Purpose
CHYOA is intended to be a civilized place where users can freely explore and share ideas, enjoy fictional stories, and connect with each other in a welcoming environment. It aims to provide a platform for authors to share and express their ideas without being judged, to learn or improve writing or language skills, and to get help and support from other users in the form of suggestions, feedback, and motivation.
Scope
We expect all CHYOA community members — authors, readers, staff members, moderators, administrators, and any other users of the services — to uphold the principles of this Code of Conduct.
It applies to all communications in messages, comments, review messages, and on the CHYOA Forum.
As CHYOA wants to provide authors the greatest possible freedom to explore their ideas within fictional stories, this Code of Conduct does not apply to story content published in the form of stories and chapters. Instead, story content is subject to the CHYOA Rules.
Standards
| 1. Respect the personal boundaries of others |
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Users have different expectations while being on CHYOA. Some might be here to read and enjoy stories. Others might want to meet new people, make friends, explore and discuss ideas, or receive writing-related feedback. Every user is free to choose their maximum level of involvement. Respect the privacy of the user you want to interact with and allow them to remain in their comfort zone if your expectations don't match theirs. |
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Refrain from |
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a. unwanted sexual advances |
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b. unwanted intimacies |
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c. unwanted invasion in the personal life of a user |
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d. pursuing conversations about topics your dialog partner doesn't want to talk about |
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e. contacting a user after they showed to communicate with you whether by express request, not responding, or technical means |
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f. questioning a user's boundaries or changes to them |
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Note that: |
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g. Consent given in the past doesn't indicate future consent. |
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h. No means No! |
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As the personal boundaries of a user might not be obvious in the beginning, perceived/expected boundaries should only be approached in a sufficiently slow manner, and only if there are no signs that the user doesn't approve of it. |
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| 2. Keep the community, other people, and CHYOA safe |
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Users have a right to spend their time on CHYOA in a safe, secure environment. Illegal actions and activities might harm CHYOA users, other people and groups, as well as CHYOA itself. Do your part to keep the site free from such activities and ensure all users are safe on CHYOA. |
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Refrain from |
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a. threatening |
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b. issuing other threats |
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c. abusing, sharing, or threatening to share personal information of other people |
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d. promoting or encouraging acts of |
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e. promoting or encouraging acts of crime |
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f. promoting or encouraging rule violations |
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g. engaging in illegal actions |
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h. creating, facilitating, or fostering rule violations |
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| 3. Be inclusive and tolerant |
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Everyone is different in their own way and may differ in opinions. You might not always agree with other users' opinions and being confronted with something new or unfamiliar might make you uncomfortable. |
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At the same time, others might have similar feelings, and they may perceive you as different. This diversity does not make anyone inferior or superior but enriches the community. |
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Even if others are different, be open-minded and accepting. Seek to overcome possible prejudices. |
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Be tolerant of anyone regardless of, and refrain from treating others badly because of |
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a. race |
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b. sex |
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c. disability |
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d. neurodivergence |
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e. genetic information |
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f. body size |
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g. age |
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h. ethnicity |
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i. nationality |
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j. gender identity |
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k. sexual identity |
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l. orientation |
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m. kinks |
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n. fetishes |
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o. personal appearance |
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p. religion |
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q. life decisions |
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r. dislikes |
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s. expression |
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t. language level |
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u. writing ability |
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v. other personal traits |
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w. membership in any identifiable groups |
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| 4. Keep the site free from toxic behavior |
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Users expect a pleasant and enjoyable experience while visiting CHYOA. They want to have a good time while reading CHYOA stories, connecting with others, having meaningful discussions with like-minded users, exchanging ideas, or expressing themselves in their writing. |
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Having a great experience is only possible as long as users don't have to deal with pointless arguments, trolling, extensive negativity, manipulation, and toxic behavior. |
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To ensure that everyone can have a great time on CHYOA, do your part and refrain from |
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a. using hate speech |
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b. insults, personal attacks |
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c. political attacks |
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d. offensive, abusive behavior |
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e. bullying |
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f. intimidation |
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g. aggressive behavior |
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h. trying to start fights |
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i. harassment |
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j. manipulation |
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k. provocation |
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l. automatically assuming bad intent |
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m. trolling |
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n. spreading rumors about other users |
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o. deliberate misrepresentation (fabrication) |
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and try |
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p. using clear language (tone is difficult to read) |
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| 5. Keep your feedback relevant |
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While many CHYOA authors write for fun, their motivation to publish content might include the wish to get constructive feedback and likes. They might want to receive appreciation for their effort, get input for future content, or find out their strengths and areas of improvement. |
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To make your feedback valuable, keep it |
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a. related to the story content |
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b. clear and specific |
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c. constructive |
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d. actionable |
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e. encouraging |
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f. neutral or positive |
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and try to |
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g. criticize only ideas, grammar, or spelling, not people |
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h. use clear language (tone is difficult to read) |
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i. respond to content and not to (perceived) tone |
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j. accept authors' and other users' disagreement with your assessment |
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k. accept authors' refusal to take advice |
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Art might be shocking and provocative and while you are free to dislike content, please allow authors to maintain their freedom of expression to the maximum possible extent. |
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Consequences and Assistance
What consequences might a community member face if their behavior is opposed to one or more principles of the CHYOA Code of Conduct?
- removal of incident-related content in whole or in part
- warning
- restriction of communication
- temporary account suspension
- permanent account suspension
When determining what consequences get applied, the following factors will be taken into account:
- circumstances of the situation
- behavioral history of the involved community members
- severity of the incident
How can you further assist in keeping up the principles of the CHYOA Code of Conduct?
- when a community member behaves contrary to the principles, refrain from reacting in kind
- report to the team when you notice behavior that seems to be opposed to the principles
Contact
Please try to use only one way of reporting an issue. If you report an issue in more than one way, please make mention of it and include how you did the first report.
