The Flavor Hub community is a one-stop shop to share, learn or find food news, trends, information and entertainment. We aggregate original and existing food-related content such as news articles, blogs, recipes, images and video to keep you fully informed about food and culture. Return to Top

What does Flavor Hub mean?

When we say "flavor," we mean catered to your liking or interest and "hub" refers to the fact all of you with different interests and concerns congregate at our community, which will organize the information that matters to you or direct you to the content you demand.

Who is Flavor Hub for?

The Flavor Hub community is for all food enthusiasts, which means anyone passionate about cooking, baking, food and wine. Whether you just enjoy eating, or you love to prepare food, you love to shop for food, or you have the responsibility of cooking for your family and friends, our community is for you. If you have opinions about the food you eat or prepare, please join our community and share. Unfortunately, our community is not for anyone that is under the age of thirteen (13). If you are not at least thirteen (13) or older, please do not access the community or use our services. Minors between the ages of thirteen (13) and eighteen (18) must obtain a parent or guardian's consent and supervision to access our community. Return to Top

Do I have to register to use Flavor Hub?

In order to post content, comments or ratings, and communicate with friends on the site, you must be registered. However, non-registered users still have access to recipes, topics, discussions and the majority of the content on the site. Return to Top

Are the services free?

Yes, the services, including registration are free. We are an advertising supported business, but in the future, we may offer a paid-membership tier that will be free of advertising. When we unveil new paid services, we will provide you a free trial period with no obligations to continue the service once the free trial expires. Return to Top

What makes Flavor Hub different from other social networks?

Our community is a niche social network. Instead of offering a general, free-for-all environment, we offer an in-depth exploration of food topics catered for food enthusiasts that love grocery shopping, cooking, baking, eating and talking about food. We understand our users are passionate about food and are here to discuss their philosophies about food. As such, we offer much deeper and focused food related content, services and features. Furthermore, you will find our users to be the most engaged and informed about food-related topics ranging from the common to the obscure, so this critical mass of passionate enthusiasts makes for a much more interactive and enriching food experience. Return to Top

What makes Flavor Hub different from other recipe or food sites?

Our top priority is to develop thoughtful conversations that provoke the churn of knowledge that is relevant not just to your kitchen or dinner table, but your entire life. We aggregate, organize and prioritize editorial and opinion articles, blogs, images and video within a wide range of food-related topics such as headline news, nutrition, cooking or destinations. Our users create original topics and discussions or share notable links to news articles, blogs, photos and videos. Depending on how you may want to respond, you can answer a post with normal comments, an original blog-like discussion, or links to blogs or news articles that offer the full array of perspectives on the particular topic. Thus, a network of food content sprouts from an original topic seed into an easily navigable conversation, which also uncovers many other interesting topics and sources. Along the way, you decide the order and rank of each content piece by giving "kudos" to the ones that resonate most.

There are many food and recipe sites, including individual blogs, that provide engaging food content; however, the majority of food media (print, broadcast and online) are quite passive for the user. Much of the information is either editorialized or dictated, so users can read all the ingredients, steps and other reflections, but it is missing the most important aspect of food: the sensual experience. While we cannot deliver aromas or bites through the screen, we push our community to cook together through personal head-to-head challenges and site-wide community challenges. We believe friendly competition inspires offline participation, which in turn makes our online discussions and interactions far more enriching and meaningful.

We present cooking as an interactive sport that is best experienced through group participation. Consequently, we focus on entertaining our users with recipe cookoffs, challenges, polls, and other tournaments that offer good-natured fun and competition. We believe cooking is innately a quest for knowledge, precision and execution. It is a deeply personal and family journey, so the food you make is an edible translation of your personality. Like an athlete that trains to find out how much they can push their boundaries and how they compare against their peers, we believe this same drive, dedication and aspiration is deep within all cooks, so we provide a platform to allow a community of discerning food enthusiasts to determine which recipes are supreme.

Thus ours is a community not satisfied with just attracting users satisfied with staring at images or prose. We strive to inspire more home cooking, knowledge exchange, learning and expanding real world food horizons. We want you to view, share and discuss on our site, but also to cook the recipes you find, plan events or meals with the people and information on the site, and utilize the skills, tips and techniques you learn on the site. That will make our community much more active in the online and offline world. Return to Top

What are the terms for using the site?

