For the rules on accounts, posts, moderation and participation, read our Community terms and guidelines. Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle your information.
1.Services Overview
Community-Websites.com provides the following services:
- Display Advertising — Subscription-based ad placement on our community news websites
- Sponsored Articles — Professionally written articles published on our sites
- Business Directory — Business listings with features and priority placement according to the current listing or sponsorship plan
- Ad Design — Professional ad creative design included with subscriptions
- Community Websites App — Local news, community participation and business discovery; see our Community Terms and Guidelines
- SMS & Email — Automated and manual communications related to our services (see Section 11)
2.Account & Eligibility
Advertising purchases and business contracts require an adult age 18 or older with authority to act for the business. Reader community accounts are available to people age 13 or older; minors need a parent or guardian’s permission. Reader participation is also governed by our Community Terms and Guidelines.
You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account. You agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account.
3.Advertising Services
Subscriptions: Advertising plans are offered on monthly, quarterly, and yearly billing cycles. Subscriptions automatically renew at the end of each billing period unless cancelled. You may cancel at any time through your customer portal or by contacting us.
Ad Content: All advertisement content is subject to our review and approval. We reserve the right to reject, modify, or remove any advertisement at our sole discretion, without refund, if it violates our content policies or is deemed inappropriate, misleading, offensive, or harmful.
Ad Specifications: Advertisements must conform to the formats and dimensions requested for their placements. Current placements use banner, sidebar/rail, square and article-strip artwork. An article strip requires its own artwork; other placements may use suitable fallback artwork. The design or upload workflow provides the applicable specifications. We may change specifications with reasonable notice.
Performance: We do not guarantee any specific number of impressions, clicks, conversions, leads, sales, or other results from advertising. Ad performance metrics provided in our dashboard are estimates and may vary.
4.Advertiser Agreement
This section constitutes the Advertiser Agreement between you ("Advertiser") and Community-Websites.com ("Publisher"). By purchasing any advertising plan or submitting ad content, you agree to these terms.
4.1 Scope of Advertising Services
Publisher operates a network of hyperlocal community news websites across participating United States communities (the "Network"). Advertising services include:
- Display of Advertiser's approved creative on designated site(s)
- Professional ad design services (included at no additional cost)
- Access to the Advertiser customer portal for performance tracking
- Reasonable ad creative updates during the subscription period
Publisher reserves the right to modify the scope of services at any time with reasonable notice.
4.2 Advertiser Representations & Warranties
By placing an advertisement, Advertiser represents and warrants that:
- Advertiser has the legal authority to enter into this Agreement
- All information provided is truthful, accurate, and not misleading
- The ad complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws (FTC Act, Lanham Act, FDUTPA, CAN-SPAM, and industry-specific regulations)
- Advertiser holds all necessary rights for all content submitted
- The ad does not infringe upon any third party's rights
- Any claims or endorsements comply with FTC Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255)
- Promotions and coupon codes are valid and will be honored
- Advertiser's business is properly licensed and insured
4.3 Content Review & Approval
All advertisements are subject to Publisher's review and approval. Publisher reserves the sole right to:
- Approve, reject, or request modifications to any advertisement
- Remove or suspend previously approved ads that violate terms or law
- Modify ad placement, rotation, or priority at any time
- Require substantiation for any claims made in the advertisement
Publisher's approval does not constitute endorsement and does not relieve Advertiser of compliance responsibilities.
4.4 Prohibited Advertising Content
The following are specifically prohibited in advertisements:
- False, deceptive, or misleading claims
- Bait-and-switch offers or unavailable promotions
- Content that disparages or defames competitors
- Illegal products, services, or activities
- Firearms, ammunition, or weapons
- Tobacco, vaping, or cannabis products
- Adult content or sexually explicit material
- Gambling (unless legally licensed)
- MLM, pyramid schemes, or "get rich quick" offers
- Predatory lending or high-interest financial products
- Unapproved pharmaceuticals or medical devices
- Political advertising (unless separately approved)
- Malicious links, auto-downloads, or redirect scripts
- Impersonation of another business or entity
Violations may result in immediate removal without refund.
