributes a Review on one or more of the Sites.

"Vendor” is a software and/or service provider that provides software and/or services to an end user.

  1. Understanding Reviews
  1. Overview of the Reviews Program:
  1. Product Reviews provide vital feedback about the overall satisfaction of the products experienced or purchased by Reviewers.  From the Reviews provided, Vendors can determine whether the products they provide meet the needs of their customers and learn further how they can improve their products.  Reviews also give potential new Vendor customers an indication of what to expect from the product.  
  2. The information contained in Reviews are the opinions of Reviewers who provide information after experiencing the Vendor’s software.  Media Company simply displays the content of the Review.  Media Company does not endorse the Reviews submitted by the Reviewers.  To facilitate the review process, Media Company has provided guidelines for the Site Users, Reviewers, and Vendors.  
  1. Verification Process
  1. Media Company is dedicated to providing high-quality Reviews for the benefit of Site Users and Vendors.  To ensure the Reviews are from verified software users, the Media Company team examines each Review before it is published.  
  2. Media Company exists for the benefit of our Site Users and Vendors.  The information is designed to be an unbiased user-driven method of communicating a Reviewer’s experience with a particular software.  Every attempt will be made to ensure all Reviews are written by users who have been vetted through our identification process.  Confirming the identity of our Reviewers is our way of attempting to ensure no conflict of interest exists between a Reviewer and the software being represented.  For example, Reviewers cannot be an employee or family member of the company that owns the software being reviewed.  Reviewers are also not allowed to be an employee, family member, or affiliated with a competitive company of the software being reviewed.  All Reviews must meet the guidelines contained in these Guidelines.  
  1. Content Verification
  1. Identify Verification Check
  1. An identification verification check is conducted on each Reviewer to ensure a Reviewer is an actual person (“Verification Process”).  The check consists of checking key information such as the Reviewer’s name, job title, company name, and email address.  Reviews must be submitted with a business email address (such as name@company.com).  Reviews submitted without a business email address may still be published, but are subject to additional verification steps, including LinkedIn verification, phone verification, video call verification, and other publicly identifiable information or identity documents.  All reviews, even those published with a business email address, may also be subject to the aforementioned verification steps at our discretion.  Reviews submitted by persons whose identity cannot be verified in accordance with our practices will not be published.
  1. Conflict of Interest
  1. Reviewers must not in any way be affiliated with or have a vested interest in the software being reviewed or the software of its competitor.  Should Media Company become aware become aware of any Review that violates this rule, Media Company will not publish the Review, will prevent the Reviewer from conducting further Reviews in the future, and may take further action including legal action at its discretion.  
  1. Content Verification Check
  1. All Reviews must be the original thoughts and opinions of the Reviewer.  No portion of the Review may be copied from another source, nor provided in any manner by any third party.  Should Media Company become aware become aware of any Review that violates this rule, Media Company will not publish the Review, will prevent the Reviewer from conducting further Reviews in the future, and may take further action including legal action at its discretion.  
  1. Additional QA Screening Information
  1. Media Company does not condone and will not tolerate inappropriate, profane, or obscene language.  Language that promotes violence, hate, bullying, harassment, pornography, the use of firearms, or is discriminatory in nature will not be tolerated.  
  1. Spam
  1. No Reviews containing spam, self-promoting, or nonsensical material will be published.  
  1. Grounds for Disqualification
  1. If it is discovered that a Review is fabricated or falsified the Review will not be published, Media Company will ban the Reviewer from posting any further Reviews and may take further action at its discretion.  Reviewers are not permitted to accept any monetary gift, gratuity, or anything of value for writing a Review except as permitted by the Incentive Program.
  1. Prohibited Reviews
  1. Original Reviews
  1. Only original Reviews will be accepted for publication in the Media Company site.  Reviews that have been previously published or already published on another website will not be permitted.  
  1. Repetitious Reviews
  1. Media Company utilizes a variety of tools to protect the interest of its Site Users and Vendors.  Any Reviews that do not pass the initial review process will be further reviewed using more in-depth methods.  If the Review fails to meet the additional checks, it will not be accepted.  
  2. Media Company is a neutral platform for Reviews.  We do not censor the opinions of our Reviewers, require any Reviewer to express any particular views, or attempt to influence the content of any Reviews other than complying with these Guidelines.  If any Reviewer to found to violate these Guidelines it will be a reason for disqualification.  Spammers will not be tolerated and Media Company may take further action including legal action at its discretion against any Site User it determines is spammer or willfully violating these Guidelines.  