You must read and consent to our Terms of Use Agreement and Privacy Policy before accessing the community and using our services. Please read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Return to Top

Profiles

How do I create a profile?

You will provide some of your profile information such as your user name and geographic location when you register. Once you log in, your personal page will be your portal to the rest of the community. After registration, we will prompt you with some questions that will help provide the information to complete your profile. The left skyscraper on your personal page is your profile box, where your profile information displays. You can select the link to complete your profile or to make any future changes to your profile. Return to Top

What is the benefit of creating a profile?

We welcome all visitors to the community, but the love of food is an active, sensual experience. Registering allows you to become a content consumer as well as a collaborator and creator, which will make our community and your experience much more enriching. As a registered user, you will have the ability to meet and make friends within the community. You will also be able to post content to your personal page or bookmark other content you find interesting in the community and store it on your personal page. Creating a profile allows you to introduce yourself to other users. It gives you private messaging capabilities with your friends. Altogether, a profile allows you to manage your content and how you represent yourself to fellow users. Return to Top

What information does Flavor Hub collect?

We collect certain information such as your first name, the first initial of your last name, email address, date of birth, and geographic location for use in your personal profile. We also ask you some food-related questions to gauge your tastes and interests to provide more relevant features. We also collect certain non-personally identifiable information such as cookie, clear GIFs and log-file information. We may monitor how you use the site to make the site more enjoyable for you. For more information about the information we collect, please review our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Return to Top

Why do you need my first name and last initial?

We use this information for identification and verification. We do not display or publish this information. Return to Top

Why do you need my email address?

We verify your email address upon registration to make sure your email address is valid and belongs to you. Though users will identify you by your user name, the easiest thing to remember when logging into the community is probably your personal email address, so we allow you to log into the community using your email address. We also use your email address to send updates about site-related matters and certain features that may interest you. We will never provide your email information to any third-party marketers without your prior consent. Return to Top

Why do you need my location?

Some of the features and content on our site such as recipe barters, recommendations and guides are location sensitive. We plan to offer location-based information on our mobile platform so we use your geographic location to provide you information that is relevant to your interests and your then current location. Return to Top

What is the Taste Affinity Index?

The Taste Affinity Index is our effort to understand your taste preferences so we can introduce you to people and content that are complimentary to your palate. We ask you to identify a basket of favorite ingredients (a mock shopping cart), which we analyze to estimate whether you have a low, moderate or high affinity for bitter, salty, savory, sour, spicy and sweet foods. We compare your results with other users to approximate how much your preferences match with one another, which may help to direct you to people like you and content that may be more personally relevant. Return to Top

What happens to my information?

We store your information and analyze it to deliver the most relevant and interesting content to you. We also use the information to find connections with people you have not added to your friends' list. We may provide some aggregate community-wide behavioral and usage data to advertisers, but we will never identify you individually. We also will not sell your information. We do use the information to find potential interactive marketing opportunities that may be mutually beneficial for you and the advertiser. However, we give you the option to join these sponsored groups at your discretion and will not provide your personally identifiable information to any markerter without your consent. For more information about the information we collect and what we do with the information, please see our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Return to Top

Does Flavor Hub sell my information to marketers?

No, we do not sell your information to marketers. Return to Top

How do I change the information in my profile?

You may edit your profile any time you are logged into your account and on your personal page. In the left skyscraper, you will find a button to click if you wish to modify your profile. Clicking on the button will allow you to modify your profile information. Once you submit the changes, the profile skyscraper will display those changes. There are also links to modify your Taste Affinity Index, below the Taste Affinity Index display as well as a link to modify your profile question responses. Return to Top

Who has access to my profile?

All users will be able to view your profile. However, other users cannot see your account settings. They also will not be able to make changes to your personal page. Return to Top

Can I block other users from seeing my profile?

You will not be able to block other users from your personal page, so please be aware of what you post on publicly available pages. Return to Top

Friends

How do I add friends?

