Code of Conduct

How we expect people to behave on this instance, and what happens when they don’t.

Our commitment

Commonplace is a space for sharing and discovering curated link collections. We want it to be welcoming, useful, and safe for everyone — whether you’re browsing, contributing links, or moderating a collection.

We are committed to providing a harassment-free experience regardless of age, body size, disability, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, level of experience, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, caste, colour, religion, or sexual identity and orientation.

What we expect

Positive behaviours that help this community thrive:

  • Sharing genuinely useful links and knowledge
  • Treating everyone with respect and good faith
  • Welcoming people from different backgrounds and perspectives
  • Giving constructive, specific feedback on proposals
  • Accepting responsibility when you make mistakes and learning from them
  • Focusing on what benefits the community, not just yourself

What we do not tolerate

  • Harassment, bullying, or threatening behaviour — in public or in private
  • Discrimination based on any characteristic listed above
  • Sexualised language, imagery, or unwanted sexual attention
  • Publishing private information about someone without their consent (doxxing)
  • Sharing or linking to illegal content, including child sexual abuse material
  • Deliberate disinformation or content intended to deceive or harm others
  • Impersonating other people or organisations
  • Spam, link schemes, or repetitive self-promotion that adds no value to a collection
  • Using this service to platform fascist, white supremacist, or other hateful ideologies
  • Any behaviour that a reasonable person would consider inappropriate in a professional or collaborative setting

This list is illustrative, not exhaustive. Moderators may act on any behaviour that harms the community, even if not explicitly listed here.

Scope

This Code of Conduct applies to all activity that involves this instance, including:

  • Content in collections, resources, and proposals
  • Messages and activities delivered through federation (ActivityPub, AT Protocol)
  • Reports and communications with moderators
  • Any other activity directly associated with this instance

Reporting

If you experience or witness a violation, please report it. You can:

All reports are treated confidentially. We will not reveal the identity of reporters without their explicit consent. If the person you are reporting is a moderator or admin, please note this so the report can be handled by someone without a conflict of interest.

Enforcement

Reports will be reviewed promptly and fairly. The response will be proportionate to the nature and severity of the behaviour:

1. Correction

For minor or first-time violations. A private message explaining the problem and what is expected going forward. A public apology may be requested where appropriate.

2. Warning

For a pattern of minor violations or a more serious single incident. A formal warning with specific consequences if behaviour continues. Contact with affected parties may be restricted for a defined period.

3. Temporary suspension

For sustained violations or serious single incidents. Temporary removal of the ability to contribute — propose links, post, or follow. Duration will be communicated clearly.

4. Permanent ban

For severe violations, repeated serious violations, or patterns of harassment. Permanent removal from this instance. Federated accounts from associated domains may also be blocked.

Appeals

If you believe a moderation decision was made in error, you may appeal by emailing [email protected] with the subject line Moderation appeal. Where possible, appeals are reviewed by a different person from the original decision-maker.

How we moderate

We aim to:

  • Act consistently, transparently, and in good faith
  • Prioritise the safety of those affected over the comfort of those who caused harm
  • Explain our reasoning where we can, without compromising confidentiality
  • Acknowledge when we make mistakes

We are human. We will not always get it right, but we are committed to improving.

Attribution

Adapted from the Contributor Covenant v2.1 (opens in new tab) and informed by the Bonfire Networks Community Guidelines (opens in new tab). Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (opens in new tab).