1. Our mission
Town Square research is intended to strengthen local bonds through useful events, opportunities, neighborhood happenings, and recognition. The aim is community utility, not personal broadcasting or outrage-driven engagement.
2. Public post standards
Public posts may be reviewed by an administrator before they become visible.
Approved categories
- Neighborhood happenings: Local events, sales, school news, or community meetings.
- Opportunities: Volunteer needs, local job listings, or workshops.
- Neighbor recognition: Celebrating an achievement or thanking someone for helping.
- Local news: Factual updates about businesses, history, or community development.
Content that is not accepted
- Personal status updates that do not provide community value.
- Unsupported warnings intended to create fear or outrage.
- Public shaming, private disputes, or targeted grievances.
- Partisan campaigning or inflammatory rhetoric unrelated to a local community need.
3. Help requests and offers
Help posts can include borrowing tools, requesting local recommendations, offering free items, or asking for non-emergency physical assistance. Emergencies, medical advice, financial loans, and illegal activity are not appropriate for this service.
A reported help post may be hidden immediately while a human moderator reviews it. Automated safety screening may assist routing, but a report remains subject to human review.
4. Private conversations
- Administrators do not proactively monitor private messages.
- Harassment, threats, illegal activity, and unwanted solicitation remain prohibited.
- Reporting a conversation can grant the moderation team limited access to the reported thread for review.
- Private conversations are not moderated for tone when participation is consensual and respectful.
5. Moderation workflow and appeals
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Pending | The post is waiting for review and is not yet visible. |
| Approved | The post meets the policy and may appear in the community feed. |
| Rejected | The decision identifies the applicable policy concern. |
| Opportunity to revise | An edited post may return to the review queue. |
6. Prohibited conduct
The following conduct may result in immediate suspension or removal:
- Organizing or promoting illegal activity.
- Attacking or dehumanizing people based on protected characteristics.
- Targeted harassment, credible threats, or publication of private identifying information.
Questions and reports
For a policy question or safety report, use the contact and support form.