Community guidelines

Most people reading a thread have never been to one of these gatherings, and many are deciding whether to. Answer the question that was asked, and answer it as though the person asking has no background in the subject at all.

Jargon without explanation, and replies that treat a beginner question as an imposition, are the fastest way to empty a community.

When responding to someone’s work — a loaf, a photograph, a track, a layout — start with what you actually observed. Suggestions are welcome afterwards and are frequently unnecessary.

This began as a house rule in two communities and worked well enough that it now applies platform-wide.

Every gathering listed on Commonry must state where to meet precisely, when it finishes, what it costs including when that is nothing, and what to bring including when that is nothing.

Organizers should also state access information honestly, including when the answer is unhelpful. A visitor who cannot manage sixty steps needs to know that before they travel, not on arrival.

Communities may not pressure members about missed gatherings, publish attendance rankings, or make participation a condition of membership.

Reminders about an event a member signed up for are fine. Follow-ups about why someone did not come are not.

Members frequently work in the fields their communities cover, and mentioning that is normal and useful. Using a community primarily as a customer list is not.

The practical test organizers apply: would this post exist if the person had nothing to sell?

When a moderator moves, edits, or removes something, the community is told what happened and why. A group that cannot see how a rule was applied will assume it was applied unfairly.

Moderation decisions can be appealed to Commonry directly, and the moderator who made the decision does not review the appeal.

Report a post to that community’s organizers first — they see it fastest. Anything that crosses between communities, or that you would rather not raise with an organizer, goes to moderation@commonry.community.

Reports are read by a person. Reports about serious harm are prioritized over everything else on the platform.