Words of Welcome

Add your words

Moderation Policy

Introduction

Welcome to our website! This Moderation Policy governs how we moderate message submissions to the project.

1. Purpose and Scope

These procedures aim to guide the moderation of messages submitted to Words of Welcome, which main purpose is to share messages of welcome to new community members. The goal of this policy is to ensure that all shared and/or published content is supportive, respectful, and aligns with the project mission.

Each submission is carefully reviewed by our team to check that it meets the project guidelines. We collate and share messages with individuals and partners. If you’ve given permission for your submission to be shared more widely we may also feature it on an online platform.

We aim to use all messages that are shared with us but may not be able to if a message does not meet the criteria laid out in this moderation policy. 

2. General Moderation Principles

  • Kindness: Messages must reflect the ethos of the project and should be rooted in welcome, kindness or solidarity.
  • Respect: Messages must treat all individuals with dignity and respect.
  • Inclusivity: Messages must be inclusive and not promote discrimination or exclusion.

3. Moderation Criteria

Messages will be reviewed and approved based on the following criteria:

3.1 Content Criteria

  • Relevance: Messages should be relevant to the ethos of the project.
  • Respect for Diversity: Messages must respect the diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences of all individuals.
  • Appropriate Language: Messages should use language that is appropriate for all audiences, avoiding profanity, hate speech, or offensive terms.
  • Constructive Nature: Messages should contribute constructively to the community, avoiding negative or divisive remarks.

3.2 Prohibited Content

  • Hate Speech: Messages containing hate speech, racism, xenophobia, or any form of discrimination or bigotry will not be shared.
  • Political Content: Messages with overtly political content or messages endorsing specific political agendas or parties will not be shared.
  • Religious Proselytizing: Messages that attempt to convert individuals to a specific religion or faith will not be shared. General religious messages of hope and peace may be allowed if they are inclusive and non-proselytizing.
  • Personal Attacks: Messages that attack, insult, or demean individuals or groups will not. be shared.
  • Inappropriate Language: Messages with profanity, vulgar language, or explicit content will not be shared.
  • Commercial Promotion: Messages promoting commercial products, services, or fundraising campaigns will not be shared.
  • Sensitive Personal Information: Messages containing sensitive personal information about the sender or others will not be shared to protect privacy and safety.
  • Spam and Duplicates: Repetitive messages or spam-like content will be rejected.

4. Moderation Process

4.1 Submission Review

  • Initial Screening: All submitted messages will undergo an initial screening by automated tools or moderators to filter out obvious spam and inappropriate content.
  • Detailed Review: Moderators will then review each message in detail to ensure it meets the content criteria.

4.2 Decision Making & Feedback

  • Approval: Messages that meet the criteria will be approved and included in the project.
  • Rejection: Messages that contain prohibited content or do not meet the criteria will not be included in the project
  • Feedback: Due to the large volume of submissions we receive, we cannot give individual updates and/or feedback on submissions.

4.3 Sharing of messages

  • Sharing submissions with relevant individuals: We aim to share all messages that meet moderation guidelines with new community members.
  • Sharing messages on online platforms: If you gave permission for your message to be shared on our online platforms your message may be posted on our website and/or social media. Please note, due to the volume of submissions we share a selection here only.

5. Updating Moderation Criteria

  • Periodic Review: The moderation criteria will be reviewed periodically and updated as necessary to address emerging issues or changes in the community’s needs.

6. Moderator Conduct

  • Impartiality: Moderators must act impartially and fairly when reviewing messages.
  • Confidentiality: Moderators must maintain the confidentiality of submitters’ personal information and message content.
  • Professionalism: Moderators should conduct themselves professionally and respectfully in all interactions with submitters and other community members.

7. Contact Us

For any questions or concerns about the moderation process, submitters can contact the moderation team at hello@volunteerdlr.ie.

Thank you for being a part of our positive community!

Last Updated: 8th August 2024