Community Guidelines

Welcome to FlavorShare! Our mission is to connect food lovers worldwide through the joy of cooking and sharing recipes. This diverse community includes home cooks, professional chefs, food bloggers, and everyone in between.

These guidelines outline the standards we expect all members to follow. By participating in FlavorShare, you agree to uphold these values and help us maintain a positive environment.

FlavorShare is a place where people from all backgrounds come together. We expect every interaction to be respectful and constructive.

• No harassment: Personal attacks, threats, hate speech, or discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic are strictly prohibited.
• Constructive feedback: If you critique a recipe, focus on the dish, not the cook. Offer suggestions respectfully.
• Celebrate diversity: We welcome recipes and perspectives from all cultures and traditions. Appropriation or mocking of cultural dishes is not acceptable.
• No bullying or trolling: Deliberately provoking or harassing other members will result in immediate action.

We want FlavorShare to be a source of reliable, high-quality cooking inspiration. All content should meet our community standards.

Recipes are the heart of FlavorShare. We ask that all submissions meet the following criteria:

• Edible & Safe: Recipes must be safe to prepare and consume. Do not share recipes involving dangerous ingredients, unsafe preparation methods, or raw/undercooked items that pose health risks.
• Clear Instructions: Include complete ingredients with measurements, step-by-step directions, cooking times, and temperatures.
• Accuracy: Ensure your recipe works. If you've tested it, mention that. We encourage "Tested & Approved" badges.
• Dietary Labels: If your recipe is vegan, gluten-free, keto, or follows another diet, use the appropriate tags to help users find it.
• No placeholder recipes: Do not post incomplete recipes just to fill space. Every recipe should be ready for someone to cook.

Great photos inspire cooks! Here's what we expect:

• Relevant images: Photos should clearly show the dish described in the recipe.
• Quality matters: Ensure photos are well-lit, in focus, and free of clutter.
• No NSFW content: While food is art, explicit, sexual, or overly suggestive content is not allowed.
• Original content: Upload photos you've taken yourself. If using stock images, clearly state the source and ensure you have rights to use them.

Respect the work of others. FlavorShare celebrates creativity while protecting creators' rights.

• Original content: We encourage you to share your own recipes. If adapting someone else's recipe, clearly credit the source and make meaningful modifications.
• No plagiarism: Copying recipes verbatim from cookbooks, websites, or other users without permission or attribution is prohibited.
• Give credit: If you're inspired by a famous chef or cookbook, mention it! We love celebrating culinary influences.
• Your rights: You retain ownership of your content, but by posting on FlavorShare, you grant us a license to display it on our platform and promote our services.

Your safety and privacy are our top priorities.

• No personal information: Do not share your home address, phone number, financial details, or other sensitive personal information in recipes, comments, or profiles.
• Kids & teens: Users under 13 must have parental consent. We never collect personal data from children without verified guardian permission.
• Food safety disclaimer: While we encourage thorough recipes, FlavorShare is not responsible for allergic reactions or foodborne illness. Always include allergy warnings (e.g., "Contains nuts") when applicable.
• Report suspicious behavior: If someone asks for personal info or makes you uncomfortable, report them immediately.

FlavorShare is for cooking, not commerce. Please keep commercial content out of our community.

• No affiliate links: Do not include affiliate links or trackable shopping links in recipes or comments.
• No self-promotion: Avoid posting recipes solely to drive traffic to your blog, YouTube channel, or business. Organic mention in your bio is fine; spammy posting is not.
• No solicitation: Do not ask for money, subscriptions, or sales pitches in the community.
• Brand partnerships: If you're a brand ambassador or paid creator, clearly disclose the partnership in your recipe description.

Help us keep FlavorShare safe. If you see content that violates these guidelines, please report it.

• Use the Report button: Every recipe, comment, and profile has a "Report" option. Click it to flag content for review.
• Be specific: When reporting, select the reason that best describes the issue and add details if needed.
• We review everything: Our trust and safety team reviews all reports within 24-48 hours.
• No retaliation: Never retaliate against someone for reporting content. All reports are confidential.

We take violations seriously. Depending on the severity and frequency, we may take the following actions:

• Content removal: Violating content may be removed without notice.
• Warnings: First-time minor violations may result in a warning and request to correct the issue.
• Temporary suspension: Repeat or serious violations may lead to account suspension for a set period.
• Permanent ban: Severe or repeated violations, including threats, hate speech, or illegal activity, will result in permanent account termination.