Overview of Sage Nonprofit Solutions Discussion Forums:

The Sage Discussion Forums are an ongoing discussion area where users can contribute thoughts at any time. The discussion forums are peer-to-peer, however, from time to time, Sage Customer Support Representatives may monitor the forums. The discussion forums are a place online where Sage users can interact by posting and reading messages about topics that are of interest to them. These discussion forums are a great place for Sage users to exchange information, tips and techniques. Searching the support forum and the discussion forums before posting a question is strongly recommended.

Expectations of Service: Sage does not offer formal support in the discussion forums offered here. Instead, our role is to provide a place for Sage users from all levels to get together and exchange information. Sage may monitor content and remove inappropriate posts. The information provided in the discussion forums is offered "AS IS" with no warranties. You assume all risk for your use.

Your use of the Forum is also subject to the following terms: Sage Software Trademarks .  For Sage’ s Privacy Policy

Rules of Conduct: Appropriate Language- The purpose of the Sage discussion forums are to exchange information on the usage of Sage related products. Profanity, personal attacks, slurs, extreme capitalization, sarcasm, and other language that is deemed inappropriate or unacceptable will not be tolerated. Messages that are deemed inflammatory will be removed, and the persons posting such messages can be excluded from the discussion forums if the abuse continues.

Confidentiality: Do not post credit card numbers, phone numbers, serial numbers, product keys, or other personal data, including anything covered under a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). The information posted in the discussion forums is not private, and can be viewed by anyone. Confidential information posted in the discussion forums can be removed to prevent abuse or use by unauthorized viewers.

Relevance to Topics: Please keep your posts or replies relevant to the subject of the discussion. It is normal for some topics to drift from the original topic. However, to ensure benefits for everyone, we encourage you to keep your postings as close to the subject as possible.

Advertising/Solicitation: The discussion forums are created as a forum for providing peer-to-peer assistance on Sage related products and services. We ask that you refrain from posting advertisements or solicitations that do not pertain directly to the intended use of the discussion forums.

Multiple/Cross posting: Please refrain from posting multiple copies of the same message in multiple forums. Duplicate posts are subject to removal.

Impersonations: Posing as a Sage employee or other company representative will not be tolerated and will be grounds for removal of your posting and exclusion from discussion forums.

Links: Links to illegal or unacceptable websites are not permitted. Linking to Sage competitors is also prohibited. The Rules of Conduct may be amended at any time without notice.

Legality - It is unacceptable to post any material (i) that would infringe on any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright, or other proprietary rights of any party, (ii) that contains software viruses or any other computer code or files that are designed to disrupt, damage, or limit the functioning of any software or hardware, (iii) that is deemed to be illegal by any local, state, federal, or international law, rule or regulation, or (iv) that suggests or encourages illegal activity.

Sage retains the right to remove content and limit users' access-Sage does not generally edit or monitor content posted by participants in its Forum. However, Sage retains the right, at its sole discretion, to limit users' access to the Forum and to remove material that, in Sage’s sole judgment, does not comply with the current Usage Guidelines, or that is otherwise inappropriate for this Forum, harmful, objectionable, or inaccurate. Sage also retains the right to assign such right to some members of the Forum community. Sage is not responsible for any failure or delay in removing such material. Moderators may take any action they deem necessary in their own judgment to support the Usage Guidelines, and, in general, prohibit content that can detract from the experience of other users or the purpose of the support community. Such actions may include editing or deleting material and banning individual users.

Violation of the Usage Guidelines or other terms could result in the suspension or termination of your access to these services. If your account is suspended, you will not be able to sign in. 

Guest Blogger Guidelines & Suggestions 
 
We’ve had a fair amount of interest from people who would like to blog in the Sage Nonprofit Online Community, and as such, we have created these guidelines to help you. Remember that these are guidelines . . . we’re looking for bloggers who can express themselves and share high-quality nonprofit, fundraising and fund accounting experiences and related information with our community audience.

Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently revised their guidelines concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, effective 12/1/09.  Bloggers who are being compensated in any form for their services must disclose this clearly and conspicuously in their blog article. You can read the FTC announcement of these changes here. View the text of the Revised Endorsement and Testimonial Guides.  

Topics 
We’re open to articles on almost everything pertaining to nonprofit organizations. Some of the posts that garner the most attention from our users are tips, how-to posts, and interesting and informative lists that they can easily digest. We’re always looking for best practices posts, marketing and sales tips, as well as those that walk people through a process in Sage Fundraising or Sage MIP Fund Accounting.    

Sub Headings 
Subheadings are great for breaking up your posts, and help make them easier to read. Use the bold or h3 tag to wrap your subheadings. 
 
Images 
Images can really grab a reader’s attention and help visually explain the message you are relaying. If you can’t come up with an image that directly relates to what you’re writing about, think of abstract images that may illustrate your point. A few notes:

·     Images can be of any size – but the maximum size is 200kb.

·     You must have permission to use an image, or at least use one where there is no copyright issue. Proper attribution is required.

Blog Length 
Typically, blogs can be of any length as long as they convey the message.  Keep in mind that blogs that are too long can be daunting for readers. 
 
Editing 
We regularly edit posts submitted to NPS by our contributors and guest bloggers. We’re not going to rewrite your article, but may suggest grammatical changes, minor edits, title changes, image changes, and other changes. We may return your article with recommendations to help readers better understand the content.  
 
In-Blog Links 
We will allow links in your blog articles if they are relevant to the topic you’re writing about. We do ask that you link to any of your sources in order to give proper attribution. Linking to your blog or website is okay ONLY if relevant to the topic. Excessive linking is prohibited. 
 
Byline / Signature 
We want to help promote you as the author of your article.  Each author will be provided the opportunity to include a byline in your blog article as well as a brief bio. This may not be used as adspace. We’re looking for you to let people know who you are and what you do. We allow up to 2 links, but they may not promote products or services. 
 
Submit Articles 
Please submit articles to bridget.brandt@sage.com. If you need assistance or have questions, please let us know.