8 community guideline examples + template for brands

Community guidelines are a set of rules in a community that outline expected behavior, acceptable content, and engagement standards within an online community. They promote respectful interactions, prevent harmful behavior, and create a welcoming space for all members.

Having easy-to-understand community guidelines fosters trust and ensures that everyone — members, moderators, and brand representatives — understands the expectations for behavior and how to interact within the community.

While each community will have unique needs, certain foundational rules apply across most online spaces. Below are some common rules for a community that brands often implement.

1. Respectful communication

Differences in opinion are natural and expected; however, personal attacks, hostility, threats, and insults are not acceptable. Members should engage in respectful and courteous communication at all times.

2. No tolerance for hate speech or discrimination

Racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and other forms of discrimination are not tolerated. Content promoting hate speech or prejudice based on ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristics is strictly prohibited.

3. Protecting user privacy

Members should never share personal information (theirs or others’) in public forums without consent. This includes email addresses, phone numbers, private messages, or other confidential information.

4. No explicit content, spam, or content that doesn't fit the community's focus

To ensure relevant and valuable conversations, spam, promotional content, and NSFW (not safe for work) material are strictly prohibited. Content that doesn’t align with the community’s focus should be redirected to the appropriate channels.

5. Avoiding illegal activities

Any discussions or content related to illegal activities — such as fraud, piracy, illicit drug use, or threats of violence — are forbidden.

6. Giving proper credit for shared content

Members must credit original sources when posting articles, images, or other materials.

7. Encouraging collaboration and support

Communities thrive on knowledge-sharing and peer-to-peer support. Encourage members to offer help, answer questions, and contribute valuable insights.

8. Prioritizing member safety and reporting rule violations

Members should report inappropriate behavior or content that violates the guidelines. A strong community management strategy ensures that these reports are addressed promptly.

Every online community is different. Community guidelines should be tailored to reflect your brand’s unique values, audience, and engagement style. For example, if your brand champions creativity, your community might prioritize open expression and experimentation, whereas a tech support community might need clearer boundaries around troubleshooting protocols and tone of voice. Your rules should support the kind of space you want to create.

Here are eight best practices to help you set community rules, along with real-world examples from companies that operate successful online communities.

Your customers support your brand because they resonate with your values. Your community rules should reflect those values. If your brand prioritizes inclusivity and customer empowerment, your guidelines should reinforce those principles. For example, you might include language that explicitly encourages diverse perspectives or create designated spaces where new members can ask questions without judgment.

Instacart, for example, grounds its community standards in the company’s core values of safety, respect, and integrity. On their Help Center page, Instacart’s guidelines emphasize treating everyone with care and respect, reinforcing the brand’s broader commitment to a trusted, people-first experience. By reflecting their mission throughout the rules, they make it clear that community expectations are an extension of their values — not just policies.

The clearer the guidelines, the more likely members will honor them. Avoid overly complex rules. Simpler guidelines are not only better for members; they also make online community moderation easier for your team. Use plain language, bullet points, and examples to make the guidelines accessible to everyone. Identify specific “do's and don’ts” to help members apply expectations in practice.

For example, Sephora’s Beauty Insider Community offers a straightforward “Do and Don’t” chart outlining key behaviors — like “Do be kind” and “Don’t post off-topic” — so users can quickly see what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior and understand how to contribute constructively.

Well-crafted guidelines only work if your members can find them. Ensure they’re prominently displayed in high-traffic areas, such as your community homepage, help center, and onboarding materials for new members. You might also pin them in relevant discussion forums, reference them in welcome emails, and include a reminder when users go to post for the first time. Consider using visual formatting — like collapsible sections or short videos — to keep them engaging and easy to digest.

Adobe serves as an exemplary model. Their community guidelines are prominently displayed and easily accessible across various platforms, including being pinned to the top of the community discussion page, ensuring that all new members can easily locate the guidelines.

Consistency builds trust. Members are more likely to follow the rules when they see that everyone is held to the same standards. Use automated moderation tools to catch high-risk content, but make sure human moderators are reviewing flagged items with empathy and objectivity. Create internal playbooks for your moderation team that clarify how to handle edge cases and publicly explain your approach to enforcement to maintain transparency.

