Berks Connect

Last Updated: December 14, 2025

Berks Connect is a community resource that helps people discover and connect with local businesses in Berks County and the surrounding region. These Content Guidelines establish the standards we expect from everyone who contributes to our platform—whether you're a business owner managing your listing, a user sharing feedback, or a community member helping us improve our directory.

Our goal is to maintain a trustworthy, accurate, and helpful resource. By using Berks Connect, you agree to follow these guidelines. We reserve the right to remove content or suspend accounts that violate these standards.

General Guidelines

These principles apply to all content on Berks Connect, regardless of who submits it or where it appears.

Honesty and Accuracy

All content should be truthful and accurate to the best of your knowledge. This includes:

Business information such as hours, contact details, and services offered
Descriptions of products, services, and experiences
Claims about qualifications, certifications, or affiliations
Photos and images that accurately represent the business

Intentionally misleading information undermines trust in our platform and harms the community. We remove content that is demonstrably false or intentionally deceptive.

Relevance

Content should be relevant to the context in which it appears. For example:

Business descriptions should focus on what the business offers and how it serves customers
Reviews should address the consumer experience with the business
Photos should be of or related to the business

Our platform is not the appropriate venue for political commentary, personal grievances unrelated to business interactions, or content that doesn't help users make informed decisions about local businesses.

Respect and Civility

We expect all users to treat one another with respect. The following are strictly prohibited:

Harassment and threats: Content that threatens, harasses, bullies, or intimidates any individual or group
Hate speech: Content that promotes hatred, discrimination, or violence based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or other protected characteristics
Defamation: False statements that damage a person's or business's reputation
Obscenity: Sexually explicit, pornographic, or excessively vulgar content
Personal attacks: Attacks on individuals rather than constructive criticism of business experiences

Privacy

Respect the privacy of others. Do not:

Post private information about individuals without their consent (home addresses, personal phone numbers, etc.)
Share photos or videos of individuals in private settings without permission
Expose confidential business information you may have accessed
Identify minors by name without parental consent

No Spam or Promotional Abuse

Content should provide genuine value, not serve as a vehicle for unwanted promotion:

Don't use reviews, comments, or other features primarily to advertise
Don't post repetitive or duplicate content across multiple listings
Don't include excessive links or keywords designed to manipulate search rankings
Don't use automated tools to generate or submit content in bulk

Legal Compliance

All content must comply with applicable laws and regulations. Do not post content that:

Infringes on copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights
Violates any person's privacy or publicity rights
Is fraudulent, deceptive, or constitutes false advertising
Promotes illegal activities or services

Business Listing Guidelines

If you're a business owner or authorized representative managing a listing on Berks Connect, these additional guidelines apply:

Accurate Business Information

Your listing should accurately represent your business:

Business name: Use your actual legal or commonly known business name, not keyword-stuffed variations
Address: Provide your actual physical location or service area. P.O. boxes are acceptable only if that's how customers reach you
Phone and website: Provide working contact information that connects to your business
Hours: Keep hours current, including holiday hours and temporary closures
Categories: Select categories that accurately describe your primary business activities
Services: Only list services you actually provide

One Listing Per Location

Each physical business location should have only one listing. Do not create duplicate listings for the same location. If you have multiple locations, each may have its own listing.

Authorized Representatives Only

Only business owners or their authorized representatives should claim or manage a business listing. Do not claim listings for businesses you don't represent. Misrepresenting your authority to manage a listing may result in permanent account suspension.

No Self-Reviewing

When we enable user reviews, business owners and their employees must not review their own business, either positively or negatively. This includes:

Writing reviews of your own business
Asking friends, family, or employees to write reviews
Offering incentives (discounts, freebies) in exchange for reviews
Writing negative reviews of competitors

Responding to Feedback

When review features become available, business owners will be able to respond to customer feedback. When doing so:

Remain professional and courteous, even when responding to negative feedback
Focus on resolving issues rather than attacking the reviewer
Don't share private details about transactions or customers
Don't threaten legal action against reviewers

Review Guidelines

While our review features are currently in development, these guidelines will govern user reviews when they become available:

First-Hand Experiences Only

Reviews should reflect your own genuine experiences with a business. Do not write reviews based on:

What others have told you about a business
A business's general reputation or news stories
Political or social positions of business owners
Experiences that happened to someone else

Conflicts of Interest

Your reviews should be unbiased and independent. Do not review:

Your own business or your employer's business
Businesses owned by close friends or family members
Direct competitors of your business
Businesses where you have a financial interest

No AI-Generated Reviews

Reviews must be written by you personally. Do not use chatbots, AI writing tools, or other automated systems to write, draft, or substantially revise your reviews. We want authentic human perspectives from real customers.

