1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using TheTalkLounge ("Service", "Platform", "Website"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Service.

2. User Accounts

2.1 Account Creation

You must provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials.

2.2 Account Security

You are responsible for all activities under your account. Notify us immediately of any unauthorized access.

2.3 Account Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, engage in fraudulent activity, or abuse the points/rewards system.

3. Points & Rewards System

3.1 Earning Points

Users earn points through legitimate engagement: reading articles, commenting, sharing, and other approved activities. Points have no cash value and cannot be transferred or sold.

3.2 Anti-Fraud Protection

Prohibited Activities:

• Point farming through automated scripts, bots, or artificial means
• Creating multiple accounts to earn duplicate points
• Rapid-fire actions designed to exploit the system
• Posting spam or duplicate content for points
• Sharing or selling accounts
• Any attempt to manipulate or circumvent rate limits

3.3 Rate Limits

The following rate limits apply to prevent abuse:

• Comments: Maximum 10 per hour
• Shares: Maximum 5 per hour
• Tips: Maximum 3 per hour
• Login bonus: Once per 24 hours
• Article reads: Maximum 20 per hour
• New accounts: 100 points maximum per day for first 24 hours

3.4 Penalties for Abuse

Violation of points system rules may result in:

• Immediate point forfeiture
• Account suspension or permanent ban
• Disqualification from raffles and prizes
• Legal action for fraud or theft of service

4. Raffle & Giveaways

4.1 Eligibility

Raffles are open to registered users in good standing. Employees, contractors, and immediate family members of TheTalkLounge are not eligible.

4.2 Entry Requirements

Raffle entries must be purchased with legitimately earned points. Fraudulent entries will be disqualified.

4.3 Winner Selection

Winners are selected using cryptographically secure random number generation. Drawings are provably fair and cannot be manipulated. Winners will be notified via email and on-site notification.

4.4 Prize Fulfillment

Prizes will be delivered within 30 days of winner verification. Winners must respond within 7 days or forfeit their prize. Prizes cannot be transferred, substituted, or redeemed for cash.

4.5 Tax Responsibility

Winners are responsible for all applicable taxes. Prizes valued over $600 USD require completion of IRS Form W-9.

5. Premium Membership

5.1 Subscription Terms

Premium memberships are billed monthly or annually. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled. No refunds for partial months.

5.2 Cancellation

You may cancel anytime from your account dashboard. Access continues until the end of the billing period.

5.3 Price Changes

We reserve the right to change subscription prices with 30 days notice. Existing subscribers maintain current pricing for their active subscription period.

6. Content & Intellectual Property

6.1 User Content

You retain ownership of content you post. By posting, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, modify, and distribute your content.

6.2 Prohibited Content

You may not post content that is:

• Illegal, harmful, threatening, abusive, or harassing
• Defamatory, obscene, or invasive of privacy
• Infringing on intellectual property rights
• Contains viruses, malware, or malicious code
• Spam, advertising, or promotional material

6.3 DMCA Compliance

We comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. See our DMCA Policy for takedown procedures.

7. Advertising

The Service displays advertisements from third-party networks. We are not responsible for advertiser content. Premium members may access ad-free browsing as part of their subscription.

8. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW:

• THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND
• WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
• OUR TOTAL LIABILITY SHALL NOT EXCEED $100 USD OR AMOUNT PAID IN LAST 12 MONTHS
• WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR USER CONTENT OR THIRD-PARTY LINKS

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless TheTalkLounge, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses arising from your use of the Service or violation of these Terms.

10. Dispute Resolution

10.1 Arbitration

Any disputes shall be resolved through binding arbitration in accordance with the American Arbitration Association rules.

10.2 Class Action Waiver

You agree to resolve disputes individually and waive the right to participate in class actions.

10.3 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of [Your State/Country], without regard to conflict of law provisions.

11. International Use

The Service is operated from the United States. If accessing from outside the US, you are responsible for compliance with local laws. We make no representation that content is appropriate or available for use in other locations.

12. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Changes are effective immediately upon posting. Continued use constitutes acceptance of modified Terms.

13. Termination

We may terminate or suspend access immediately, without prior notice, for any reason including breach of Terms. Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately.

14. Severability

If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force and effect.

15. Contact Information

For questions about these Terms, contact us at:

TheTalkLounge
Email: legal@thetalklounge.com
Address: [Your Business Address]