Community Guidelines
Building a Respectful Historical Community Together
Last Updated: January 15, 2025
🏛️ What is WhenItWas?
WhenItWas is a community-driven platform for preserving and sharing local history.
This is a historical documentation site, not a marketing platform or business review site. Our mission is to celebrate community heritage, preserve memories, and educate future generations about the places and businesses that shaped our neighborhoods.
📜 Core Principles
1. Historical Documentation, Not Marketing
Purpose: This site is for preserving local history, not promoting current businesses or services.
- Share historical facts, memories, and stories about past businesses and locations
- Do not use the platform to advertise, promote, or market current businesses
- No affiliate links, contact information, or commercial solicitations
- Focus on "what was" not "what is for sale"
2. Share Memories, Not Reviews
Purpose: Comments and descriptions are for historical context, not ratings or reviews of current operations.
- Personal historical memories are welcome - "I worked here in the 1980s" or "My family ate dinner here every Sunday in 2005"
- Experiences that relate to local history are encouraged - Even recent memories are fine if they provide historical context
- Yelp-style reviews are not allowed - Don't rate current businesses or recommend/criticize their current operations
- Keep the focus on history and community memory, not consumer opinions
3. Accuracy and Respect
Purpose: Build a trustworthy historical record through accurate information and respectful collaboration.
- Submit information you believe to be historically accurate
- Credit sources when possible (newspaper articles, personal experience, archives)
- Welcome corrections and additional information from others
- Be respectful when disagreeing - provide sources and context
- No offensive, hateful, discriminatory, or defamatory content
✅ Content Guidelines
✅ Allowed & Encouraged
- "I worked at Mac's on Slade from 2015-2018. They had live music every Friday night."
- "This building was Palatine's fire station from 1942-1981 before becoming a restaurant."
- "My grandparents owned this store in the 1960s. Here's a photo from their opening day."
- "I remember shopping here as a kid in the 1980s. They sold penny candy by the counter."
- Photos of historical buildings, businesses, events, and streetscapes
- Personal memories and stories that add historical context
- Factual business information (years of operation, owners, changes)
❌ Not Allowed
- "Check out the new menu at [Current Business] - best pizza in town!" (marketing/review)
- "Don't go to [Business], terrible service and overpriced" (current review)
- "Visit my website at [url] for more photos" (self-promotion)
- "Call [phone number] to book reservations" (commercial info)
- Photos with business watermarks or promotional branding
- Spam, repetitive submissions, or off-topic content
- Personal information of others without consent
- Copyrighted photos or content without permission
📸 Photo Submission Guidelines
- Historical relevance: Photos should document locations, buildings, businesses, or events of historical interest
- Ownership: Only submit photos you own or have permission to share
- No watermarks: Don't add promotional watermarks or business branding
- Current photos are okay: Photos of current buildings are welcome if documenting historical locations
- Include context: Add dates, location details, and any relevant historical information you know
- Quality matters: Clear, well-composed photos are preferred over blurry snapshots
👥 Community Conduct
- Be respectful: Treat fellow community members with courtesy and kindness
- Constructive feedback: If correcting information, provide sources and context politely
- Welcome newcomers: Help new members understand our historical focus
- Collaborate: Work together to build the most complete historical record possible
- Report issues: Use the reporting features to flag inappropriate content
- Stay on topic: Keep discussions focused on local history and community heritage
⚖️ Enforcement Policy
We believe in education over punishment, but we also need to maintain the quality and purpose of this historical community.
Moderation Process
- Content Review: All submissions from new contributors are reviewed before publication
- Rejection with Feedback: If content violates guidelines, it will be rejected with a clear explanation
- Resubmission Welcome: You can correct and resubmit content that was rejected
- Trust Building: Quality submissions over time earn trusted contributor status with fewer reviews
Violation Response (3-Strike System)
⚠️ What Happens if You Violate Guidelines?
- First Violation: Content rejected with explanation and reminder of guidelines
- Second Violation: Formal warning issued, account flagged for moderator review
- Third Violation: Account suspension (temporary or permanent depending on severity)
Serious violations (spam, offensive content, impersonation, copyright infringement) may result in immediate suspension without warnings.
Appeal Process
If you believe content was rejected unfairly or you received a warning in error, you can appeal to administrators. Contact us with:
- Your username and submission details
- Explanation of why you believe the decision should be reconsidered
- Any supporting documentation or sources
🏆 Building Trust & Earning Privileges
WhenItWas uses a trust-based system to reward quality contributors:
- New Contributor: All submissions reviewed before publishing
- Trusted Contributor: Earned through accurate, quality submissions - reduced review requirements
- Moderator: Community members who help review submissions and maintain quality
- Admin: Site administrators with full access
How to earn trust: Submit accurate historical information, provide sources, be respectful, help other members, and follow these guidelines consistently.
📋 Legal Details
These Community Guidelines provide a friendly summary of our expectations. For full legal terms, please review:
❓ Questions or Concerns?
If you have questions about these guidelines or need clarification on what's appropriate to submit, please contact our moderators or administrators. We're here to help you contribute to preserving our community's history!
Thank you for being part of the WhenItWas community and helping us preserve local history for future generations! 🏛️