Our floor
The Code of Conduct
This Code of Conduct defines our boundaries: What we protect, for every member and for every person in every story. It supports our Storyteller Pact with five clear rules that all members must follow:
- I
Real people, real respect
Debate ideas as hard as you like; people are not targets. We remove harassment, bullying, threats, hate against people for who they are, and the exposure of anyone’s private life or whereabouts.
- II
The people in your stories come first
A documentary story borrows someone’s life. Portray people fairly, make sure they understand what they are part of, and take extra care with children and anyone in a vulnerable situation. We remove stories that expose a person to harm or ridicule they never agreed to.
- III
Witnessed means witnessed
What you present as documentary must have happened. We remove synthetic images or scenes presented as real, staged moments passed off as found, and stories made to deceive. Openly declared illustration and experiment are welcome; disguise is not.
- IV
Authorship is sacred
Publish your own work, credit what you build on, and respect the rights of others. We remove stolen work and plagiarism. Our members live by their authorship, so we guard it like it is our own.
- V
Nothing illegal, nothing predatory
Content that breaks the law has no home here, and neither do scams, spam, or using the community as a free billboard. We remove it, and where the law asks more of us than removal, we do more.
What happens when a line is crossed
Any member can report a story with a written reason. An editor reads the story and the reason, and decides. If the story is removed, the storyteller is told why, in the editor’s own words, and can always answer. If it stays, whoever reported it is told why. Inside a Pond, the Pond’s own Editors can remove a story from that Pond alone. A removal is not a deletion, and a wrong call can be undone.
A Pond may hold its members to more than this. Never to less.
Did you come across a story that violates our code of conduct? You will find a “Report” button by clicking or tapping in the upper right corner of the story.