Little Island FAQ / TOS

What is Little Island?

Project Little Island is a system developed to allow web users to leave comments on any web page.

Some sites simply do not provide any way for visitors to comment on anything they find there. Others may provide a way to comment but will only allow comments that support their motives and ideals. Little Island provides a way bypass these limitations and restrictions by hosting the comments on it's own server and then inserting them into a page when you visit.

Why would I want to use it?

Ever read something on-line that you really wanted to voice your opinion on, only to discover that you must go in search of some forum far removed from your subject, a forum that may not even be interested in what you have to say? Ever given up before finding such a forum?

With Little Island you carry your forum with you, you make your point where it needs to be made, your comment and it's subject appear together where it will be read by others visiting the same location.

Who owns the rights to the comments I post?

You do.

However, by posting to the Little Island Server it will be assumed that you are granting the right to reproduce the posted work as a part of providing the service itself. By posting it is also assumed that you are offering the right to anyone using the service to reproduce and store copies of the work both intentionally and otherwise. You will retain your right to be associated with and rewarded for your work.

By posting to the service you are claiming the posted work to be your own, or that you have the right to publish this work, and further that you are authorised to offer the Little Island Service the rights outlined above. Also by posting comments, you claim responsibility for any infringement of the rights of others to control of their work that may result from your posting.

Can the Little Island service track me on-line?

Short answer: yes.

Longer answer: sort of, but not intentionally.

The only way to access the comments stored by the Little Island Server is to send a request which necessarily identifies which page you are viewing and your IP address. However, the service is only made aware of your identity as an individual user when you log in or out, and when you post, edit or delete comments. Simply reading a page of comments does not communicate any information associated with your account even if some of those comments are yours.

It is possible that the service will record your IP address temporarily (a matter of hours) as part of flood defense measures, but these addresses will not be associated with any account by the system.

Why can't I register the user name that I want?

User names are offered on a first-come-first-served basis. If the name you were seeking is already registered then you will have to compose another. Registration is the only claim mechanism that will be considered valid. Administrators will not entertain any suggestion of a claim that predates any registration.

Every effort has been made to offer the widest possible range of user names. However, in order to reduce confusion between similar names certain restrictions have been put in place, such as the requirement for a single type of space character and the rejection of the Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms (Unicode block U+FF00-FFEF). If there are characters rejected that you feel should not be then please contact the administrators.

What will you do with my personal info?

Nothing, since there is no real personal info gathered by the service. Although you need to supply an email address during registration this is only used to activate the account. After that the address is encrypted so that even the server is unable to decrypt it. The only way the server can get your address back is by having you supply it again. For instance, if you forget your password you will need to enter your email address again to receive a password reset code. Even if you do need to enter your address again it is only used to check against the encrypted version and to send a single email, then it is deleted.

Can I receive notification when someone replies to my comment?

No.

The service does not currently keep a usable email address for your account, rather it keeps an encrypted version which is only used to confirm the address when it is re-entered, but cannot be used to send email.

A notification system may be put in place at a later date.

Why was my comment deleted / changed?

Are you sure it was deleted? Check the next question.

Are you sure you are looking for your comment on the right page? Sometimes a page you visit will use a unique url that will be different each time you visit, in which case the comment is most likely lost unless you can locate that address in your browser history.

The Little Island Service reserves the right to delete comments without the notification of any party and is not required to supply any reason for doing so.

What the service does not have the right to do is make changes to the text of a comment by moderating language or changing meaning. It does, however, reserve the right to make alterations to the HTML and CSS markup and the links of a comment either to remove effects that are interfering with the service or that present a risk to the safety or security of other users, or to display the comment in another form.

Why does my comment disappear when I reload the page?

When you view comments on a page you are actually looking at a cache of pre-compiled comments that are stored so that the server doesn't have to recompile them for every reader. This cache is updated every time someone posts, edits or deletes a comment. But there is a built in delay of several seconds after each change before the cache is updated. This is introduced to catch multiple changes to the same page. Just wait a while then either reload the page or use the 'Refresh' option from the pop-up menu and your comment should appear.

Where is Everyone?

Early days.

The service has only just started up and you are among the first to test it.

You can help make the place busier, and help improve the service, by telling friends about Little Island.

Why is it called "Little Island"?

"Little Island" started out as the project's code name. In the absence of any more descriptive or evocative name (that hasn't already been taken) it stuck.

It is possible that the project will grow out of this name eventually.