Two sets of rules, two different jobs
When you host a conversation on a social platform, you operate within two overlapping sets of expectations. Platform rules are set by the service. They define what users can post or do there and may cover issues such as harassment, impersonation, privacy, and prohibited content. The platform decides how to interpret and enforce those rules, including whether to remove content or restrict an account.
Community guidelines are the expectations you set for participation in your own space, such as a page, group, comment section, or creator community. They describe the kind of conversation you want to make possible. A platform might allow a comment that is repeatedly off-topic or dismissive; your guidelines can still ask members to stay on topic and address ideas without belittling people. Your guidelines can be more specific than platform rules, but they cannot override them.
This distinction matters because a community can be technically compliant with a platform’s rules while still being unpleasant to join. It also matters in the other direction: a welcoming set of house rules does not remove your responsibility to understand the platform’s requirements.
Start with the platform’s boundaries
Before drafting your own guidelines, read the rules for the platform and the features you use. A public comment thread, a private group, and direct messages may offer different moderation tools or reporting paths. Check what you can remove, hide, restrict, or report, and who can take each action. Keep a link to the relevant platform policies in your team’s internal notes so moderators can consult them when a situation is unclear.
Treat platform rules as a boundary, not as a complete moderation plan. You may not control when the platform reviews a report or how it resolves a dispute. You can, however, decide how your team responds within the tools available to you. For example, if someone shares another member’s private information, avoid amplifying it in a public reply. Remove it from the space you manage if you can, and use the platform’s reporting tools where appropriate.
Because platforms can revise their policies and features, revisit your notes periodically. That habit is especially useful when you add a new format, invite guest contributors, or move a community to a different service.
Write guidelines for the community you actually run
Useful community guidelines translate broad values into observable behavior. “Be respectful” is a good intention, but it leaves plenty of room for disagreement. A clearer version might ask members to critique ideas rather than attack people, avoid repeated promotional replies, and respect requests not to share personal details. If your community welcomes debate, say what constructive disagreement looks like rather than suggesting that every exchange must be positive.
Focus on the situations your members are likely to encounter. A group for creators discussing their work may need guidance on unsolicited critiques and self-promotion. A community that shares personal experiences may need firmer expectations around confidentiality and screenshots. Choose a small number of rules that members can remember, and pair each with a brief example when the meaning might otherwise be ambiguous.
Explain the scope of your guidelines, too. Do they apply to comments on your posts, live discussions, and member-submitted content? If you cannot moderate private conversations between members, do not promise that you can. State how members can flag concerns and what they should avoid doing, such as reposting harmful content to call attention to it.
Make enforcement predictable without making it mechanical
Guidelines become meaningful through consistent decisions. Decide in advance which issues generally call for a reminder, which call for removing a post, and which may require restricting participation. You do not need to publish an exhaustive penalty chart: context matters, including the impact of a comment and whether a person continues after a clear request to stop. But members should be able to understand the basic process.
Give moderators a simple way to document difficult calls: what happened, which guideline applied, what action was taken, and whether follow-up is needed. This can help a team avoid contradictory responses. When it is safe and practical, explain an action in neutral terms: “We removed this reply because it included a personal insult,” rather than turning the decision into a public argument. Protecting the affected member is more important than winning a debate about moderation.
Use questions and feedback to keep both in view
Every guideline has edge cases. A member may ask whether sharing a project link is helpful context or unwanted promotion. An energetic disagreement may be productive until it becomes personal. When a situation is unclear, ask what behavior your guideline was designed to address, check the platform’s rules, and choose a response you could explain consistently in a similar case.
Invite feedback on confusing wording, particularly from people who are new to the community. If members regularly misunderstand a rule, the wording may need work. Revise guidelines when the community’s activities change, and tell members what changed and why. Platform rules establish what is permitted on the service; your guidelines help people understand how to participate well together. Paying attention to both makes moderation clearer and gives thoughtful conversations room to grow.
