Terms and rules

CookingBites Rules and Guidelines

CookingBites is a global community for food lovers.
We share recipes, ideas, and discussion in a friendly, family-safe environment.
Access to the site is a privilege. These rules protect our members, moderators, and the reputation of our community.

They may be updated at any time. Use common sense and good manners.

Content & Conduct
  1. Content Standards:
    Posts must be suitable for a general audience, including children.
    Do not post profanity, sexually explicit content, violent material, political advocacy, religious advocacy, hateful content, or discriminatory behaviour.
    Do not post or link to anything illegal or unsafe.
    Circumventing the word filter or using images to bypass it will result in removal or moderation.

  2. General Conduct:
    Focus on the thread starter’s question.
    Be polite, respectful, and constructive.
    Do not tell members to “look it up”; it is unhelpful and will be removed.
    If advice seems dangerous, report it for moderator review.
    Attack the argument, not the person.
    Insults, trolling, baiting, harassment, and bullying are not tolerated.

  3. Staying on Topic:
    Discussion must remain focused on food/drink, cooking, and their production.
    Interesting 'off-topic' posts may be moved to form new threads.
    Posts that drift from the thread topic may be moved or deleted.
    Political, faith-based, or social commentary is permitted only when it directly relates to food/drink or their production/consumption.
    All other political or religious debate is not allowed.

  4. Formatting & Style:
    To keep things readable for everyone, including members using accessibility settings, use the default forum font, colour, and size.
    Do not change text colour or background, or use pale/low-contrast shades.
    Avoid excessive formatting (bold, italics, oversized text, colour changes, ALL CAPS, emoji or emicons).
    Titles should contain text only.
    Moderators may edit posts for clarity or readability. Edits are final.

  5. Language:
    English only, please.
    Short universal phrases (e.g., bon appétit) and common recipe names in other languages (e.g., bechamel, sag aloo, crème brûlée) are fine.
    Full posts in other languages will be treated as spam.

  6. No Bumping:
    Do not reply to threads solely to push them back to the top.
    (“Bumping” = posting without adding anything meaningful.)

  7. Reporting Problems:
    If you see bullying, spam, or rule-breaking, use the Report link.
    Do not respond publicly or escalate the situation. The moderator team will handle it.

Posting Rules
  1. Posting Recipes:
    Each recipe must be posted in a new thread, not within other threads.
    Recipes posted elsewhere will be moved or deleted.
    Recipes must be rewritten in your own words, not copied from books/magazines or websites.
    Posting copyrighted text/images from books, magazines or websites is not permitted. Copyrighted content will be deleted.
    Always credit the original creator or source of inspiration.

    See Recipe Copyright Policy.
    Photos and videos must follow the CookingBites Policy on Images and Copyright
    Full details can be found at Rules for Uploading Recipes and Retro Recipes on CookingBites.com and Additional Rules for Uploading Video Recipes on CookingBites.com.

  2. Links:
    Links are a privilege and require approval for new members.

  3. Cross-Posting:
    Do not create the same thread in more than one forum.
    Duplicate threads or posts will be deleted.

  4. Tagging:
    Tags are words and phrases that make content easier to search. Keep them functional and representative of the content.

  5. Advertising, Food Bloggers & Self-Promotion:
    Accounts created primarily for promotion, solicitation, or link-dropping will be closed and reported to anti-spam services.
    Genuine contributing members may share their food blogs, videos, or social media within relevant threads and in their profile or signature. Contribute first, promote second.
    Active members may link to their own work when relevant to the discussion, include one link in their signature, and post a single link about their blog in the About section of their profile.

  6. Ignore Function:
    If another member irritates you, use the Ignore feature for users, threads, or forums instead of engaging.

  7. Privacy & Conversations:
    Private messages follow the same rules as public posts.
    Do not publish them without permission.
    Messages from staff are confidential.
    Abuse of the conversation system may result in moderation or removal.

Account Management
  1. User Accounts:
    One account per person.
    Usernames must not reveal personal data, impersonate others, or advertise.
    Accounts used abusively, for trolling, or for spam will be suspended or removed without notice.

  2. Location Requirement:
    Because cooking terms vary worldwide, members must list their actual country of residence.
    If a location is missing or inaccurate, moderators may correct it, place the account in moderation, or close it.
    Repeated falsification will lead to account closure.

  3. Account Closure & Right to Be Forgotten:
    Public posts are part of the ongoing community record and cannot be deleted without damaging discussions.
    If you choose to leave, we will anonymise your account and delete any Personally Identifying Information (PII). However, it is the user’s responsibility to identify and notify us, at the time of leaving, of any PII contained within their posts. Failure to do so may result in such information remaining as part of the public record. This meets all privacy and “right to be forgotten” obligations.

  4. Avatars:
    Avatars must not be defamatory, obscene, hateful, unlawful, or used for advertising.
    Unsuitable avatars will be removed.

  5. Signatures:
    Signatures are a privilege.
    They must not contain offensive content, images, or large fonts.
    The moderator team may modify or remove signatures at any time.

  6. Warnings & Bans:
    Persistent rule-breaking, harassment, or disruption will lead to warnings, moderation, and, if necessary, a permanent ban.
    Re-registering after a ban will result in the new account being removed immediately.

Technical & Legal
  1. Technical Restrictions:
    Some countries restrict access to online platforms, including social media and forums.
    Members are responsible for complying with their local laws and regulations.
    CookingBites complies with applicable legislation and may restrict or modify access where required by law.

    CookingBites is a themed, content-focused forum centred on food, cooking, and related learning, rather than a general social networking platform. However, as age-based access requirements and enforcement approaches continue to evolve internationally, a valid date of birth is required to support compliance with applicable age-related legal and platform obligations.
    Date of birth information is not required to be publicly visible.

  2. Moderator Authority:
    Moderator instructions are binding.
    Public arguments about moderation will be removed.
    If you need clarification about a moderator decision, contact the moderator team or site owner privately.
    The site owner’s decision is final.

  3. Site Management & Legal:
    The owner may edit, move, or remove any post or account at any time, without notice, in the best interests of the community.
    We may disclose information if required by law.

  4. Disclaimer:
    Views and opinions expressed by members do not represent CookingBites.
    The site owner and moderators are not responsible for the accuracy or legality of member-submitted content or external links.

  5. Moderator Team:
    Moderators are volunteers who keep the site running smoothly.
    Please treat them with the same respect you expect in return.

Final Provision
  1. No rule set can cover every situation.
    The site owner and moderators may act at their discretion to protect the community.
  2. By continuing to post on CookingBites, you acknowledge and accept that you will follow all forum rules, guidelines, and policies.

Last updated: 8th December 2025

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