Content Policies

These policies govern the creation, sharing, and management of content across all community platforms. They ensure our digital spaces remain welcoming, constructive, and aligned with our community values.

Content Standards

Acceptable Content

  • Community-Relevant: Content related to community interests, projects, and discussions
  • Educational: Learning resources, tutorials, documentation, and knowledge sharing
  • Collaborative: Projects, discussions, and initiatives involving community members
  • Constructive: Content that builds up the community and helps members
  • Original or Attributed: Original work or properly credited content from other sources

Prohibited Content

  • Illegal: Content that violates applicable laws and regulations
  • Harassment: Content targeting individuals or groups for abuse or intimidation
  • Hate Speech: Content promoting hatred or discrimination based on protected characteristics
  • Misinformation: Deliberately false or misleading information
  • Spam: Repetitive, irrelevant, or commercial content without community value
  • Explicit Content: Sexually explicit, graphic violence, or otherwise inappropriate material

Platform-Specific Policies

Matrix Chat

  • Real-time Guidelines: Content appropriate for real-time conversation
  • Channel Relevance: Keep messages relevant to specific channel topics
  • Link Sharing: Share links with context and verification
  • File Sharing: Only share appropriate files with virus scanning

Forums (Lemmy)

  • Topic Organization: Post in appropriate communities and categories
  • Title Guidelines: Use clear, descriptive titles for posts
  • Long-form Content: Detailed posts with proper formatting and structure
  • Source Citation: Cite sources for claims and information

Collaborative Documents (CryptPad)

  • Respectful Editing: Make thoughtful additions without overriding others' work
  • Version Control: Use document history features responsibly
  • Access Management: Share documents appropriately based on sensitivity
  • Content Organization: Maintain document structure and readability

WordPress (Community Website)

  • Publication Standards: High-quality content suitable for public website
  • Editorial Review: Content may be reviewed before publication
  • Attribution: Proper credit for authors and contributors
  • Representation: Content represents community values and goals

Content Creation Guidelines

Quality Standards

  • Accuracy: Ensure information is correct and up-to-date
  • Clarity: Write clearly and understandably for your audience
  • Completeness: Provide sufficient detail and context
  • Accessibility: Consider accessibility for users with disabilities
  • Original Work: Create original content or properly license existing content
  • Attribution: Give credit to original authors and sources
  • Fair Use: Understand and respect fair use limitations
  • Licensing: Use appropriate Creative Commons or other open licenses

Inclusive Language

  • Welcoming Tone: Use language that welcomes all community members
  • Avoid Assumptions: Don't assume gender, background, or experience level
  • Cultural Sensitivity: Be respectful of different cultures and perspectives
  • Accessibility: Use plain language and avoid jargon when possible

Content Moderation

Community-Driven Moderation

  • Member Reporting: Community members help identify problematic content
  • Peer Review: Content reviewed by multiple community members
  • Transparent Process: Clear procedures for content review and decisions
  • Appeal Rights: Fair process for appealing moderation decisions

Moderation Actions

  • Content Warning: Add warnings to potentially problematic content
  • Content Editing: Minor edits to improve clarity or remove issues
  • Content Removal: Remove content that violates policies
  • Access Restriction: Limit access to specific content or areas

Escalation Process

  1. Community Flags: Members report concerning content
  2. Moderator Review: Moderators assess flagged content
  3. Action Decision: Appropriate action taken based on severity
  4. Communication: Decision communicated to content creator and community
  5. Appeal Process: Content creator can appeal moderation decisions

Intellectual Property

  • Respect Copyrights: Only use content you have rights to use
  • Fair Use: Understand fair use limitations and applications
  • DMCA Compliance: Follow Digital Millennium Copyright Act procedures
  • International Law: Respect international copyright agreements

Community Content Licensing

  • Default License: Community content uses Creative Commons licenses
  • Member Choice: Members can choose specific licenses for their content
  • Attribution Requirements: Maintain proper attribution for all content
  • Commercial Use: Clear policies on commercial use of community content

Privacy and Personal Information

Personal Data Protection

  • Consent: Only share personal information with explicit consent
  • Minimal Sharing: Share only necessary personal information
  • Data Security: Protect personal information from unauthorized access
  • Right to Privacy: Respect members' privacy choices and boundaries

Public vs Private Content

  • Public Awareness: Understand which content is publicly visible
  • Privacy Settings: Use appropriate privacy settings for sensitive content
  • Accidental Disclosure: Procedures for handling accidental information disclosure
  • Data Portability: Members can export their own content and data

Content Preservation and Archival

Community Memory

  • Important Content: Preserve valuable community discussions and decisions
  • Historical Record: Maintain historical record of community development
  • Searchable Archive: Make archived content searchable and accessible
  • Privacy Respect: Respect privacy when archiving personal communications

Content Lifecycle

  • Active Content: Current, relevant content easily accessible
  • Archived Content: Older content preserved but marked as archived
  • Deprecated Content: Outdated content clearly marked or removed
  • Deleted Content: Clear policies on content deletion and recovery

Special Content Types

Technical Documentation

  • Accuracy: Technical information must be accurate and tested
  • Updates: Keep technical documentation current with system changes
  • Peer Review: Technical content reviewed by knowledgeable community members
  • Version Control: Track changes to technical documentation

Community Governance

  • Transparency: Governance content must be clear and accessible
  • Participation: Enable community participation in governance discussions
  • Decision Records: Maintain clear records of community decisions
  • Implementation: Track implementation of governance decisions

Educational Content

  • Learning Objectives: Clear learning goals for educational content
  • Skill Levels: Content appropriate for different skill levels
  • Interactive Elements: Encourage interactive learning and participation
  • Assessment: Provide ways to assess learning and understanding

Content Promotion and Discovery

Content Visibility

  • Merit-Based: Quality content receives appropriate visibility
  • Community Interest: Popular content gets more exposure
  • Diversity: Ensure diverse voices and perspectives are heard
  • Anti-Gaming: Prevent manipulation of content promotion systems

Search and Discovery

  • Tagging: Use appropriate tags and categories for content
  • Cross-Referencing: Link related content for better discovery
  • Recommendations: System and community recommendations for relevant content
  • Accessibility: Ensure search tools are accessible to all members

Enforcement and Appeals

Violation Response

  • Proportional Response: Enforcement action proportional to violation severity
  • Educational Focus: Help members understand and correct violations
  • Progressive Discipline: Escalating consequences for repeated violations
  • Restoration: Focus on repairing harm and restoring community harmony

Appeals Process

  • Fair Hearing: Right to fair hearing for content moderation decisions
  • Independent Review: Appeals reviewed by different moderators when possible
  • Timely Response: Appeals processed within reasonable timeframes
  • Clear Communication: Decisions clearly communicated with rationale

Policy Evolution

  • Community Input: Regular community input on content policy effectiveness
  • Policy Updates: Regular review and updating of content policies
  • Transparency: Clear communication about policy changes
  • Implementation: Gradual implementation of policy changes with community education

Content policies are designed to foster a creative, collaborative, and respectful environment where all community members can contribute meaningfully to our shared digital space.