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Internet Standing
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Community guidelines

How to rate people fairly

Short rules that keep the record worth reading: how to rate someone, how to answer accuracy and lean, how to raise a controversy, and what gets removed.

Applies to every rating, vote, word and controversy on Internet Standing

1. Rating people

  • Rate what they publish and how they behave in public. Their videos, posts, reporting and conduct, not their looks, their family or their private life.
  • Rate from what you've seen. A 1-star rating because you dislike someone's politics, or a 5-star because you're a fan, tells nobody anything.
  • Be specific. If you add words, cite examples: a link, a timestamp, an article. Specific ratings earn helpful marks from other people, and helpful marks add weight.
  • Don't rate yourself, or anyone you work for or with. Self-ratings are detected and removed.
  • Keep it current. If someone has changed (better sourcing, a new tone), edit your rating to say so.

2. Accuracy and lean

  • Where they apply. Journalists, commentators, politicians, outlets and high-stakes fields (finance, health, politics, news) are also asked about accuracy and lean.
  • Accuracy is about facts, not opinions. Accurate, Mixed or Misleading. A strong opinion isn't the same as getting the facts wrong.
  • Lean is what you observe, not where you stand. If someone leans right, say right, whatever your own view. Covering a topic is not leaning on it.
  • The five-step lean: Far Left → Left → Center → Right → Far Right. Use the extremes sparingly. The record publishes the middle of everyone’s answers on seven steps, so someone between two of yours reads as leaning slightly one way.
  • Raid detection is active. When coordinated voting is detected, the record’s Standing is frozen at its previous value until a moderator reviews it.

3. Traits and words

  • Traits (Funny, Originality, Cringe) are a quick read of someone's work. Answer for the work, not the person's looks or identity.
  • Use descriptive, fair words. "Well-researched", "Sponsored", "Satire" are good. "Trash" is not a word for a record.
  • Words need the community. Propose words and vote on other people's; a word shows only once enough people agree. Proposals are rate-limited to prevent spam.

4. Raising a controversy

  • Say what happened, with sources. A controversy is an allegation, and the record labels it as one. Link to the original post, video or report.
  • Public conduct only. Nothing about someone's private life, health or family unless they made it public themselves.
  • Mark fairly. Established accounts mark controversies credible or doubtful. Mark on the sources, not on whether you like the person.
  • The person can answer. Anyone who claims their record can respond beside a controversy. Their response is theirs; don't pile on it.

5. Prohibited Content

  • No hate speech. Ratings targeting race, religion, gender, sexuality, or disability will be removed and may result in a ban.
  • No harassment. Critique what someone publishes and does in public. "This video contains misinformation about X" is acceptable. Personal attacks are not.
  • No spam. Copy-pasted ratings, promotional content, and AI-written ratings are detected and removed.
  • No doxxing. Never include personal information (addresses, phone numbers, real names of anonymous creators) in a rating or a controversy.
  • No defamation. State opinions as opinions, not facts. "I find this channel one-sided" is fine. "This person is a criminal" without evidence is not.

6. Your weight as a rater

  • Your trust score (0-100) is computed from your account age, helpful votes on your ratings, detailed ratings and accepted words, less a penalty for ratings removed under these rules.
  • A higher trust score gives your ratings and votes more weight in every Standing.
  • Users with Trust Score 80+ may be eligible for Community Moderator status.
  • Gaming the trust system (e.g., creating fake accounts for helpful votes) will result in a permanent ban.

7. Enforcement

  • Automated detection: Our AI detects toxicity, spam, and coordinated manipulation.
  • Community moderation: Trusted users can flag and moderate content.
  • Warnings → suspension → ban: First offense gets a warning. Repeated violations lead to temporary then permanent suspension.
  • Appeals: Banned users can appeal via the appeals process. Appeals are reviewed by admin within 72 hours.
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