The fine print, in plain English.

These are the terms for the Datenooks launch list, the Founding Dater and Founding Host cohort credits, and our referral credit program. We've written them in plain language because if we can't explain our own rules, we probably shouldn't be charging you for anything.

1. Who can join

The Datenooks launch list, Founding Dater program, Founding Host program, and referral program are open to anyone 18 or older who can lawfully receive promotional email in their jurisdiction. If you're a resident of a place where any of this is not legal, please don't sign up.

Hosts must, additionally, be able to lawfully offer their space for short-term paid use under local zoning and insurance law. That is your responsibility to verify before you join as a Founding Host. Datenooks does not provide legal advice on your local rules.

2. Founding Dater credit ($50)

The first 250 people to join the dater launch list, ranked strictly by the time their signup record is received by our servers, become Founding Daters. We publicly display live counters so you can see your rank.

What you get

• $50 in Datenooks credit, granted as a promotional balance on or before the public launch date.
• First five bookings at zero service fee, subject to available inventory and normal booking rules at launch.
• Early access to booking windows before non-Founding members can reserve.

The rules

• One Founding Dater credit per person, per household, per payment method. Households that submit multiple signups will be consolidated to a single credit.
• Credit is promotional. It has no cash value, cannot be transferred, sold, gifted, combined with other offers not expressly made combinable, or converted back into cash or any cash-equivalent.
• Credit may be used toward Datenooks service fees, booking fees, and any other fees we charge you. It does not apply to third-party costs such as host payouts, taxes collected on behalf of a jurisdiction, damage deposits, optional extras provided directly by the host, or anything paid outside the Datenooks platform.
• Credit expires twelve (12) months after launch day if not used. Unused credit cannot be extended or refunded.
• If the first 250 slots fill before you sign up, you're still on the launch list with all its benefits, you're simply not a Founding Dater and the $50 credit doesn't apply to you.

3. Founding Host credits ($250)

The first 100 hosts approved into the Datenooks host network become Founding Hosts. Approval is at Datenooks' discretion and is based on the listing quality, location suitability, and the host's ability to meet basic safety and insurance requirements.

What you get

• $250 in Datenooks booking credits, granted on or before public launch. Booking credits may be used by the host on their own Datenooks bookings as a dater, not as a reduction of the platform fee Datenooks charges on bookings you receive.
• Flat 85% payout on each booking for your first year as a Founding Host, with no scaling fees. (The ordinary host take rate after year one is subject to change; we will give you 60 days' notice of any change.)
• Priority placement in the initial launch catalog for 90 days.
• Host protection coverage as described in our Host Protection policy (to be published before launch).

The rules

• One Founding Host cohort spot per host. A host with multiple listings still counts as one Founding Host.
• Credit is promotional, no cash value, and subject to the same non-transfer, no-resale, no-combination rules as the Founding Dater credit.
• Founding Host credits expire twelve (12) months after launch day.
• Founding Host status can be revoked for cause, including verified safety violations, discrimination in booking, misrepresentation of the listing, or failure to meet the minimum response and cleanliness standards in the Host Agreement.

4. Referral credits

Two referral programs are offered during pre-launch. Both pay credits, not cash.

Refer a host

If you refer someone who becomes a Founding Host (meaning they're approved and counted in the first 100), you earn $50 in Datenooks credit once their status is confirmed. You can refer multiple hosts. The referred host also gets their ordinary Founding Host benefits.

Refer a dater

If you refer a friend who signs up for the dater launch list and is counted in the first 250 Founding Daters, both of you receive $25 in Datenooks credit at launch. Each person can only be referred once. Self-referrals (same person on both sides) are disqualified.

When referrals close

Other referral rules

• A referral is "confirmed" when we have matched the referred person's signup to the referrer's ledger record (we use a per-browser visitor ID plus an email match, with a manual review backup).
• You must provide your own email and the referred person's email or contact information. Providing false contact information voids the referral.
• Referrals made through automated means, mailing lists, paid promotion, or spam are disallowed and may result in disqualification from the entire Founder Program.
• Referral credits are subject to the same non-transfer and expiration rules as cohort credits.

5. The $500 total cap

To keep the economics honest for everyone and to prevent any single person from breaking the program, the maximum total credit any one person can earn across all Datenooks Founder Program activities is $500. This cap includes Founding Dater credit, Founding Host credits, and all referral credits combined. Additional referrals beyond the cap are welcomed and appreciated but do not earn further credit.

