QB Community "Rules of the Road": Welcome Video, Discussion Guidelines and More

If you’re new to the QuickBooks Community and wondering what’s happening here, you’ve come to the right place.  In this post, you’ll find out about our mission and goals as a community, learn how to quickly and easily navigate around the site and discover how to get the most out of your experience.

• Watch Our Welcome Video!
• Why We Built QB Community - Our Story
• Our Safe & Supportive Community
• QB Community Do's and Don'ts
• Getting to Know the QB Community Site
• A Word About Self-Promotion
• The Deal with Links
• Meet Your QB Community Team

Why We Built QB Community - Our Story

Let's be honest. There are tons of people and companies vying for the attention of folks like you, who work for themselves. From sketchy pyramid schemes to unknown “experts” stating little more than the obvious, there’s plenty of noise out there to distract you from the real business of starting, and growing, your dream business.

We know the noise can be deafening. Frustrating. Exhausting. And downright confusing.

We wanted to escape the din. We knew we needed a place for real, meaningful, thoughtful conversation (no need to yell -- ever!). We wanted to be able to share real stories about our adventures -- and, yes, our misadventures -- in entrepreneurship. We wanted a community that values listening, learning, supporting and exchanging ideas.

That’s why we built the QuickBooks Community. We're so glad to have you join us.

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Our Safe & Supportive Community

Have you ever wanted to post an online question or a comment but have been too intimidated to hit the “comment” or “reply” button? Maybe you were afraid no one else could relate to your question or concern. Maybe you thought you were the only one who hadn’t figured out the answer. Maybe you felt like your question was downright dumb.

Yeah, we can relate. You know what else? Just about everyone else can, too.

That’s why, in our QB Community, we are 100% committed to creating, maintaining and preserving a safe place for you to share fears, frustrations and high-fives.

We encourage complaining, commiserating and, of course, encouraging. We want you to feel comfortable and supported as you openly and honestly share the ups and downs of life as a small business owner. 

Of course, your QB Community hosts are also here to make sure things are going swimmingly. If you have any questions or concerns, just let one of us know. We’ll do our very best to solve any problem and keep our platform a place where everyone feels safe, welcome, appreciated and heard.

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QB Community Dos and Don'ts

We know it takes more than just helpful information to build a meaningful, safe and supportive site you want to visit every day. That’s why we’ve put together a few Dos and Don’ts that reflect our values (and yours, too, we hope).  

Do This!

• Be yourself. Behind every username is an authentic, curious, honest, one-of-a-kind person -- someone a lot like you!
• Tell your story. The more experiences we share, the more we can learn. Whether you’re posting about an entrepreneurial high (your first sale! A rave review!), struggling with business blues (your balance sheet has more red than black, your work-life balance is out of whack) or something in between, we want to know all about it.
• Share what you know. Worried that you’re posting a dumb question? On this site, there’s no such thing. Every question, idea or comment you contribute is a valuable part of our shared learning experience and helps us build our collective knowledge base.
• Accept other points of view. As we make our way down the path of self-employment, we’re guaranteed to encounter a difference of opinion, strategy or perspective somewhere along the way. We’re committed to maintaining a positive, respectful environment, whether we agree or disagree with someone else’s approach.
• Communicate your concerns. If a discussion topic, comment or post upsets you in any way, please reach out to your QB Community hosts at once. We’re here to ensure your experience in the QB Community is positive and supportive.

If you do see something that strikes you as not quite kosher, you can notify us by clicking on the 3 vertical dots next to the offending question or comment/answer.  Then select the option to "Report Inappropriate Content" and it will pop up a new window that lets you write in why you are calling our attention to a post.  

When you use this, all the moderators receive a Private Message notification and we can review the post and handle it appropriately.   :)

Don’t Do This!

• Engage in unhealthy debate. All posts need to be in the spirit of our safe, supportive, friendly community. We love and encourage healthy debate. We don't love (and won't tolerate) antagonistic critiques and personal attacks. If a post, comment or response doesn't help move a conversation in a positive direction, it will be removed. 
• Promote your business (or your products or services). We hope you’ll include a link to your business website and social media pages on your profile page (you’ll find that link near the top of your personalized homepage). However, your QB Community profile is the only place for you to promote your business. Please don’t market your services or products (no matter how great they are!) in any public posts.
• Post sensitive information like phone numbers or credit cards. Enough said (right?).

