Community Guidelines

Last Updated: February 2025

Our Commitment

TownScout is a community platform connecting locals with their town. To maintain a safe and valuable environment for everyone, we've established these community guidelines.

Core Principles

Be Respectful

Treat all community members with dignity and respect. Disagreement is natural, but personal attacks are not.

Be Honest

Provide accurate information about businesses and experiences. Fake reviews undermine trust in the community.

Be Helpful

Contribute content that benefits the community—helpful reviews, relevant discussions, and accurate business information.

Prohibited Content

Hate Speech and Discrimination

We do not tolerate:

  • Racial, ethnic, or religious slurs
  • Sexist or homophobic language
  • Attacks based on disability, age, or identity
  • Content promoting hate groups

Harassment and Bullying

The following is prohibited:

  • Targeted harassment of individuals or businesses
  • Threats of violence or harm
  • Revealing private information (doxxing)
  • Stalking behavior

Spam and Self-Promotion

  • Fake or paid reviews
  • Duplicate or nonsensical content
  • Unsolicited promotional messages
  • Bulk posting of similar content

Illegal Activities

Content that:

  • Promotes illegal goods or services
  • Contains stolen or plagiarized material
  • Violates intellectual property rights
  • Encourages dangerous or harmful activities

Review Guidelines

What Makes a Good Review?

  • Specific: Mention specific details about your experience
  • Balanced: Include both positive and negative aspects
  • Recent: Base reviews on recent experiences
  • Relevant: Stay focused on the business or service

Review Violations

Reviews may be removed if they:

  • Contain profanity or hate speech
  • Are based on hearsay, not personal experience
  • Are posted by competitors or employees
  • Include personal information about others
  • Are obviously fake or paid

Discussion Board Rules

Thread Participation

  • Stay on topic
  • Cite sources when making factual claims
  • Use appropriate language and tone
  • Report violations rather than engaging with trolls

Moderation

Our moderators may:

  • Edit or remove violating content
  • Issue warnings for guideline violations
  • Temporarily suspend repeat offenders
  • Permanently ban severe violators

Business Conduct

Business Owner Participation

Business owners are welcome to:

  • Claim and update their listings
  • Respond to reviews professionally
  • Post events and job listings
  • Participate in community discussions transparently

Conflicts of Interest

Business owners must:

  • Disclose their affiliation when posting
  • Not post fake positive reviews
  • Not incentivize reviews (cash, discounts, etc.)
  • Respect negative feedback as an opportunity to improve

Intellectual Property

Your Content

By posting, you grant TownScout a license to display your content. You retain ownership but cannot withdraw it once posted.

Others' Content

Do not post:

  • Text, images, or videos you don't own
  • Trademarked or copyrighted material without permission
  • Screenshots of private communications

Enforcement and Consequences

Warning System

  • First violation: Warning and content removal
  • Second violation: Temporary suspension
  • Third violation: Permanent ban

Appeals

To appeal a moderation decision:

  1. Contact moderation@townscout.com
  2. Include your username and the content in question
  3. Explain why you believe the decision was incorrect

Reporting Violations

To report content that violates these guidelines:

  • Use the "Report" button on reviews, threads, or listings
  • Email moderation@townscout.com
  • Include the URL and reason for your report

Changes to Guidelines

We may update these guidelines periodically. Continued use of the platform constitutes acceptance of changes.

Contact

For questions about these guidelines:

These community guidelines are a placeholder and will be replaced with comprehensive rules.