  1. How to Interpret Reviews
  1. Reviews are the opinions of the Reviewer of a particular software.  Certain things should be considered when conducting a software review:  
  1. Because opinions will vary and each person’s experience is unique, Site Users are cautioned not base their opinion on any one particular Review.  Considering several Reviews will provide a broader perspective and a more accurate picture of the product.  
  2. Site Users may wish to take into account the Vendor’s response to the Review.  
  3. Site Users in the market for software should take into account the timing of the Review.  If there is a gradual change in the opinions expressed about a software, it may show the progress in the development of the software and how it has improved over time.  
  1. The purpose of the Review is not to be the sole source to sway a software buyer’s decision regarding a software purchase.  They are merely intended to be used as a single point of reference when making an informed and educated purchasing decision.  
  1. Writing Software Reviews
  1. How to Write a Meaningful Review
  1. Site Users may be influenced by the Reviews they read.  Site Users who are not familiar with a particular software will rely on the experience and professional opinion of the Reviewer.  With this understanding, Reviewers are encouraged to provide the most reliable, informative, fair and accurate information about the product in their Review.  
  1. In writing a review, the following tips should be followed:
  1. Be as detailed as possible.  Instead of writing in generalizations, describe what specific features you like about the product and explain why.  Give an example of a particular experience that illustrates the point.  The more information that can be provided, the better.  
  2. Be clear.  Make sure the language of the review is written in clear language that is easy to understand.  Make sure the content of the review is grammatically correct, properly punctuated, and correctly spelled.  
  1. Maintain objectivity.  
  1. Reviews submitted must be the actual and unbiased opinion of the Reviewer based on the Reviewer’s own experiences using the product.  
  1. Be current.  
  1. Technology changes quickly.  Companies are always making improvements as new software capabilities are developed.  Reviewers should remain abreast of the latest software version so that their Reviews are about the current version versus expressing outdated feedback.    
  1. Be relevant.  
  1. Reviewers should make an assessment of things that are important to potential end users.  The Features referenced in a Review should be those things that would make a difference in how the software performs and what benefits the software provide the users.  
  2. NOTE:  The tips for writing Reviews are suggestions only and considered to be best practices for writing an excellent informative review.  They are not intended to be formal rules for writing Reviews, nor attempt to influence Reviewers from writing positive or negative Reviews.  
  1. Guidelines for Reviewers
  1. Media Company has the discretion not to publish any Review that does not meet the guidelines outlined in this Guideline.  
  2. Reviewers are not required to have their name publicly displayed with a Review.  However, Reviewers are required to submit their name when they submit a Review so Media Company can verify the Reviewer’s identity..
  3. Reviewers must not in any way be affiliated with or have a vested interest in the software being reviewed or the software of its competitor, including being employed by or related to any employee of the software Vendor.  Media Company will not publish any Review where it discovers that the Review violates this rule, will prevent the Reviewer from conducting further Reviews in the future, and may take further actions, including legal action, against the Reviewer.  
  4. All Reviews must be posted by the person conducting the Review.  Reviews cannot be posted on behalf of another person.  
  5. All Reviews must be the original, authentic language of the Reviewer. Duplicate Reviews of the Reviewer or Reviews copied from another site are not permitted. Furthermore, each Review text field (Pros, Cons, Overall) must be uniquely written and cannot be copied from another text field in the same Review. Reviews must meet the character minimum in each field with genuine written text, and cannot use excessive spaces, punctuation, or other irrelevant characters in order to meet the character minimum. Reviews written in all capitalized letters (all caps) will not be published.
  6. No information that could be used to identify any person other than the Reviewer, reveal confidential information, or that would violate a person’s privacy can be included in a Review (“Prohibited Information”).  Examples of Prohibited Information includes another person’s last name, their address, email address, phone number, or any other information that would or could disclose that person’s identity.  
  7. When conducting a Review, Reviewers may not refer to another software or software vendor unless it is necessary to address the software or software vendor to be able to leave a Review that addresses the functionality, advantages, or disadvantages of the software being reviewed.  
  8. If a Reviewer is subject to any third-party confidentiality, non-disclosure clauses, judgement, or contractual obligations, the Reviewer agrees to not provide Media Company any content that would violate any such legal agreement.  Reviews cannot violate any laws or regulation, the rights of any third party, trademark or copyright.