From your personal page, you have the ability to manually enter the names of friends you wish to send a friend request to. Otherwise, when you visit another user's page, you will see the a button and link that allows you to submit a friend request to that user. When you do this, you will be redirected to another page to confirm the request. Once you submit the request, you will be redirected to the personal page you were previously viewing. A message will indicate your request has been sent. Recipients of the friend request can confirm or decline the request. If they confirm, then you will receive a notice on your personal page and will be added to one another's list of friends. Return to Top

What happens if someone declines my friend request?

If someone declines your friend request, you will notice the pending friend request in your communications folder will no longer list that friend request. Unfortunately, you will not be added to one another's list of friends. However, you may still view their personal page. Please respect the user's choice with the same courtesy you would hope to receive from a user that unsuccessfully seeks your friendship. Return to Top

Recipes

Can I view recipes if I am not a registered member?

Yes, all users, whether you are registered or not, have access to all of the recipes. However, you must be registered and logged into your account to post recipes, comment on recipes, or place recipes in your cookbook. Return to Top

How do I post recipes?

You can post your recipes, like any content on the site, by clicking "Post" button in the main header. We will prompt you with a few text boxes where you can enter information such as a story behind the recipe, ingredients and instructions. You will also have the option to upload media files that compliment your recipe. Return to Top

What is the difference between the "Comments," "Posts," "Media" and "Recipes" tabs at the bottom of the page?

The comment tab is for comments, reflections, questions or answers that develop through conversations about the recipe. Additionally, you may want to post a more in depth response that will display under the "Posts" tab. Linked articles and blogs also appear under this tab. If you decide to post either photos or videos of your experiments with the recipe, then those will aggregate under the "Media" tab. Similarly, you may have other recipes that share the same methodology, origins or ingredients, so you can post those under the "Recipes" tab. Other than the comments, all other responses will also have their own individual topic page, along with the comment and response trails. However, they will always have a link to the recipes or topics that inspired them. Return to Top

How do I bookmark recipes?

You can save recipes into your recipe box or cookbook on your personal page. This allows you to keep the recipes that you enjoy. Our cookbook allows you to organize and sort recipes based on whether they are submitted by you or another user. Additionally, you can organize your recipes based on whether they are full posts onto our recipe exchange or from other websites. Consequently, you can manage all of your online recipes through your Flavor Hub cookbook. Return to Top

What does the "Challenge" feature do?

In the spirit of entertainment and competition, you may challenge a recipe to a head-to-head vote by the rest of the community. Each individual recipe page will feature a "Challenge" issue link that allows members to issue a recipe challenge. If the challengee accepts (it is perfectly fine to decline a challenge), both recipes will appear on a challenge page, which links to the individual recipe pages. We will track and display recipe victories (not losses), so users can identify "battle-tested" recipes. Return to Top

Are the results of recipe "Challenges" shown?

Our "Challenges" are meant to be good-spirited and a vehicle to inspire people to cook more. The competition is not meant to belittle or degrade anyone's recipe because we understand the personal nature of recipes. When we do close the polls, we will reveal whether a recipe won a challenge. However, we will not display win-loss records or anything that might embarrass a user. Our intention is just to single out the recipes that the community find most compelling so users can learn the intricate tricks and details that make those recipes special. Return to Top

How are recipes rated?

We believe the traditional five-point scale (whether it be stars, spoons, forks or other icons) often has diluted meaning and significance because of personally idiosyncracies and preferences. To simplify ratings across the community, all content is eligible to receive one "funny," "insightul" and "tasty" "kudo" from each logged in user. We factor this into our search results and overall rankings formula when we display content. Recipes have an added dimension because "Challenge" victories also factor in our rankings formula. Return to Top

Topics

What are Topics?

Topics are one of our top-level content features. Within topics are various categories such as headlines, nutrition, cooking or destinations. Food is a far reaching subject that affects economics, politics, healthcare and the environment. It heavily influences our daily lives, so it is important to understand and explore all the dimensions of our food system and culture. To do so, users can post original blog-like discussions in their relevant categories or choose to share links to interesting news articles, blogs or other editorial or opinion content. Additionally, users can post photos or videos as well as recipes to start topic discussions. Topics are the seeds that sprout into conversations where users can respond with forum-like comments, or post additional links, original discussions, photos, videos and recipes. By aggregating the various perspectives on particular topics, our community maps an easily navigable conversation that covers diverse views as well as primary and related points. Return to Top

How do I post a Topic?