The cap is per person, not per email address, household, or payment method. If we believe someone is attempting to split identity to evade the cap, we will consolidate those records into a single account at our discretion.

6. How credits actually work

• Credits are not refundable, redeemable for cash, or subject to chargeback. They are a promotional goodwill program, not a stored-value account.
• Credits will be visible in your Datenooks account on or before the public launch date and will automatically apply to eligible fees at checkout.
• Credits apply only to Datenooks-charged fees: platform service fees, booking fees, cancellation fees we impose, and any other fees Datenooks levies. Credits do not reduce amounts paid to hosts, sales tax, lodging tax, cleaning fees collected by hosts, damage deposits, or third-party costs.
• If your eligible fees for a booking are less than your available credit, the unused portion remains in your account for future bookings (subject to the expiration date).
• If your eligible fees exceed your available credit, the remainder is charged to your payment method as normal.

7. Changes, cancellation, and what we can do

Datenooks is pre-launch. The product, the policies, and the credit program may change as we learn. Here is what we will and will not do:

• We may change the details of the Founder Program at any time before launch, including the per-credit amounts, the eligibility rules, the payout mechanics, and the expiration date. If we do, we will update this page and email everyone on the launch list.
• We will honor any credit that was already earned under the terms in effect at the time it was earned. If we ever reduce a credit, existing earners are grandfathered.
• We may delay, modify, or cancel the launch itself for any reason. If we cancel launch entirely, the Founder Program is voided and credits become moot. We will not owe any cash compensation.
• We may remove you from the program for abuse, fraud, impersonation, or violation of these terms. If we do, earned credits can be voided.

8. Privacy and communications

By joining the launch list, you agree to receive occasional launch-related email from Datenooks. Our cadence promise is approximately one email per month plus one email on launch day and one if your referral status changes. You can unsubscribe from any email, at which point you will stop receiving promotional email but may still receive transactional notices about credits you've earned.

We collect and store the information you submit (email, region, preferences, a per-browser visitor ID, and the click source that led you to sign up) in order to operate the Founder Program and reconcile credits. We do not sell your personal information. We use a standard web form provider (Formspree) for intake and a private spreadsheet for reconciliation. A full privacy policy will be published before launch; in the meantime, questions can be emailed to privacy@datenooks.com.

9. Fraud, abuse, and disputes

The purpose of the Founder Program is to reward early, authentic supporters. We reserve the right to investigate and, where appropriate, void credits for any of the following:

• Submitting signups using automated means, bot traffic, or mailing-list scraping.
• Creating multiple identities or email aliases in an attempt to exceed the per-person cap.
• Referring yourself, members of the same household, or coordinated rings of friends for the sole purpose of earning credit.
• Providing false or misleading information about yourself, your space, or a referred person.
• Any conduct that we reasonably believe is an attempt to exploit the program in bad faith.

If you believe your credits are missing or miscalculated, email hello@datenooks.com with your signup email and we will reconcile against our ledger. In a dispute, our ledger records (including the per-browser visitor ID and the submission timestamp) will be authoritative.

10. Legal boilerplate

These terms are an agreement between you and Datenooks, the trade name under which Chad Currin operates this pre-launch program. Datenooks is not a bank, a payment processor, an insurance company, or a licensed real estate, hospitality, or tourism operator. The Founder Program is a promotional goodwill program and is not an offer to sell a security, a franchise, a membership interest, or any similar instrument.

No purchase necessary to join the launch list or earn a Founding Dater credit. Participation is void where prohibited by law. The Founder Program is governed by the laws of the State of New York, United States, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute that cannot be resolved informally will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Albany County, New York, and both parties consent to personal jurisdiction there.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Datenooks' total liability to you for anything related to the Founder Program is capped at the greater of (a) the dollar value of the credits you have actually earned under these terms, or (b) $100. We are not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages. Nothing in these terms limits any liability that cannot lawfully be limited, including liability for fraud or willful misconduct.

If any part of these terms is found to be unenforceable, the rest remains in effect. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of our right to enforce it later.

11. Questions and contact

For anything Founder Program or credit related, email hello@datenooks.com. For privacy questions, privacy@datenooks.com. For press, press@datenooks.com.