  9. Reviewers are not permitted to make allegations of fraud or criminal activity regarding any software, software manufacturer, or Vendor without legal proof of such claim being proven in a court of law.  Because the Media Company team is not qualified to make legal decisions, Media Company does not permit legal matters to be referenced in Reviews.  
  10. Media Company has the discretion not to publish a Review or to remove a published Review that is believed to violate the guidelines and policies contained in this Guidelines or that may place Media Company, in our sole discretion, in a position of potential legal, regulatory, or technical risk.  
  11. Reviewers are not permitted to criticize other reviews or reviewers in any way, including implying that other reviews may be fake or illegitimate.  
  1. What Reviewers Can Expect
  1. Any Reviewer who feels they are being harassed by a Vendor or another Reviewer should report it immediately.  
  2. All Reviews and Reviewers will be treated equally by undergoing the same quality assurance checks.  It doesn’t matter if the software being reviewed is from a Media Company client or not.  Nor does it matter what the rating is of the Review.  
  3. Except for minor typo corrections, Media Company does not edit the overall intent of a Review.  All Reviews are published as they are submitted, although we may correct typos (e.g.  spelling and punctuation).  If any portion of the Review does not conform to these Guidelines, the entire Review may not be published at our discretion.  As a reminder, this includes Reviews that contain sensitive data such as personal identifiable information or private contract terms. If we make any spelling or punctuation edits before publication, the Reviewer will not be notified.  
  4. Media Company takes the privacy rights of its Vendors, Reviewers and Site Users seriously.  The submission of any Reviewer and this program is subject to our privacy policy available at https://slashdotmedia.com/privacy-statement/.  No Personal Information, as that term is defined by our privacy policy, is shared with any third party, excerpt where necessary to provide the Review services or required by law. If a Reviewer chooses to display their name and company information in a Review, they may do so at their discretion, where doing so would not violate any other agreement applicable to the Reviewer.  
  5. Reviewers may elect to remain anonymous to the public, but their name and identifying information will be disclosed to Media Company for verification purposes.
  6. Any Reviewer can add additional content to update their Review upon request.  To change a Review, the Reviewer must contact Media Company using the same email they used when the Review was first submitted.  
  7. Users should report Reviewers who violate the Media Company guidelines rules and procedures to software ( @ ) slashdotmedia.com.  An investigation will be initiated on each case and violators will be penalized at the discretion of Media Company.  Reviewers found to be in violation of the rules may be denied access to the Media Company site.  Media Company may also elect to place a comment on their profile.  
  1. Placing a Review under review for suspected guidelines violations.  
  1. Media Company has an aggressive quality assurance and verification process (“QA Process”) to ensure the Guidelines are followed.  However, regardless of how vigilant the process, no method is perfect.  From time to time, a Review that does not fully meet the Guidelines may slip through the process.  If this occurs, users can contact Media Company via email at software ( @ ) slashdotmedia.com for further investigation.  
  2. If you suspect that a Review is fake or otherwise invalid, it should be reported via email to software ( @ ) slashdotmedia.com.  The report should include an explanation as to the reason why the Review should be examined.  There should also be a link to the product page and other relevant facts to help determine whether the Review is authentic.  Upon completion of an evaluation by Media Company, a determination will be made concerning the eligibility of the Review.  If the Review meets the Guidelines, it will remain on the site.  If it does not meet the Guidelines, it will be removed from the site.  
  3. Whether a Review is favorable or not will not be the subject of investigation.  Media Company is a neutral content platform.  Media Company will not remove a Review or not post a Review simply because the Review of the product is negative or unfavorable.  
  4. All Review complaints will be investigated in the order they are received by Media Company.  A confirmation receipt will be sent to the person filing the complaint.  
  5. Once the investigation of the complaint has been completed, Media Company will send the result of the complaint to the person who initiated the complaint.  Users must be aware that filing a false allegation just to have a Review investigated is a violation of these Guidelines and may result in penalties.  
  1. Procedures for Investigating Reviews
  1. Reviews identified for investigation will be reviewed to determine whether the Review meets the guidelines of the QA Process and whether it violates the Guidelines.  Media Company’s review team may contact the Reviewer directly or use various investigative tools to determine if any rules were violated.  
  2. Note the following:
  1. Media Company cannot verify communications that occur between Reviewers and Vendors outside the Media Company site.  Therefore, proof of such communication will be considered in part as one factor in determining whether a violation has occurred in addition to any other evidence.  
  2. Media Company will remain independent and not make any decision subject to the intent or opinion of any Review.  
  3. Media Company will not become involved with disputes between Reviewers and Vendors, unless required to do so by law or to protect its own rights.  