• Spread spam. Spam or mass marketing in any form is not permitted on the site. Spam is annoying, intrusive and unprofessional, and it will be deleted immediately. Anyone who posts spam that’s malicious in nature will be permanently banned from the QB Community site.

• Harass others. Our site prohibits participants from threatening, abusing or using any kind of insulting or demeaning language. We will not tolerate behavior toward, or communication with or about, another member that disrupts normal community participation in any way.
• Use profanity. The QB Community is a professional space - let’s keep it clean, friends. Profanity or language that is otherwise hurtful or offensive is not permitted.
• Promote illegal conduct. Intuit and its related sites (including the QB Community) prohibits the promotion of illegal conduct, activities or fraudulent schemes on the site.

Thanks for helping us make the QB Community a place for entrepreneurs to share, learn and connect!

Note: Any violation of these guidelines or the terms of service can result in a corrective action, from a gentle warning to a permanent ban from the community. This is a partial list. The full list of dos and don’ts can be found in the Terms of Service.  

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Getting to Know the QB Community Site

It’s one of our top priorities to help you quickly and easily find everything (and everyone!) you’re looking for. Here are some tips for getting around the site without a hitch.

Here’s what has been happening:

Once you’ve signed in, you’ll land on your new, personalized QB Community home page. Look around! See the welcome message? Underneath is a list of everything that’s happened since you last visited the site. If other members have cheered your post, replied to your question or mentioned you in a comment, you’ll be notified right here. It’s easy to get caught up in just a glance! (By the way, if you ever need to make changes to your profile, click the My Profile button just below your list of notifications.)

Featured:Here is where we shine the spotlight on some of our favorite articles, resources and information on the site. Featured content might be a profile of an inspiring QB Community member or some news or updates about the site. You’ll find articles, questions and conversations, plus answers to all your questions about QuickBooks, too. (Want even more content? Scroll down the page to “Topics.” You’ll find it in a flash.)

Latest discussions & member stories:

This is your daily feed, where you’ll find all the latest posts and discussions taking place across the QB Community. Your feed is organized chronologically, with the most recent activity listed first. It’s a great place to browse around and discover what small business owners life you are thinking, wondering or strategizing about. Jump right in to read, comment or cheer!

Start a discussion:It’s pretty obvious (we hope!) what that bright green “Start a discussion” rectangle is for. Now that you’ve found it, dive right in! If you have a question to ask, a story to share, a connection to make or an idea to discuss, simply click that cool green button and start typing. We bet it won’t be long before the QB Community weighs in with feedback, advice, tips and more.

Featured members:

Next up is our featured members' section. This is where you get to meet other inspirational QB Community members who, like you, are dedicated entrepreneurs with plenty of stories, ideas and insights to share. Read all about ‘em -- and when you’re done, don’t forget to say a friendly hello! Or share your story in the comments and you never know, you might be our next profile story.

Topics:

You can browse all the topics on the site by visiting our discussion page or by clicking on the Community button at the top of the page. That’s where you’ll find all sorts of valuable content (including articles, profiles and conversations) categorized by your stage of business (see below). You can also get the latest QB Community news and find everything you need to know about using QuickBooks.

Here are our QB Community discussion topics:

• Develop Your Idea. Discuss how to take an idea from concept to an established business. Dreamers welcome!
• Starting Up. Get your business off to a strong start with help from folks who’ve been there, done that.
• Running Smoothly. You’ve got countless decisions to make in order to get (and keep) your business humming. Your fellow entrepreneurs have wisdom and advice.
• Growing Your Business. Learn how to expand your customer-base and build your brand without breaking the bank.
• Remove Roadblocks. Hit a pothole or two on your road to success? Happens to the best of us. The QB Community will help you find a smooth path forward.
• Finding Inspiration. Need some sage advice or just a moment of motivation? Our curated stories celebrate small businesses and their inspiring owners.
• Do More with QuickBooks. Learn from other members how to automate and streamline key financial tasks with QuickBooks.
• Community News. Discover the latest and greatest from our QB Community including news, features, updates and more.

