Microsoft Q&A Code of Conduct
This Code of Conduct applies to all users and threads in Microsoft Q&A. It outlines expectations for participation on this site.
The mission of Microsoft Q&A is a global, community-driven platform for timely, high-quality technical answers. Communities thrive through diversity of thought and the safety of its members. Microsoft has a deep-seated commitment to diversity and inclusion. Therefore, we are committed to providing a welcoming and inspiring community for all. People violating this Code of Conduct may be banned from the community.
This Code of Conduct is not exhaustive or complete. It serves to capture our common understanding of a productive, collaborative environment. Where any aspect of this Code of Conduct conflicts with the Microsoft Terms of Use, the Microsoft Terms of Use will take precedence.
Member Qualifications
As a participant in this community, you agree that you will uphold this Code of Conduct and are responsible for all activities and content you post/upload. In addition to upholding this Code of Conduct, you're responsible for adhering to all applicable local and national laws.
This is your community. Help us to keep it safe, friendly, fun and helpful.
When you're using Microsoft Q&A (the "Services") you will follow these rules.
Please do
Search before you post. Search to see if a question you’d like answered has already been posted by somebody else. Posting the same question repeatedly and starting multiple threads on the same subject can be confusing. Members are busy and they spend some of their free time here helping the community. Someone will respond to your issue if they have the answer.
Be polite and respectful. We are a worldwide community of professionals with different backgrounds, identities, and level of expertise. Remember you might not be communicating in someone else's primary spoken language, and others may not have your level of understanding.
Respect the site etiquette. Use normal caps when you type. ALL CAPS typography is considered shouting and aggressive.
Learn from others. We all make mistakes, and those should be seen as learning opportunities. If you post something that turns out to be incorrect and someone corrects you, thank the person instead of getting upset and lashing out at the person who corrected you. We are all here to learn and to improve ourselves.
Keep conversation threads on track. When you want to talk about something else, start a new conversation. Stay on the topics of this site: technical questions and conversations on Microsoft technology.
Be honest. Cite the source of anything you post or upload, if it isn’t your own original content.
Understand disagreements. Disagreements, both social and technical, are useful learning opportunities. Seek to understand the other viewpoints and resolve differences constructively.
Keep the community healthy. Report any kind of abuse you find in the community. You will find a Report option in every post.
Post to the right place. Is your question about Cosmos DB? Use the right tags. Using tags like #Azure and #CosmosDB help people understand what you're asking about. Moderators might update your tags or add new tags to better scope your question.
Mark correct answer as accepted. This helps ‘close’ the thread. It also helps others know when searching for the right solution that the answer helped solve your problem.
Stay up to date. Fine-tune your email notification preferences in your profile settings.
Follow these rules
Don’t do anything illegal.
Don’t engage in any activity that exploits, harms, or threatens to harm children.
Don’t send spam. Spam is unwanted or unsolicited bulk email, postings, contact requests, SMS (text messages), or instant messages.
Don’t publicly display or use the Services to share inappropriate content or material (involving, for example, nudity, bestiality, pornography, offensive language, graphic violence, or criminal activity).
Don't engage in activities which are fraudulent, false, or misleading (e.g., asking for money under false pretenses, impersonating someone else, defamation, manipulating the Services to increase play count, or affect rankings, ratings, or comments).
Don't circumvent any restrictions on access to or availability of the Services.
Don't engage in activity that is harmful to you, the Services, or others (e.g., transmitting viruses, stalking, posting terrorist or violent extremist content, self-harm or suicide, harassment or bullying, communicating hate speech, or advocating violence against others).
Don't infringe upon the rights of others (e.g., unauthorized sharing of copyrighted music or other copyrighted material, resale or other distribution of Bing maps, or photographs).
Don't engage in activities that violate the privacy of others.
Don't help others break these rules.
Don't threaten, stalk, insult, victimize, discriminate, or intimidate anyone or any group of people for any reason, including on the basis of age, gender, disability, ethnicity, sexual orientation, race or religion.
