How we moderate in the divisive age of censorship.
We began building Slyde before the fever pitch that is today’s social media landscape. Before Parler took off as a free-speech touting haven and Facebook entered the business of truth arbitration. We were unaware of the impossible battleground we’d be entering by launching in a time like this. Yet, here we are and we’d like to fill you all in on how we plan to moderate this place so many of you have taken a part in.
If you haven’t already joined Slyde, you should check it out! Slyde is a general social network that is focused on privacy and community. Learn more about what Slyde is about here.
The Rules
Here at Slyde, the rules are pretty simple and for the most part come down to two things:
- No inciting violence.
- Don’t do anything illegal.
Our founding team is made up of a myriad of political views. We don’t lean left, nor do we lean right. We think public discord is the heart of public decency and most of all we don’t see ourselves as the arbiters of truth. Not everyone is going to agree with everything you have to say just as you don’t agree with the masses. We think by offering a true public forum on a global scale we can bring our community together.
One of the things that makes Slyde so great is the separation it gives you. You can post something to just your friends, just your family, for work, to the public or any combination of those. This inherently makes certain kinds of discussion more viable and open. We hope this leads to more freedom of expression. We just ask that when you post, keep those two rules in mind.
No Inciting Violence
This one is pretty simple. Don’t post anything that is threatening to hurt, or ask others to hurt or preform harm unto others. You are absolutely free to express how you feel about anyone and anything, as long as your aren’t planning a violent or harmful act. We are a community. We don’t always have to agree but let’s no get anybody hurt. Not only is this one of our rules, we’re legally required to take down such content.
Don’t Do Anything Illegal
We’re not lawyers and we can’t tell you what is and isn’t legal in your local or national jurisdiction. It’s up to you to know this. If it’s something that’s clearly and obviously illegal and someone reports it, we have no choice but to take that content down as it’s our legal responsibility.
What About Misinformation!?
This is the center of discussion right now in social media and many companies are taking a rather hard stance on it. At Slyde, we feel like we’ve provided enough self-moderation tools to combat the problem.
We all must realize we aren’t right about everything we believe in at any given moment. There are countless events that have happened over the last 18 months that have made us all look like a fool at some point. As children we learn by doing it wrong, finding the right answer and doing it right the next time. Give yourself and others that opportunity. You’ll be wrong. They’ll be wrong. Just trust that behind that screen is another good person who’s just as passionate as you and if put into a difficult situation is likely to act with a common compassion towards you and everyone around you, even if their political view may be significantly different than your own.
We want to promote discussion, openness and understanding. If you feel strongly about something and others feel the opposite, that means you’re probably both a little right and a little wrong. Comment, like / dislike and hold each other accountable. We are all on the same side here, let’s make our community better instead of tearing it down.
The Conclusion
We simply aren’t going to moderate outside of our rules. When you break these simple rules we will act swiftly. Until then, the community has the tools to safely and accurately voice their opinion, anonymous or otherwise. Our goal is to stay out of it as much as possible and remain completely neutral.
In short.
Don’t be an asshole.
If you agree, disagree or have other comments, let us know on Slyde. Make sure to share Slyde (or even this article) with your friends and family!