Focus on the Consumer Experience

Helpful reviews address aspects of the business that matter to other consumers:

Quality of products or services
Customer service and staff interactions
Value for money
Atmosphere and cleanliness
Wait times and efficiency
Accessibility and convenience

Photo and Video Guidelines

Visual content helps users understand what to expect from a business. All photos and videos should:

Quality Standards

Be clear and in focus
Accurately represent the business, products, or services
Be appropriate for a general audience
Not include excessive text overlays or promotional graphics

Ownership and Rights

Only upload photos and videos you took yourself or have explicit permission to use
Do not use stock photos or images from other websites
Do not upload photos that belong to other businesses or photographers

Respect for Privacy

Avoid photographing other customers in identifiable close-ups without consent
Don't photograph staff members in compromising or unflattering ways
Respect any photography restrictions posted by the business

Prohibited Visual Content

Sexually explicit or pornographic imagery
Graphic violence or disturbing content
Images that harass or demean individuals
Photos unrelated to the business

User Account Guidelines

All registered users of Berks Connect agree to:

Account Integrity

One account per person: Do not create multiple accounts to circumvent restrictions or manipulate content
Accurate identity: Use your real name or a consistent, identifiable username. Do not impersonate others
Secure credentials: Protect your login information and don't share your account with others
No account selling: Accounts are personal and may not be sold, transferred, or assigned to others

Responsible Use

Use the platform for its intended purpose: discovering and supporting local businesses
Report inaccurate information through proper channels rather than attempting to correct it through fake reviews or other manipulation
Respect the intellectual property and privacy rights of others

AI-Generated and Aggregated Content

Berks Connect uses artificial intelligence and automated systems to help compile and present business information. This section explains how we use these technologies and our content standards.

How We Use AI

We use AI technologies to enhance and present business information in the following ways:

Summarizing information: We analyze publicly available information from business websites, social media profiles, and other online sources to create concise, helpful descriptions
Synthesizing reviews: We aggregate reviews from third-party platforms and use AI to summarize common themes and sentiment, helping users quickly understand the overall customer experience
Categorizing businesses: AI helps us assign appropriate categories and tags to businesses based on their services and offerings
Detecting issues: We use automated systems to identify potential inaccuracies, duplicate listings, or content that may violate our guidelines

Our Approach to Aggregation

When we aggregate information from external sources, we follow these principles:

Transformation, not copying: We never simply copy content from other sources. Instead, we analyze, summarize, and transform information into our own original descriptions and insights
Attribution: When we display third-party reviews, we clearly indicate their source and link back to the original platform
Accuracy: While we strive for accuracy, AI-generated content may contain errors. We encourage users to verify important details directly with businesses
Business control: Business owners who claim their listing can replace AI-generated content with their own authentic descriptions

Limitations of AI Content

Users should understand that AI-generated content:

Is provided for informational purposes and convenience
May not reflect the most current information about a business
Should not be solely relied upon for important decisions
Is clearly distinguished from content submitted directly by business owners

Third-Party Review Aggregation

Reviews displayed from third-party platforms:

Remain the property of their original authors and platforms
Are subject to the content policies of their source platforms
Are not independently verified by Berks Connect
Are presented to help users make informed decisions, not as endorsements

Content Moderation

We take content quality seriously and employ multiple methods to maintain our standards:

How We Moderate

Automated screening: We use automated systems to detect potential guideline violations, spam, and inappropriate content
Human review: Flagged content and reports are reviewed by our team to make final decisions
Community reporting: Users can report content that appears to violate our guidelines
Proactive monitoring: We regularly audit content to ensure ongoing compliance

Consequences of Violations

Violations of these guidelines may result in:

Removal of the violating content
Warning notifications to the account holder
Temporary suspension of posting privileges
Permanent account suspension for serious or repeated violations
Reporting to law enforcement if required by law

Appeals

If you believe your content was removed in error or your account was wrongly suspended, you may appeal the decision by contacting us at hello@berksconnect.com. Please include:

Your account information
A description of the content or action in question
Why you believe the decision was incorrect

We will review appeals and respond within a reasonable timeframe, typically within 5-10 business days.

Reporting Violations

If you encounter content that violates these guidelines, please help us maintain the quality of our platform by reporting it:

Email: hello@berksconnect.com (Subject: Content Report)
Include a link to or description of the content in question
Explain which guideline you believe is being violated
Provide any relevant context or evidence

We review all reports and take appropriate action, though we may not always be able to share the outcome due to privacy considerations.

Changes to These Guidelines

We may update these Content Guidelines from time to time to address new situations, improve clarity, or reflect changes in our platform. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page indicates when these guidelines were last revised. Continued use of Berks Connect after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised guidelines.

Questions?

If you have questions about these Content Guidelines or need clarification on whether specific content is appropriate, please contact us:

Berks Connect
4712 Penn Ave, Unit 7090
Sinking Spring, PA 19608
Email: hello@berksconnect.com
Phone: +1-484-650-3808

For more information about how we collect and use your data, please see our Privacy Policy. For the terms governing your use of our platform, please see our Terms and Conditions.