Don't harass, tease, or correct other users about the grammar used in their threads. Good or bad grammar isn’t the point of the community, it is about getting questions answered and technical discussions.
Don't post 3rd party paid promotions, including commercial software, freeware, freemium, except for non-commercial open source.
Don't post links to websites that require payment to access information.
Don't create community accounts. All accounts are for the sole use of one individual.
Non-authentic use of the Service
Don't engage in activities to circumvent any restrictions on access, availability to the Services, or misuse of the Services features including but not limited to:
Use of fake accounts to upvote, post questions and accept answers from members of the community to artificially earn reputation points.
Creating alternative accounts when a primary account has been suspended from the Service to circumvent that suspension.
Using features of the site, such as voting options, to penalize other users in retaliation for their actions on the Service.
Don’t plagiarize the answers submitted previously by others and content from other websites as your own. Give proper sourcing and credit along with links to the original content source in your answers at all times. This includes adherence to the Microsoft Q&A AI Usage Policy.
Enforcement
If you violate this Code of Conduct, we may stop providing Services to you or we may close your Microsoft account. We may also block delivery of communication (like email, file sharing or instant message) to or from the Services in an effort to enforce this Code of Conduct or we may remove or refuse to publish Your Content for any reason. When investigating alleged violations of this Code of Conduct, Microsoft reserves the right to review Your Content to resolve the issue. However, we cannot monitor the entire Service and make no attempt to do so.
User Cautions
Do not post sensitive data from your computer including memory dumps and/or configuration files. If you feel you need that to solve your problem, a moderator or a support person can start a private conversation with you to help you protect your data.
Be very cautious about accepting direct help from another user. If that user suggests using Remote Assistance to help you, be aware that they will have access to your computer, and that your computer could be hacked.
If you volunteer to help another user through Remote Access, be very careful not to harm their computer in any way, or to access information that is not openly made available to you. Abuse of Remote Access will not be tolerated and will result in a permanent ban from the Microsoft Q&A platform and service.
Please be careful with your personal information. If you post your email address in a thread, it may be used for any purpose by the general public, as this is a public community.
Don’t post information that could be used by others to steal your identity, like your street address, your phone number, your social security number, or your credit card number.
Termination and Cancellation
Microsoft reserves the right, at its sole discretion, and without any obligation to do so, to review and remove user-created services and content at will and without notice and delete content and accounts. Microsoft reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to permanently ban participants or terminate access to the community.
Rights and Responsibilities
We encourage you not to share information that others could use to harm you.
Microsoft is not responsible for the content of any user-created posting, listing or message. The decision to view content or engage with others is yours. We advise you to use your best judgment.
You are responsible for protecting your computer against interference, spyware or viruses that may be encountered. We recommend you install a virus protection program on your computer and keep it up to date.
You may use the Report option in each thread to report violations of this Code of Conduct.
Microsoft reserves the right to amend or change the Code of Conduct or any service at any time without notice. We encourage you to Follow this thread or periodically review these guidelines to ensure you're complying.
Some information you provide or upload to the service may be stored outside of the country/region in which you reside.
All activity on the service is also governed by the Microsoft Terms of Use and the Microsoft Privacy Policy.
You acknowledge that you're a volunteer participant in The Services and that you may discontinue your participation at any time. Nothing related to your participation will be construed as creating an employer-employee relationship, a partnership, joint venture, association, or agency relationship, or as a limitation upon Microsoft’s right to terminate your access as foreseen above, or upon Microsoft’s discretion, to terminate your access as provided herein. You assume all risk for your use.
You understand that posting content or submitting material is voluntary, and you're under no obligation whatsoever to provide any submissions or contributions. You are solely responsible for your dealings with any third party that relates to your use of the community, or any information or materials you obtain from a third party.
Microsoft shall not be obligated to provide, and you have no expectation of receiving, any compensation in any form for your voluntary participation in the community, or for your submissions or contributions.