Community Guidelines
PADICHAT COMMUNITY GUIDELINES
Padichat is built on a simple idea that real conversation, authentic connection, and community support are worth protecting. We are rooted in diaspora and West African culture and open to anyone who shares our values.
These Community Guidelines exist to protect that. They are the human-readable version of our rules, clear, specific, and enforceable. Every member who joins Padichat agrees to these guidelines.
Our promise to you: We will enforce these guidelines consistently, transparently, and fairly. Nobody gets a pass, not founding members, not business owners, not moderators.
Before the rules, understand the values behind them:
Real over perfect. We value honest, imperfect, genuine conversation over polished performance. Don’t perform, just talk.
Culture over clout. We’re here to connect around shared culture and experience, not to accumulate followers or status.
Community over ego. What’s good for the community takes precedence over what’s good for any individual member.
Safety without sanitisation. We want people to feel safe, but we also want real conversation. These two things are not opposites.
- Sharing your experiences, stories, and perspectives, especially those that represent diaspora life
- Asking questions and seeking advice from the community
- Supporting diaspora-owned businesses, sharing recommendations, reviews, and shoutouts
- Discussing culture, food, music, politics, identity, relationships, and everything in between
- Sharing news and information relevant to the community
- Posting about events, both online and in-person
- Healthy debate and disagreement as long as it’s respectful
- Humour and banter as long as it doesn’t cross into bullying
- Original content your photos, videos, writing, and creative work
- Promoting your business in the designated business spaces and through your listing
1. Hate speech and discrimination
We do not allow content that dehumanises, degrades, or promotes hatred against any person or group based on:
- Race or ethnicity
- Religion or belief
- Gender or gender identity
- Sexual orientation
- Disability or health condition
- Nationality or immigration status
- Age
- Socioeconomic background
This includes slurs, stereotypes used to attack, and content that calls for discrimination against any group.
Note: Discussing these topics including racism, discrimination, and inequality is allowed and encouraged. Promoting or enacting them is not.
2. Bullying and harassment
We do not allow:
- Targeted harassment of any member repeated negative attention directed at a specific person
- Deliberate attempts to humiliate, embarrass, or intimidate a member
- Pile-ons coordinating with others to mass-report, mass-reply to, or collectively attack a member
- Sending threatening or abusive private messages
- Publicly sharing private messages or conversations without consent
- Mockery of a member’s appearance, background, accent, or personal circumstances
If someone asks you to stop contacting them, stop. Continuing contact after being asked to stop is harassment and will result in removal.
3. Sexual content
- No pornographic or sexually explicit content
- No unsolicited sexual messages or advances to other members
- No content that sexualises any person without their clear consent
- No content that sexualises or endangers minors in any way, this results in immediate permanent ban and referral to law enforcement
4. Spam and self-promotion
- Do not post the same content repeatedly across multiple threads or boards
- Do not post unsolicited advertising in community discussions, use the business board and your listing
- Do not send unsolicited promotional private messages to other members
- Do not follow members around the platform to repeatedly promote your business
- Affiliate links require disclosure
Promoting your business is welcome in the right spaces. If you have a listing on Padichat, use it. Post in the business board. Share deals. Don’t hijack unrelated conversations to advertise.
5. Misinformation and harmful content
- Do not post demonstrably false information presented as fact, especially on health, safety, legal, or financial matters
- Do not share content designed to manipulate or deceive the community
- Do not spread rumours about real people without factual basis
- Do not post content that promotes dangerous health practices or discourages people from seeking medical help
6. Privacy violations
- Do not share another person’s personal information without their consent (doxxing) this includes address, phone number, workplace, or any identifying information
- Do not share screenshots or recordings of private conversations without consent from all parties
- Do not attempt to identify anonymous members
7. Illegal content
- Do not post content that is illegal in your jurisdiction or ours
- Do not promote, facilitate, or assist with illegal activities
- Do not post content that violates intellectual property law, including sharing copyrighted content without permission
- Do not share content related to the sale of illegal goods or substances
General community boards
Open discussion. Cultural topics, current events, community news, personal stories. Follow all the guidelines above.
Business board
For promoting and discussing community businesses. Honest reviews are welcome. False or defamatory reviews are not. Business owners may not post fake reviews of their own business or competitor businesses.
Events board
For promoting and discussing community events. Event listings must be accurate. Do not list fake or misleading events.
Private messages
Our guidelines apply to private messages too. Harassment, threats, and spam in private messages are treated as seriously as public violations.
Who moderates Padichat
Padichat is moderated by the Padichat team. We do not currently operate a volunteer moderator programme. All moderation decisions are made by our team.
How we handle reports
- A member reports content or behaviour
- Our team reviews the report, typically within 48 hours
- We investigate the reported content in context, we do not act on reports without review
- We take appropriate action and notify the reporting member of the outcome where appropriate
- We notify the reported member of any action taken against their content or account
Moderation actions (in escalating order)
- No action — report reviewed, no violation found
- Content removal — the post, comment, or message is removed
- Warning — formal notification that a violation has occurred
- Temporary suspension — account suspended for 7, 14, or 30 days depending on severity
- Permanent ban — account permanently removed from Padichat
- Legal referral — serious violations referred to law enforcement
What we consider
- Severity of the violation
- Whether it is a first-time or repeated offence
- Context, intent, tone, and circumstances
- The impact on the targeted member or the wider community
What we do not consider
- The size of your following or status in the community
- How long you have been a member
- Whether you have a paid subscription or business listing
- Whether you report other people for violations
If you believe a moderation action was applied incorrectly, you can appeal by emailing [email protected] within 14 days of the action.
Your appeal should include:
- Your username
- The date of the action
- What you believe was incorrect about the decision
- Any relevant context
We will review your appeal and respond within 14 business days. Our decision on appeal is final.
Note: Appeals submitted in an abusive, threatening, or disrespectful manner will not be considered.
If you see content or behaviour that violates these guidelines:
- Use the “Report” button on the post, comment, or profile
- Select the reason for your report
- Add any additional context that would help us investigate
- Submit the report
Alternatively, email us at [email protected].
Please report in good faith. Submitting false or malicious reports, including reporting someone simply because you disagree with them is itself a violation of these guidelines.
Padichat is rooted in diaspora culture. We understand that:
- Banter, teasing, and playful exchanges are part of community culture, context matters
- Discussions about sensitive topics like racism, discrimination, and political issues are important and should be allowed
- What reads as hostile in text might be friendly in context
Our moderators are trained to consider context. We do not take a zero-tolerance approach to imperfect language we take a zero-tolerance approach to genuine harm.
If you’re unsure whether something crosses a line, ask yourself: would I say this to someone’s face in a community space? If not, don’t post it.
We will update these guidelines as the community grows and as new situations arise. We will notify members of material changes through the platform.
For any questions about these guidelines or to report a serious issue:
Moderation: [email protected] General: [email protected] Website: padichat.com/contact