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The Moderation Bridge: Guidelines for Flat-Feed Platforms

The Ohana Network (TON) operates on the principle of the "Public Square vs. the Private Room." We believe that high-friction, sensitive, or boundary-pushing conversations are vital to human flourishing, but that they belong in opt-in spaces, not forced onto the public federated timeline.

Some ActivityPub software, such as Bonfire, handles this natively through structural boundaries (Circles and Group Spaces). However, many popular platforms—including Mastodon, Soapbox, and GoToSocial—rely on a "flat feed" architecture where posts are either public or highly restricted (Followers-Only), with no structural middle ground.

To bridge this gap and maintain the civility of the Ohana public square, administrators of flat-feed servers must implement and enforce a strict Content Warning (CW) and Visibility Policy for their users.

I. The Function of Content Warnings (CWs)

In the Ohana Network, a Content Warning is not a judgment on the validity of an idea. It is the digital equivalent of a closed door. It allows the poster to share their thoughts freely while requiring the reader to actively "opt-in" by clicking to reveal the content.

When CWs or Visibility Limits are Required

Administrators must ensure their users apply CWs (or use "Followers-Only" visibility) for the following categories of content before broadcasting to the federated timeline:

  1. Boundary-Pushing Humor & Edgy Satire: Comedy that relies on pushing social boundaries or uses crude/mature language.
  2. High-Friction Debates: Intense, highly charged posts regarding theological, political, or cultural flashpoints. While worldview expressions are protected, deeply argumentative or provocative threads should be shielded so users can choose whether they have the mental energy to engage.
  3. Graphic or Heavy Real-World Events: Detailed discussions of violence, severe trauma, or intense geopolitical conflicts.
  4. Adult-Themed (Non-Pornographic) Discussions: Frank discussions regarding sexuality, marital intimacy, or biology that are inappropriate for a general-audience public square. (Note: Explicit pornography is strictly banned network-wide).

II. Administrator Responsibilities

If you are running a flat-feed platform, you are the structural boundary.

By joining the Ohana Network, you agree to the following administrative responsibilities:

  1. Educate Your Users: You must clearly communicate to your local users that they are participating in a curated, multi-community network, and that CWs are mandatory for high-friction topics.
  2. Active Enforcement: If a user repeatedly dumps high-friction or boundary-pushing content directly onto the unshielded public timeline, you must intervene.
  3. Escalation: Failure by a user to use CWs after a warning is a violation of network civility. Administrators are expected to follow the standard Ohana escalation path:
    • Warning: Instruct the user to use CWs. (Admins may edit or hide the offending post if their software allows).
    • Limit/Silence: Restrict the user's account so their posts no longer federate to the public network timeline.
    • Ban: Remove the user if they continually refuse to respect the network's structural boundaries.

III. Grace Periods and Good Faith

We recognize that enforcing a behavioral bridge on a flat-feed platform requires manual effort. The Ohana Council evaluates compliance based on good faith administrative effort, not perfection.

If a user on a Mastodon island forgets a CW, we do not immediately sever the island. We expect the island's administrator to address the user promptly once notified. Chronic failure by an administrator to enforce the CW policy, however, will result in the island's removal from the ohana-core.csv allowlist.