Community and Learn & Support (those nifty buttons at the top of the page)

There are two tabs at the top of the page: Community and Learn & Support. These tabs are another way for you to get around the site quickly and easily. The Community tab gives you a drop-down menu with all the topics we’ve listed above. Learn & Support gets you to product support for all the answers and information you need to run your business with QuickBooks.

That’s it!

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A Word About Self-Promotion

We love honest, helpful and respectful conversations about all things business: the good, the bad, the ugly and the awesome. Especially the awesome!

However, there’s one thing we don’t love on our site: promoting your own business. Now, we totally understand the urge to plug your biz to as wide an audience as possible. But we firmly believe our QB Community is not the place for pitching your product or service – ever.

Why? People join this community to develop ideas, set and reach business goals, get inspired and learn from folks already in the trenches of working for themselves. We’re here to help all those things happen without the distraction of a sales pitch. To avoid the murky grey-area about what does or doesn’t qualify as self-promotion, our zero-tolerance approach keeps things simple.

Makes sense, right?

We keep a close eye on things to make sure everyone is on the same page with promotions. However, if you notice someone on the site pitching their products or services, please let our QB Community hosts know right away. No matter who finds the problem post, we will take appropriate action. Posts that do not meet our guidelines and expectations will be edited or removed as determined by our moderators. Repeat offenders will be removed from Community membership.

Now for some great news: We strongly encourage each and every one of you to contribute by:

Sharing your wisdom. The more you share what you know, the more we know. Generously sharing insights, information or resources is a guaranteed way to establish yourself as a leader inside our Community or an authority on a topic.

Here’s an example. Say you’ve written a book about three sure-fire ways to get customers that no one’s ever thought of before. Fantastic! Instead of telling us where to buy the book, explain what we’ll learn from the book.

The takeaway is this: Please don’t market your services or products (no matter how great they are!) in any public posts. As your hosts, we are seriously committed to facilitating distraction-free learning, conversation and engagement. 

Utilizing your member profile. Your QB Community profile is the only place where you can link directly to your business website, blog, current fundraising efforts, social media channels and the like. A link to that profile appears every time you create, comment on or cheer a post (now that’s incentive!).

That means anyone who wants to know more about you, your business or your expertise can simply click on your profile page and then follow direct links to your business website and social media pages. Voila!

(Haven’t updated your member profile yet? You’ll find the link near the top of your personalized homepage when you sign in to the site.)

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The Deal with Links

Hey, we get it: You're here to share what's worked for you, and sometimes that means linking out to a website or article you found helpful. That sort of linking is welcome and encouraged. You can even link to a product or app you like - provided that the intent is to educate and inform rather than to promote or profit. If you've got some skin in the game, though, please save your links (to your business website, professional blog, product page, etc.) for your member profile.

Thanks for your understanding and support!

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Meet Your QB Community Team

As members of the QuickBooks Community Team, we are all super excited to get to know you and learn about your business, your dreams and your goals. We're here to support you as you travel along your small business and self-employed journey and we can't wait to get started. But first, we want to tell you a little more about each of us. 

Current QB Community Team Members

Leslie Barber - Community Leader

I love waking up every day to help small business owners move their businesses forward. As co-founder of NutraBella (the maker of Bellybar prenatal vitamins), I’ve lived the entrepreneurial adventure. I’ve gone through all of the ups and downs of running my own small business – and I’ve survived to tell the story! Being a part of OWN IT was one of my greatest professional experiences, and I’m so excited to continue the fun here in QB Community.

I live in Portland, OR with my 9-year-old daughter, a rising entrepreneur in her own right. I love traveling to Hawaii, practicing restorative yoga and playing with my new puppy, Angel. I earned my MBA from the Kellogg School of Management but take the most pride in my years learning on the job as an entrepreneur.