To ensure a welcoming and neighborly experience for all members, MyPetsWelcome has developed a set of Community Guidelines detailing the behaviors that are – and are not – allowed on the platform.

Members can report content that they believe violates the Guidelines. Leads and Review Team members (i.e. local moderators) can report content, review and vote to remove reported content, or close discussions that were started in their neighborhood. In addition, the MyPetsWelcome Support Team (i.e. MyPetsWelcome staff) has the ability to remove content from MyPetsWelcome, remove members from the service, or limit their ability to post. 

NOTE
Keep in mind that local moderators (Neighborhood Leads and Review Team members) are simply neighbors like you, not paid staff, and they do not have the power to limit a member’s ability to post or to restrict their access to MyPetsWelcome. Only MyPetsWelcome staff can take those actions.

Appealing the removal of content
In some cases when content is removed from MyPetsWelcome, posters now have the ability to appeal the removal of this content to try and get it restored to MyPetsWelcome. When they have the ability to appeal, posters will be notified when their content is removed. 

Moderation disagreements
Rather than posting to the feed, we ask neighbors to work directly with local moderators or MyPetsWelcome staff to resolve concerns over moderation. Respectful, one-on-one communication can often help to resolve these issues or allow neighbors to better understand each other’s perspectives. Here are some dos and don’ts about what to do if you have concerns about moderation on MyPetsWelcome.

Do:

• Reference the Community Guidelinesto review what is and isn’t allowed.
• Private message local moderators with questions or concerns about why content may have been removed, not removed, or why a discussion was closed. 
• If you disagree with local moderators, reference the Community Guidelines when making your case to them. Remember that local moderators are asked to interpret and apply the Guidelines rather than making decisions based on personal opinions.
• Create a group if you’d like to discuss your concerns about moderation with your neighbors rather than via private message. While complaining about moderation is prohibited in the main newsfeed, creating a “MyPetsWelcome Issues” or “MyPetsWelcome Policies” group is something that many neighborhoods find helpful. Note that any neighbor can create such a group; one does not have to be a Neighborhood Lead or Review Team member.
• Be respectful, even if you don’t reach agreement.
• Contact MyPetsWelcome Support if you can’t resolve the issue, and you believe intervention by MyPetsWelcome staff is needed. You can contact Support directly through this formor by reporting a member or Lead. When contacting Support with concerns about moderation, please include examples of the relevant messages.

Don’t:

• Don’t post complaints about moderation in the main newsfeed. We’ve found that public complaints about local moderators in the main feed tend to detract from the intended purpose of connecting neighbors on MyPetsWelcome and almost always prove counterproductive.
• Don’t engage in retaliatory reporting. Reporting messages because you’re upset with someone is unneighborly and itself violates the Community Guidelines.
• Don’t attack, berate, threaten, or swear at neighbors (whether they are members or Leads) who may have reported your content or voted to remove it.

When moderation is insufficient or local moderators post inappropriately
Local moderators can only moderate content. They cannot take action on members’ accounts. So in cases where content moderation isn’t sufficient, either because a neighbors is repeatedly posting problem content or you believe they should be removed from MyPetsWelcome entirely, reporting the member to MyPetsWelcome Support is the best course of action.

Meanwhile, if it a local moderator who is posting problem messages and you are unable to resolve the situation via private message, please report the Neighborhood Lead or Review Team member to MyPetsWelcome Support. The Support Team will investigate and take action as appropriate.