HOW ROCKHAQ WORKS
JOIN THE COMMUNITY

Rockhaq is an innovative music journalism community and there are a lot of different groups involved in setting it up and making it work – members, site developers, sponsors and Team Rockhaq. These guidelines are here to make sure all members know how to use the community and to make sure that everybody gets the best out of it.

DO:

1. Check your work before publishing it

We don’t want experts, but it is good to make sure you get the basics right. Running a spell check will get rid of most errors and having someone else look over your work always helps.
The platform is a place to learn as well as compete so always check our latest tips and hints. Don’t take too long though – sooner is better!

2. Share work that you own the rights to

There’s no limit to the number of reviews, videos and interviews you’d like to upload to share and get rated by community members and friends.
Make sure it is your work though and that you’re free to share it. See our user terms.

3. Respect everyone’s opinions

Everyone on the community has something to contribute, but it may not be an opinion that you agree with. Please remember to be respectful and tolerant of other members – even if they do like U2.

4. Positively criticise other members work

Criticism and feedback is an important part of Rockhaq as without it, nothing would ever change or improve. But it’s important to express your comments and feedback as positively as you can without getting personal and always keep in mind before posting – would I appreciate getting the same comment?

5. Invite friends and link to us

You’re welcome to upload and send out links to as many pieces of your work as you like, but we’d really appreciate a link back to us on your blogs or Facebook pages so the community can grow and offer you more. Follow us on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook – and don’t forget to let friends know about us!

DON’T:

1. Publish other people’s work

This means text, photos, videos – anything. It’s all set out in our user terms and the Rockhaq platform is covered by the Creative Commons 2.0 UK licence.

If you suspect somebody of breaking the rules please report it to us by selecting ‘abuse’ on our contact form.

2. Publish abusive or defamatory content

Their last album may have sucked but that doesn’t mean you can make spiteful comments about people’s personal lives or tastes. Remember not to get personal.
Journalists are taught about defamation at university, but we can only cover the basics in our tips. Try to keep your criticism to the music.

3. Encourage spamming

We don’t know anyone who likes spam, so everyone has to register to use the Rockhaq community. Keep any links you post in your work meaningful to your subject and play fair.

4. Abuse other members

Rockhaq can be a competitive environment and you might be disappointed if your work doesn’t always make the top spot. We know this and have a hints and tips section to help keep you motivated.

It’s just not cricket to vent your anger at other members though and abusive behaviour puts your account – and all your work – at risk of being deleted.

5. Engage in band and/or link stuffing

Please don’t stuff countless promotional links in your music reviews to help you or your friend’s bands – this is not what journalists do. Show some editorial judgement over your work. Rockhaq community members and readers will respect you for it and want to listen to what you have to say.

The same goes for only promoting your or your friend’s band. It just makes your work a lot less interesting.

Also, it’s miles better to get LINKS BACK to your music reviews on Rockhaq – it will get more people reading your work and help the community.

To sum up:

Be nice, stay legal and always think before you post. We know that everyone makes mistakes so in most cases we’ll warn you before we think about deleting your account.
However, if you think these guidelines are too restrictive then it’s probably best you don’t join the community.

These guidelines are here to make sure that everyone on the community gets the best experience they can from it. We don’t want to tell you how to think or behave. We’re just letting you know that we expect all members to treat each other with respect, and also set a standard for reviews and comments.

If you have any questions or comments, please get in touch via our contact page.