Community Guidelines
Building a Respectful Community for Storytellers and Readers
Effective Date: January 1, 2025
Chapter Chronicles is a community of storytellers and readers who share a passion for serialized fiction. These Community Guidelines outline our expectations for content and behavior on the platform. By using Chapter Chronicles, you agree to follow these guidelines along with our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Our goal is to create a welcoming, creative space where authors can share their work and readers can discover stories they love. We believe in creative freedom balanced with respect for our diverse community.
1. Our Core Values
Chapter Chronicles is built on these foundational principles:
- Creative Freedom: We support authors' right to tell diverse stories across all genres and themes.
- Respect: We expect all community members to treat each other with dignity and kindness.
- Safety: We prioritize the safety and wellbeing of our community, especially vulnerable users.
- Authenticity: We value original work and honest creator-audience relationships.
- Transparency: We communicate clearly about our policies and enforcement actions.
2. Content Guidelines for Authors
2.1 Allowed Content
Chapter Chronicles welcomes fiction across all genres, including but not limited to:
- Romance, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, thriller, horror
- Literary fiction, historical fiction, contemporary fiction
- Fan fiction (with proper disclaimers)
- Young adult and new adult fiction
- Mature content intended for adult audiences (with appropriate ratings)
- LGBTQ+ stories and diverse perspectives
- Political, social, and philosophical themes
2.2 Content Rating and Warnings
Authors must accurately rate their content and provide appropriate content warnings. We expect authors to:
- Rate mature content appropriately: Stories containing graphic violence, explicit sexual content, or other mature themes should be clearly labeled.
- Provide content warnings: Include warnings for potentially triggering content such as sexual assault, self-harm, abuse, graphic violence, or other sensitive topics.
- Use chapter-level warnings: If specific chapters contain intense content, include warnings in the chapter description or at the beginning of the chapter.
- Be honest about content: Don't misrepresent your story's content to attract readers.
2.3 Prohibited Content
The following types of content are strictly prohibited on Chapter Chronicles:
- Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM): Any content depicting, promoting, or sexualizing minors is absolutely prohibited and will be reported to law enforcement. This includes fictional content.
- Non-consensual intimate imagery: Sharing private sexual images without consent (“revenge porn”).
- Terrorism and violent extremism: Content that promotes, glorifies, or provides instructions for terrorist acts or violent extremism.
- Illegal activity: Content that promotes, facilitates, or provides instructions for illegal activities (drug trafficking, human trafficking, fraud, etc.).
- Hate speech: Content that promotes violence, hatred, or discrimination against individuals or groups based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or other protected characteristics.
- Targeted harassment: Content created to harass, bully, or intimidate specific individuals.
- Doxxing: Sharing private personal information about individuals without their consent.
- Impersonation: Pretending to be another person or entity to deceive readers.
- Malware and phishing: Content containing malicious code or designed to steal personal information.
- Spam and misleading content: Deceptive, misleading, or manipulative content designed to drive traffic or generate revenue dishonestly.
Note on Fiction vs. Endorsement: We distinguish between fiction that depicts difficult topics (violence, crime, controversial themes) and content that actively promotes or endorses harmful behavior. Fiction can explore dark themes responsibly with appropriate warnings.
2.4 Intellectual Property and Originality
Authors must respect intellectual property rights:
- Original work: Only upload content you have created or have explicit permission to publish.
- No plagiarism: Do not copy other authors' work and present it as your own.
- Fan fiction: Fan fiction is allowed with proper disclaimers acknowledging the original work and creator. Do not claim ownership of copyrighted characters, settings, or worlds.
- Public domain and fair use: You may incorporate public domain works or use copyrighted material under fair use, but you are responsible for ensuring your use is legal.
- Cover images: Use only images you have created, purchased licenses for, or that are free for commercial use.
3. Community Behavior Guidelines
3.1 Respectful Interactions
All community members (authors, subscribers, and visitors) must engage respectfully:
- Be kind in comments: Provide constructive feedback, not personal attacks. Critique the work, not the creator.
- Respect boundaries: Authors set the terms for their communities. Respect their wishes regarding comments, criticism, and engagement.
- No harassment: Do not harass, threaten, or intimidate other users. This includes coordinated harassment campaigns.
- Disagree respectfully: It's okay to disagree about story choices, themes, or opinions, but do so respectfully and without personal attacks.
- Respect privacy: Do not share other users' personal information without consent.
3.2 Prohibited Behavior
- Harassment and bullying: Targeting individuals with abuse, threats, or intimidation.
- Hate speech: Using slurs or derogatory language based on protected characteristics.
- Sexual harassment: Unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual content, or sexually explicit comments.
- Spam: Posting repetitive, unsolicited promotional content or comments.
- Vote manipulation: Using fake accounts or coordinated efforts to artificially boost or suppress content.
- Ban evasion: Creating new accounts to circumvent suspensions or bans.
