Summary at the bottom

There has been an ongoing discussion about the rules and guidelines on our platform. From the rules being too long, to not being clear enough, to not being enforced consistently, and being too strict. Some rules you may respect, while others you may not. 

While not all work surrounding the rules and how they are enforced is visible on the platform, we have made lots of changes. Some changes have been very visible, though not always so understandable. The official “Rule Reminder” was one of those things. For a period, we issued Rule Reminders through the same system that we send warnings. However, for many, this created confusion, as well as the general lack of knowledge in what differentiated a Rule Reminder and a warning.

We have also received a lot of feedback on sanctions, feeling very strict. And we get it. With the way our current sanction system is set up, it can be. While our ultimate goal is to protect you and invite you to a safe and welcoming community, the way we do it is not sustainable. 

We are all humans, with emotions, humour, different languages and neurotypes. Sometimes we make mistakes, and that should be okay. But with our current system, it does not make it seem like it is. 

Our current system relies heavily on your history, which can make a minor thing seem bigger. This does not encourage growth. Yes, we have rules, and we will continue to have rules. But at least not all rule violations should result in a sanction, or at least not when done with harmless intent. 

Moving forward, rule violations will be evaluated with more context in mind — where did the violation take place, what is the tone around it, and what harm does it create? We will focus more on moderation without sanctions, where there is room for it. We will instead focus on informing you, our users, when we remove content, and you will be able to ask for more information as to why, if you want to. This will be similar to a Moderator-initiated Message (MM), and it will not operate as a sanction. 

There will be development changes to our system; however, we will already be implementing changes before we have those changes available.
 

In short, it will function as a “system rebrand”. 

Warning will operate more as an informational message, letting you know that unless you stop your current behaviour, you will receive a sanction. 

Timeouts will be separated into 2 new options. Where one will be called “Communication Limitation”, and the other will be an account suspension.

The Communications Limitation will function as the timeouts currently do (3/7/14 days), but with the addition of a 1-month Communication Limitation. So you will have access to the platform, but not be able to use the text communication channels for the selected duration. 

Account suspension will be similar to a ban, but without all the extra steps. It will be an automated function, and no account deletion will be involved. During the account suspension, you will not be able to log in to goSupermodel. 

We will also implement a feature which allows the user to decide if they wish for their suspension status to be public, in case of a requested suspension. It will not have any added information, like the duration or reason, but just something that informs the userbase that you are currently suspended, if you wish for this information to be available. - Sometimes you might want a break for personal reasons, and that is okay!

Account suspension will have a duration of either 7 days, 14 days or 1 month. 

This system will not work in a 1 strike, 2 strike, go. It will be given out of necessity, based on what rule you have violated, and how your behaviour has impacted the community.

When all the development changes are ready, we will update you with a complete list of changes. 

Our goal is not to punish you just because you have made a mistake. But we want to encourage growth, community and education in areas where it might be needed. We want to be inclusive, and that includes creating the space for us all to grow and learn from our mistakes. 

This is not an invitation to break the rules; content will still be moderated. However, some areas will be moderated less strictly, while others will be enforced more rigorously. These changes are being made because certain areas have been handled inconsistently, and the goal is to reduce confusion, limit misinterpretation, and ensure more consistent moderation.

The new internal guidelines will also involve a transition period, during which our moderators become familiar with the updated routines. 

TL;DR:

• goSupermodel is updating its rules and moderation system to make it clearer, fairer, and more consistent.
  
  
• Enforcement will focus more on context, intent, and education rather than automatic sanctions.
  
  
• Minor or harmless violations may result in informative messages instead of punishments.
  
  
• Warnings will be more clearly informational, and timeouts will be replaced with two options: Communication Limitation (limited interaction but account access) and Account Suspension (temporary login restriction).
  
  
• Sanctions will be applied based on impact, not a strike system.
  
  
• Some moderation will be less strict, some more, and there will be a transition period while moderators adapt to the new guidelines.

Feel free to share your thoughts HERE!