I have a two part question. 1) When is a terms of service document a good idea to have on your website? Is it whenever you require users to sign up for whatever reason, or is it whenever you offer a service? 2) How can I know what should be put in these documents without hiring a lawyer?
Hi, here are my answers: 1. Terms of Service pages are used to help protect the owner of the site from various legal claims resulting from the use of the site. Even if you do not accept money there are many things to sue someone for. Let's say that someone posts a comment on your blog site that encourages illegal activity, having that user check a terms of service agreement box could help protect you if someone tries to hold you responsible for that user's comments. 2. Whenever you are working with legal documents it is best to have an attorney. I will even tell you to get the advice of an attorney before believing this post. Some people read other terms of services, read tutorials and then write their own. It can also be cheaper to write your own and have an attorney review it than to have an attorney write it from scratch. Let me know if you have any more questions. Best of luck! -- Nathan Enns