4.5 Performance & Delivery
No Performance Guarantees: Publisher does not guarantee any specific number of impressions, clicks, conversions, leads, sales, or revenue. All metrics are estimates.
Ad Delivery: Publisher makes commercially reasonable efforts to display ads but does not guarantee continuous, uninterrupted delivery.
Rotation & Placement: Ads are displayed using a weighted rotation system alongside other advertisers. No guarantees regarding exclusive placement or share of voice.
Audience: Publisher makes no representations regarding audience size, demographics, or composition.
4.6 Billing, Cancellation & Refunds
Billing: Fees are billed in advance via the payment method on file. Subscriptions auto-renew at the then-current rate unless cancelled.
Cancellation: Cancel at any time. Takes effect at the end of the current billing period. No cancellation fees.
Refunds: Generally non-refundable. Refund requests must be submitted within 14 days of the charge. Exceptional circumstances handled at Publisher's discretion.
Failed Payments: 7-day grace period. Unresolved issues may result in ad suspension. Publisher is not liable for lost business due to payment failures.
4.7 Intellectual Property & License
Advertiser Content: Advertiser retains ownership of original content. By submitting, Advertiser grants Publisher a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use it in connection with the Services.
Publisher-Created Content: Ad designs created by Publisher are Publisher's property. Advertiser receives a limited license during the subscription period only. May not be used elsewhere without permission.
Trademarks: Each party retains rights to its own marks. Neither may use the other's without written consent.
4.8 Data & Reporting
Performance data is provided for informational purposes. Advertiser acknowledges that metrics may be affected by ad blockers, bot traffic, caching, and other technical factors. Publisher filters invalid traffic on a best-effort basis. Publisher is not liable for decisions made based on performance data.
4.9 Advertiser Indemnification
Advertiser shall indemnify and hold harmless Publisher from all claims arising from: the ad content; products/services advertised; IP infringement; consumer complaints; regulatory actions; and breach of this Agreement. This obligation survives termination.
4.10 Publisher Liability Limitations
Publisher's total liability shall not exceed fees paid during the three (3) months preceding the claim. Publisher is not liable for loss of business, revenue, profits, or any indirect/consequential damages.
4.11 Non-Exclusivity
This Agreement is non-exclusive. Publisher may accept advertising from competitors. Advertiser may advertise on other platforms without restriction.
4.12 Compliance with Laws
Advertiser is solely responsible for compliance with: FTC Act, FDUTPA, truth in advertising laws, industry licensing requirements, ADA, CAN-SPAM, and TCPA. Publisher's review does not constitute legal compliance review.
4.13 Termination by Publisher
Publisher may terminate immediately, without refund, if Advertiser breaches the Agreement, violates content policies, receives complaints or legal notices, has unresolved payments exceeding 14 days, or engages in fraud.
4.14 Survival
Sections 4.2, 4.7, 4.8, 4.9, 4.10, and 4.12 survive termination or expiration of this Agreement.
5.Sponsored Content & Articles
One-Time Purchase: Pricing varies by site and is displayed at purchase time.
Content Creation: We write the article based on your brief. Final content is at our editorial discretion.
Approval: You receive a draft for review. Reasonable changes accepted; revision rounds may be limited.
Publication: Articles remain at our discretion. We may remove, modify, or relocate them at any time.
Labeling: Sponsored articles are labeled as "Sponsored Content" per FTC guidelines.
6.Pricing & Payment
Pricing: As displayed at purchase time. We may change pricing; changes take effect at the next billing period for existing subscriptions.
Payment: Processed through our third-party payment processor. All payments in US dollars.
Refunds: Generally non-refundable. Handled case-by-case. Sponsored article fees non-refundable once writing begins.
Failed Payments: Ads may be paused. Unresolved accounts may be suspended or terminated.
Coupons: Subject to specific terms, expiration, and limitations. We may modify or discontinue any promotion.
7.Intellectual Property
Our Content: All site content is owned by or licensed to us and protected by copyright, trademark, and IP laws.
Your Content: You retain ownership. By providing content, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual license to use it in connection with our Services.
