At Pluss Communities, we are all about making sure users are building and participating in a community that thrives. Your members are at the heart of your community and we want to make sure they know how to participate in a way that makes your community a great place to be.

Community guidelines are the guiding principles that ground almost any online community. In your case you might gather together on a regular basis. Your members may even all live in the same building or community together. Relationships can be strong and you’re likely to have a code of conduct or statement for your gathered community.  It’s important that your community guidelines for your online community reflect the broader values and ethos of your face to face gatherings. The community guidelines are the foundation for creating a safe place for all members of the community and help to establish a positive culture in how members communicate and interact. If you are responsible for managing an online community, take the time to develop your community guidelines and (ideally) share them with your community from day one. This will help to paint clear expectations and reinforce to each member that you value creating a positive environment where every member feels valued and safe.

How to write your community guidelines

State your mission

Begin by writing one paragraph about the mission and values of your community. This should reinforce why creating a safe community is important for every member and why they should care about these guidelines.

State your community’s rules and regulations

Create a list of clearly defined rules and regulations that align with your community’s mission. The goal is to show that your community values safe and welcoming behaviour and to identify what types of online behaviour is not acceptable. The rule of thumb here is that if you wouldn’t say the comment to a person face to face, then don’t say it online.

Examples of guidelines to include

• Stay positive and constructive in your comments and conversations.

• Be respectful in how you speak to another member online.

• If you have a complaint, bring it up with the person directly, not in a public forum.

• Inappropriate or offensive behaviour will not be condoned. Community management reserves the right to delete or moderate any of the following online behaviour:
  

  • Sexually explicit content.

  • Violent, racist, homophobic, blackmail, obscene, hateful comments.

  • Threatening comments.

  • Comments that suggest illegal activity.

  • Personal information including email addresses, telephone numbers, mailing addresses, or identification numbers.

  • Spam.

  • Copyright or intellectual property violations.

Your community may also have a Social Media Policy which should be referred to in these guidelines.

Reporting offensive and unsafe behaviour

If a member of your community feels unsafe or uncomfortable by the inappropriate behaviour of another member, make it clear what steps should be taken and who to report the behaviour to. All reports should be treated with confidentiality and any necessary actions should be taken. In your Pluss Communities app you can flag comments that you think are inappropriate and need to be reviewed by your community manager. 

Other considerations about your community guidelines

When choosing the right community app, ensure that it allows for users to manage their interactions with other users. These community guidelines should be included in the Information section of the app, where every member can view and refer to them.

In establishing your community guidelines, members will appreciate being a part of a positive community that values safe behaviour. And while some members may not always adhere to the guidelines, community leaders can better moderate these behaviours and take consistent actions when required. This is the foundation in creating a community where every member feels safe and trusted in your care.