You can start an original Topic by clicking the "Post" link in the main header. A form will direct you through the required fields for the type and category of your Topic post. This relatively simple process guides you with drop downs and input lines where you can choose to either post something original or provide a link to existing content. When you do provide a link, an intermediate page will display a summary of the linked content along with an area to comment or post responses to the linked content. The posting mechanism is the same whether you are posting a topic independently or posting a topic in response to another piece of content. To respond to a Topic, you can either enter a comment under the "Comments" tab at the bottom of the Topic page or click the "Post a Response" button under each of the "Posts," "Media" and "Recipes" tabs at the bottom of the Topic page. Return to Top

What is the difference between the "Comments," "Posts," "Media" and "Recipes" tabs on the bottom of a Topic page?

After reading a particular Topic, you may wish to respond to the Topic. There are four options. The first is by posting comments that will display in a comment trail at the bottom of the Topic page. These are meant for shorter, quicker reactions and responses. The next option is to submit an original discussion or share news and blog links. These will appear under the "Posts" tab at the bottom of the Topic page. "Posts" are longer responses in prose that may be editorial or opinion, but they generally will offer either a confirming or conflicting perspective along with new or added details and information. They may also spark related, but somewhat tangential topics and conversations. Depending on the topic, you may also respond with photo images or video links under the "Media" tab that capture the topic in action. Similarly, submit recipes that are related or relevant to a particular Topic under the "Recipes" tab. All of the responses submitted under the "Posts," "Media" and "Recipes" tabs also become their own Topics so users may continue to post responses to those individual Topics on their respective pages. Return to Top

How do I manage my favorite Topics?

Any Topic you submit will automatically be stored under the Topics section of your personal page. Additionally, you can bookmark other Topics submitted by other users. These will also appear in your personal Topics. If you find a Topic interesting or thought-provoking, you can give it a "kudo," which we factor when ranking and displaying content across the site. Return to Top

Recommendations

What is a recommendation?

A recommendation is a short, compact way to share your thoughts about a particular restaurant, book, product or place with your friends. It is meant for users that are on their mobile devices or just looking for a quick primer on the subject without having to spend a long time reading through a blog. Recommendations are more focused and will usually be a "cheat sheet" about a restaurant, destination or store. Also, the recommendation system allows you to send any content you see on the site to your friends with a short message explaining why you think it is suitable for them. We hope recommendations are short and concise, but targeted for the recipient. Recommendations are personalized and specific about the dish you should try, the table you should request, the book you should read or the market you should shop. In a mobile environment, these recommendations will relate to your geographic location and provide a quick snapshot that is easy to retrieve and browse on a mobile device. Return to Top

What kind of things can I review and recommend?

You can recommend anything such as restaurants, books, products, grocery stores, vendors, purveyors or service providers. You can recommend blogs, recipes and other content you may discover in the community. Return to Top

What is the purpose of the recommendation?

We want recommendations to be short because we believe these will be good references for a mobile user. Mobile users need information that is accessible and digestible. They do not have the luxury to browse and read through a lot of content, so we hope these recommendations are simple guides from friends throughout the community. We also believe it is more relevant to receive recommendations from someone you understand. It gives you context and a frame of reference based on the recommender's tastes compared to your tastes. Return to Top

Privacy

What happens to my personal information?

We take your privacy and security very seriously. We protect your information to maintain its confidentiality, but no security system can guarantee your information will not be accessed or used in a manner inconsistent with our policies. For more information, please see our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Return to Top

Invitations

How do I send invitations to join the community?

You can send an invitation to your offline friends to join our community by clicking on the "Send Invite" link throughout our community. Just enter an email address and a short message and your friends will receive the invitation shortly. Please invite all of your friends to join in our community. Even those that are not as food conscious will be able to find useful information and hopefully our community will get them more interested in how and what to cook. Our community is only as rich as our users, so we encourage you to invite others to join. Return to Top

Contact

How do I report inappropriate conduct or materials?

Please notify us of any inappropriate conduct or materials along with any documentation or a link to questionable materials at legal@flavorhub.com. Return to Top

How to I make suggestions or report issues with the site?

Please contact us at support@flavorhub.com to report any problems or make any suggestions. Return to Top