Ad Creatives: Designs created by our team remain our property. Licensed for use during your subscription.
Sponsored Articles: Our intellectual property. You may reference and link but not republish without permission.
8.Content Policies & Prohibited Content
Community participation: Our Community Terms and Guidelines cover public feeds, article previews, AI-assisted news and events, questions, polls, comments, sharing, account notices and appeals. They supplement these business-service terms; checkout terms govern the specific paid purchase.
Profanity is prohibited in our family-friendly community. Supported writing fields blur it and block posting. AI and rule-based checks can make mistakes, and no filter guarantees perfect coverage.
Verified current sponsors and advertisers may post about their own legitimate businesses only in the communities covered by their active advertising plan. Sign in with the email on the advertising account. A directory listing alone does not grant this benefit. Posts remain subject to safety, profanity, privacy, truthfulness and anti-spam rules. Non-advertiser commercial content can receive a notice after one independent report and be removed after two reports plus confirmation. Three independent safety reports can hide content for review; confirmed violations may be removed. Severe safety violations and profanity may be addressed sooner.
More than five distinct confirmed removals within 90 days results in a permanent community participation ban with an appeal. Duplicate reports, warnings, pre-publication commercial holds and reversed decisions do not add strikes. Successful appeals can restore content, reverse strikes and lift a resulting ban. Automated sponsor recommendations are labeled paid relationships, not independent endorsements or guarantees.
You agree not to submit or promote content that:
- Is false, misleading, deceptive, or fraudulent
- Infringes on intellectual property, privacy, or other rights
- Is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, or defamatory
- Contains malware, viruses, or harmful code
- Promotes illegal activities or substances
- Contains adult, violent, or inappropriate content for a community audience
- Violates any applicable law or regulation
We may take action including removal, suspension, or termination without refund.
9.DMCA & Copyright
We comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Submit takedown notices through our DMCA form.
False DMCA notices may result in liability under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f).
10.Data Collection & Privacy
Your use of our Services is subject to our Privacy Policy. We use cookies, tracking technologies, and analytics tools to monitor usage and measure advertising performance.
11.SMS/Text Message Program Terms
Program
Community Websites Advertising Notifications
Frequency
Up to 8 texts over 60 days + account messages
Consent: Promotional automated texts require the applicable opt-in consent described at signup. Providing a phone number alone is not blanket permission for promotional texts, and consent is not a condition of purchase. Account-related messages and replies are handled according to your request and applicable law.
Rates: Message and data rates may apply. Check with your carrier.
STOP
Text to opt out anytime
HELP
Text for assistance
Carriers: Compatible with AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and most major US carriers.
Privacy: Phone number handled per our Privacy Policy. Not shared with third parties for marketing.
12.Limitation of Liability
13.Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Company from all claims arising from: (a) your use of our Services; (b) your content or advertisements; (c) your violation of these Terms; (d) your violation of any law or third-party rights; or (e) any claim that your content caused damage to a third party.
14.Disclaimer of Warranties
15.Termination
We may suspend or terminate your account at any time, for any reason, including violation of these Terms, non-payment, fraud, or content violations. Upon termination, ads are removed and access revoked. Surviving sections continue in effect.
16.Governing Law & Dispute Resolution
Governing Law: Laws of the State of Florida, without regard to conflict of law provisions.
Jurisdiction: State or federal courts in Florida, USA.
Informal Resolution: You agree to attempt informal resolution by contacting us before filing legal claims. We will attempt to resolve within 30 days.
17.Modifications to Terms
We may modify these Terms at any time. We will update the "Last updated" date and provide additional notice for material changes. Continued use constitutes acceptance.
18.Miscellaneous
Entire Agreement
These Terms + Privacy Policy constitute the full agreement.
Severability
Unenforceable provisions do not affect the rest.
Waiver
Non-enforcement is not a waiver of any right.
Assignment
We may assign; you may not without consent.
Force Majeure
Not liable for failures due to events beyond reasonable control (natural disasters, war, internet failures, pandemics, etc.).
19.Contact Us
For questions about these Terms:
email@community-websites.com
813-437-1676
Florida, USA