Freelancing and More!

Many freelancers use online marketplaces to get new assignments.  However, all too often, they fail to do one simple thing when they are registering with these sites. They fail to read the Terms of Service that govern their usage of the site. All too often, this results in frustration, anger and outright violations of policies of the site.  Here are some ways you can avoid TOS violations:

Read TOS frequently – It is important that you take steps to protect yourself from changes in TOS that could negatively impact you or your goals when participating on a particular website.  Not all websites “announce” changes to their Terms of Service and because of this they are normally free to change them as they see appropriate.

Review if absent - If you have not visited a website in more than 30 days it is highly recommended that you revisit the terms of service before you continue commenting, posting for jobs, or writing. If the terms of service changed while you were gone, those changes impact you whether you were aware of them or not.

Check legalities - Some municipalities do have laws in place that limit your requirements/restrictions based on terms of service and privacy policies of websites. If your state/city/country is one of them find out what limits are applicable to you and make note of them in a convenient place in the event that you are cited for failure to abide by terms of service.

Keep the following in mind:

Lack of understanding is not an excuse! - If you did not understand a particular phrase, clause or restriction under a terms of service agreement, this does not mean you do not have an obligation to abide by those terms. It is your obligation to get clarification of anything that you do not understand. Most websites are required to have information where you can contact them if you have a question about the terms of service.  Cover yourself and ask questions.

Don’t cry later! - If you agreed to abide by certain terms of service (which you do by using any website or blog) then do not belly-ache when something that was covered in the TOS is tossed up to you as reason for removal of your account or suspension of your account.  It is your sole responsibility to understand and abide by all terms of service for ALL websites and blogs that you participate in.

Summary

You are responsible for making sure that you do not violate any policies when you interact online.  Protect yourself by staying current by reading terms of service and privacy policies carefully when you register at any site and check them periodically for changes.