Terms of service
Terms of service (often abbreviated as "ToS") are s by which one must agree to abide by in order to use a service. Usually, such terms are legally binding.
Certain
website s are noted for having carefully designed terms of service, particularlyeBay andPayPal which need to maintain a high level ofcommunity trust because of transactions involvingmoney . However, to attract new members and maintain current members, the terms must be perceived as fair and must not be needlessly bureaucratic. For the sake of goodpublic relations and effective community building, the organization should strive to form asocial contract that balances the organization's interests with a set ofright s granted to the membership.Internet service providers
Most
Internet service provider s have terms of service—notablyAOL LLC —which many perceive to be very strict.Cite web|url=http://news.com.com/AOL+dumps+new+member+policy/2100-1023_3-201927.html|title=AOL dumps new member policy|accessdate=2006-12-24|year=1997-7-29|author=Janet Kornblum] Most users do not read the terms of service.Fact|date=March 2008Video Games
As
video game s moveonline , many of them are also adopting a terms of service, separate from theEnd User License Agreement required to utilize the client software. These Terms of Service generally specifybehavior s that are disallowed within the video game'svirtual world , generally to prevent a player from disrupting another player's game experience. For example, many online games disallow the use ofracist speech throughcommunication channels provided by the game. ManyMMORPG s also disallow the trading of in-game items for "real world" money.Violation
A ToS violation can result in myriad consequences towards those who are guilty depending on the service and the severity of the violation. Most organizations reserve the right to restrict a user's access to the service if they violate the terms in the agreement, an action referred to as ToSsing the user.
References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
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