- Platform manipulation: Exploiting bugs, vulnerabilities, or features in unintended ways to gain unfair advantages.
3.3 Author-Subscriber Relationships
Healthy relationships between authors and subscribers are essential:
- Deliver promised benefits: Authors must provide the content and benefits promised in their membership tiers.
- Communicate honestly: Be transparent about posting schedules, hiatus periods, and any changes to membership benefits.
- Respect subscribers: Treat subscribers with appreciation and respect. They support your creative work.
- Set clear expectations: Clearly communicate what subscribers can expect (posting frequency, chapter length, content type).
- No financial abuse: Do not manipulate or deceive subscribers to extract money dishonestly.
4. Specific Platform Rules
4.1 Comments and Discussions
- Stay on topic: Keep comments relevant to the story or chapter being discussed.
- No spoilers without warnings: Respect other readers by marking spoilers for future chapters or related works.
- Respect author moderation: Authors may delete comments or ban users from their stories for violating these guidelines or their personal community rules.
- No advertising in comments: Don't promote your own stories or unrelated content in others' comment sections without permission.
4.2 Profile and Author Pages
- Use appropriate profile images: No pornographic, violent, or hateful imagery.
- Accurate bio information: Don't impersonate others or misrepresent your identity.
- Professional author pages: Treat your author page as a professional storefront. Keep it welcoming and appropriate for all audiences (even if your stories are mature-rated).
4.3 Membership and Monetization
- No misleading pricing: Be transparent about what each membership tier includes.
- Honor commitments: If you promise exclusive content, early access, or other benefits, you must deliver them.
- Communicate changes: Notify subscribers of any changes to membership benefits, pricing, or posting schedules.
- No financial exploitation: Don't manipulate emotions to extract money (e.g., false emergencies, fake charity).
5. Enforcement and Consequences
5.1 How We Enforce These Guidelines
We enforce these guidelines through a combination of:
- User reports: Community members can report content or behavior that violates these guidelines.
- Automated detection: We use automated systems to detect certain types of prohibited content (spam, malware, CSAM).
- Manual review: Our team reviews reported content and makes enforcement decisions.
- Proactive monitoring: We may proactively review content in limited circumstances, particularly for new accounts or high-risk content.
5.2 Consequences for Violations
Violations of these guidelines may result in:
- Warning: A formal warning for minor or first-time violations.
- Content removal: Removal of specific stories, chapters, or comments that violate guidelines.
- Temporary suspension: Temporary restriction from posting, commenting, or accessing certain features.
- Account termination: Permanent ban for serious or repeated violations.
- Payout withholding: For authors who violate monetization policies, we may withhold payouts pending investigation.
- Law enforcement referral: For illegal content (CSAM, terrorism, etc.), we will report to law enforcement.
The severity of consequences depends on:
- The nature and severity of the violation
- Whether it's a first offense or part of a pattern
- The impact on other community members
- Evidence of intent vs. accident
- Whether you've corrected the issue when notified
5.3 Appeals Process
If you believe we made a mistake in enforcing these guidelines:
- Email appeals@chapterchronicles.com within 30 days of the enforcement action.
- Include your username, the specific content or action in question, and why you believe the decision was incorrect.
- Our team will review your appeal and respond within 7-10 business days.
- Appeals decisions are final. Repeated frivolous appeals may result in further action.
6. Reporting Violations
6.1 How to Report
If you encounter content or behavior that violates these guidelines:
- Use the report button: Click the report button on stories, chapters, or comments to flag them for review.
- Email us: For serious violations or if you need to provide additional context, email support@chapterchronicles.com.
- Provide details: Include the URL, username, and a description of the violation. Screenshots can be helpful.
- For CSAM or emergencies: If you encounter child sexual abuse material or content depicting imminent harm, email urgent@chapterchronicles.com immediately.
6.2 What Happens After You Report
- Our team will review the report, typically within 24-48 hours (faster for urgent reports).
- We'll take appropriate action based on these guidelines and our Terms of Service.
- Due to privacy considerations, we cannot always share specific outcomes with reporters, but we appreciate all reports that help keep the community safe.
- False or malicious reports may result in consequences for the reporter.
7. Changes to These Guidelines
We may update these Community Guidelines from time to time to reflect changes in our platform, legal requirements, or community needs. When we make significant changes, we will:
- Post the updated guidelines on this page
- Update the “Effective Date” at the top
- Notify users via email or platform announcement for material changes
- Give you an opportunity to review changes before they take effect
Continued use of Chapter Chronicles after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated guidelines.
8. Contact Us
If you have questions about these Community Guidelines, please contact us:
Email: support@chapterchronicles.com
Appeals: appeals@chapterchronicles.com
Urgent Reports: urgent@chapterchronicles.com
Thank you for being part of the Chapter Chronicles community. Together, we create a space where stories thrive and readers find their next favorite adventure.