A Review of the Blog Quality Standards

I'd like to take the time again to review the Blog Quality Standards, which were set forth to create the best, highest quality network of blogs - in the long run, they'll help improve the overall experience of all members.

It is important to remember them, or you run the risk of having your account deleted.

Warnings

A warning will be sent to blogs if your blog doesn't meet the Blog Quality Standards and is only a minor offense.  At this stage, you'll be given 3 days (72 hours) before your entire account will be permanently deleted.

For all other, "major" offenses, your account will be immediately deleted and you won't have permission to "reactivate" it.

When Your Account is Deleted

If your blog fails to meet the standards and is deleted for whatever reason, you will receive an email from deleted@entrecard.com, which will state the reason why your account was deleted.  Once you have addressed the problem (whether the deletion was in error or not), you can send a reply to the message and they will review your site/account again.  If the moderators find that it has been "fixed," your account will be reopened.

At no point will they ever discuss a deleted site with other members of the site.

Main Rules

These are the main rules that you must follow in order to remain a member of the site.  While not all rules are watched, many are reported by moderators/members of the site.

1. No Nudity - Because Entrecard is a (generally) friendly-family site, any blogs with images containing nudity in the posts or ads are not permitted.
2. English Only - To maintain a "readability," your blog must be in English, otherwise use a translation plugin or write it in a different language.
3. 5 Posts Minimum - To become a member, you need to have at least five posts at all times on your blog.  They must have been written within the past three months.
4. Original Content - You can't replicate content from other sources, which includes "free articles," from the public domain or other illegal sources, such as stolen content or scraped feeds.
5. No Full-Screen Ads or Popups - Bogs that contain these will be removed as it is annoying to readers who visit your blog through the service.
6. No Illegal File Downloads - You may not link to or host files that are illegal - such as music, movies, or software.  You may distribute content that you have created, as long as the user opts-in to the download.
7. Present Entrecard Widget - The widget is required to be on your site at all times.
8. No Redirects - Your URL cannot contain redirects to any other site.
9. No Duplicate Accounts - No duplicate accounts for the same blog.
10. URLs Must be Valid - In other words, don't use someone else's site or a URL that directs to a non-existent site.
11. No Automatically Playing Audio - People don't want to hear your music or advertisements when they visit your site.  You can have video and audio, but it can't be set to automatically play.
12. Recent Content - You can't have content on the main page that hasn't been updated within the past 90 days (3 months).

Additional

• No non-blogs, including directories, indexes, forums, or stores.  They can be attached to your blog, but can't be used as a site connected with your widget.
• Sites cannot contain more than 50% paid content - paid posts, posts with links to online stores, or affiliate links (to keep down on spam and people who want to build dozens of sites to market through the system illegally).

Illegal Activities

These activities pertain to generating credits, spamming, and "gaming" the system.

• Using an automated program or script that does the dropping for you.
• Drops done through means in which you are not visiting the blog.
• Using the message system to send unsolicited spam to members you have had no interaction with previously.
• Using the message system to ask for recommendations or to ask for participation in a recommendation exchange.
• Harassing other members, using profanity, etc.
• Uploading a card that contains nudity, illegal activities, or is offensive to other members.

Link: Blog Quality Standards

All of these standards, rules, and procedures have been set forth to ensure that the integrity of the site remains as high as possible, as well as to keep the site growing strong.