  4. Media Company will not disclose private communications between Media Company and its Reviewers with any outside party, unless required to do so by law or to protect its own rights.  
  5. Media Company strives to complete all investigations within a week with the understanding that investigations that are more involved may take longer.  Reviews being investigated will remain active on the Media Company site until the investigation is complete.  Leaving the Review visible helps to prevent false accusations from being made in an attempt to manipulate the overall ratings of the product.  
  1. Reviews made for incentives
  1. Media Company requires any Reviewer who receives an incentive of any amount for conducting a Review, to disclose that information in the Review, by stating at the top of the Review, that “This review was provided in return for compensation” along with a description of the specific compensation accepted.  For example, if the Review was provided in exchange for a $5 Amazon gift card, the Reviewer must post at the top of the Review “This review was provided in exchange for a $5 Amazon gift card.”  This disclosure is required by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Guidelines.  Any Review associated with the Review Services and Review Program will also be identified by the “Review Source” icon as an incentivize Review.  For information about the FTCs incentive review guidelines go to https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking.  All incentivized Reviews will be identified by the “Incentivized Review” icon.  
  1. Anonymous Reviews
  1. Anonymous Reviews appear on the Site as posted by a “verified user.” While the Reviewer is not disclosed by name to the public reading the Review, they are not created by people who are anonymous to Media Company.  Any Reviewer who has a Review posted on the Media Company site has had their identity verified, in accordance with these Guidelines.  However, they may opt to remain anonymous to the public.
  2. Media Company will not disclose the identity of a Reviewer who has elected to remain anonymous to Vendors or other Reviewers.  
  1. Who Conducts Media Company Software Reviews
  1. Reviewers.  
  2. The Media Company review team. Members of the Media Company team are trained to identify and address Reviews that violate these Guidelines.
  1. Vendor Guidelines
  1. Vendors must comply with the rules and policies contained in the Guidelines.  They must also follow all applicable state and federal laws in the United States, all applicable laws and regulations in their home country, territory, or region.  Any Vendor found to be in violation of these Guidelines will be subject to penalties and/or suspension of services at the discretion of Media Company.  
  2. Vendors are not permitted to post Reviews about their own product or that of a competitor’s product, even if they have experience using the software.  No user may post a Review on behalf of another user.  Also, Vendors are not allowed to overly influence what content to include in any Review.  
  3. To satisfy their users and present a positive product experience, Vendors are encouraged to respond to negative Reviews.  Whether or not a Vendor responds should not be dependent upon the overall rating.  The Vendor’s response should be courteous and professional.  The end result of the response should be to provide additional information that could perhaps explain any commentary by a Reviewer and give the Review additional perspective.  No Vendor is permitted to contact a Reviewer directly regarding a Review.  
  4. Incentivized Reviews.  When offering an incentive for a Review, Vendors must utilize the incentive link in the Vendor Portal to distinguish the incentive from the Reviews that are not being offered as part of the incentive program.  Any incentive must be disclosed by the Reviewers as provided herein.  Vendors must contact their account representative for guidance on how to report inappropriately provided incentive related Reviews.  
  1. Vendors should note that for a Reviewer to receive an incentive, the Review must be accepted and published by Media Company.  If the Review fails to meet these Guidelines, the Reviewer will not receive the incentive and the Review will not be published.  Review programs that offer gift cards may only have a certain amount of gift cards available.  If a Reviewer submits a Review that has an expired incentive, the Reviewer will not be eligible to receive the gift card.  
  1. What Vendors Can Expect
  1. All Reviews submitted will be evaluated through our QA Process.  
  2. Questionable Reviews will be investigated independently, regardless of the status of any Site User, Vendor, client, customer, Reviewer or third party.  
  1. Best Practices for Vendors Concerning Reviews
  1. Vendors have the ability to manage their Reviews via the Vendor Portal accessible through the Media Company website.  In the Vendor Portal, (i) each of their products contains a link to its Reviews and (ii) Vendors have the ability to send users a request for Reviews.  
  2. When building a review program, here are some things to consider:
  1. When soliciting Reviews, Vendors should inform users of our QA Process to ensure the Reviews associated with their software satisfy these Guidelines.  
  2. All Vendors must follow the rules in these Guidelines.  
  3. Vendors wishing to participate in the Reviews Program are encouraged to log into the Vendor Portal, contact their account representative, or fill out the form on the Contact Us page for more information.  

 

Last updated: November 7, 2022