Before you start to write your membership site’s terms and conditions, think about what you really want to achieve with them. There are a few items that you really want to cover, but otherwise what you include in your terms and conditions is up to you.
1. Disclaimer of liability
The disclaimer of liability is perhaps the most important part of your terms and conditions. It is advisable to state that the use of the site is entirely at the member’s own risk, and that you are not responsible for any damages to the member whether they be directly or indirectly linked to the use of your site. You may also want to state that you will not take responsibility for the content of other sites that your membership site is linked to, and your are not liable for damages caused by the use of those sites, for example any viruses that are transmitted via downloads on those sites.
2. Membership term
You could use your terms and conditions to state the initial term of your membership, and the process for renewing membership. You might also outline the method for canceling membership. If you have a trial membership period, you could state what the members will have access to during that trial period, and the process for subscribing to full membership at the end of the trial period.
3. Customer service
You could use your terms and conditions to state how you will deal with customer queries; whether this will be via e-mail or over the telephone. You might also state the timeframe within which they can expect a response to their query.