Encouraging moderators to model positive behavior — like de-escalating conflict or welcoming new users — can also reinforce a culture of respect and accountability.

Inviting your members to participate in shaping the community’s rules fosters a sense of ownership. Run feedback surveys, host virtual town halls, or start forum threads asking what values are most important to your members. By making community guidelines a collaborative effort, you're not just setting rules — you’re co-creating a culture. This shared investment helps members feel seen, valued, and more inclined to self-regulate.

For example, Alteryx actively invites feedback on their community guidelines. On their Community Guidelines page, they encourage members to share suggestions and ask questions directly within the discussion forum. This open-door approach fosters transparency, reinforces shared ownership of the space, and ensures the guidelines evolve in response to the community’s needs.

An effective reporting system empowers your members to help uphold community standards. Make it easy to flag inappropriate content with clearly labeled “Report” buttons on posts and profiles. Outline what happens after a report is submitted — who reviews it, what actions may be taken, and whether the reporter will receive a follow-up. A transparent process helps reduce ambiguity and builds member trust in the system.

Also, consider creating a separate “Community Help” or “Moderator Contact” space where users can ask questions about rules or raise concerns in a safe, private setting.

Strava exemplifies this tip by providing a transparent, user-friendly system for flagging inappropriate content. Their Reporting Content page outlines step-by-step instructions for reporting activities, comments, or profiles that violate their Community Standards. Strava clearly communicates what happens after a report is submitted: their Trust & Safety team reviews the content, determines whether it breaches their guidelines, and takes appropriate action. This level of clarity builds trust and empowers members to actively support a respectful and safe community.

Communities are living ecosystems. As your audience grows, conversations shift, and new features are introduced, your guidelines should evolve too. Revisit your rules regularly — at least quarterly — and update them in response to emerging patterns or member feedback. Communicate changes clearly with an announcement or changelog so members understand what’s new and why it matters.

Reinforce that updates are designed to serve the community’s best interests and reflect the collective values of the group.

Autodesk exemplifies this tip by clearly stating that their participant guidelines may change over time. On their Participant Guidelines page, they reserve the right to modify the rules at any time, reinforcing that community standards are living documents that adapt to shifting behaviors, technologies, and user needs. This approach demonstrates proactive community management and sets the expectation that members should stay informed as the community grows and evolves.

A healthy community strikes the right balance between structure and spontaneity. Your rules should create psychological safety without stifling authentic interaction. Allow room for different communication styles, cultural norms, and creative expression — but set clear lines around harmful behavior. Encourage moderators to use discretion and context when interpreting guidelines rather than enforcing them rigidly.

By leading with empathy while upholding community standards, you create an environment that’s both welcoming and well-governed.

Clear, concise community guidelines help set the tone for your online space. Use this template as a basis to create or refresh your brand’s community rules. Just follow the instructions for each section, fill in the blanks, and tailor the voice to your audience.

Setting community guidelines is the foundation — enforcing them effectively is what keeps your community strong. Khoros Communities offers advanced, user-friendly tools to help brands build online communities and create safe, welcoming spaces at scale.

With Khoros, you can easily configure your community guidelines right from the Admin panel. Add custom rules, highlight key expectations, and format them in an engaging way using the intuitive WYSIWYG editor. These guidelines appear prominently on relevant pages, ensuring visibility at critical moments — like when a user creates their first post.

Khoros Communities also comes equipped with powerful moderation capabilities:

• AI-driven content filtering to automatically flag inappropriate or off-topic content in real time.

• Automated workflows that route flagged content for review or apply preset actions based on rule violations.

• A centralized moderation dashboard to streamline case management, ensure consistent enforcement, and minimize manual effort.

• Dedicated community moderation support if you want help staffing, scaling, or training your moderation team.

By combining flexible rule-setting with scalable enforcement tools, Khoros Communities empowers your brand to create vibrant, respectful, and engaging online spaces that grow with your audience.

Ready to take your community engagement to the next level? Get a demo of Khoros Communities today.