At Fintech Forum we welcome discussions on almost anything - not just fintech. By building a community of individuals with a similar interest, it’s great to have conversations in other areas too, like gardening, energy, cars, and more.

While we try to be fairly relaxed with moderation, there are a few areas (below) that are out of bounds when it comes to posting, as well as a few things to consider.

Forum Rules

Be Considerate

We ask all users to keep this in mind regardless of what you’re typing or doing. Please remember that the individuals that will be reading your post are just human, and we don’t know their personal situation.

Even in the simplest of cases, we never know if they, or a family member or friend, have been in situations or events you may be referencing.

Before you submit your post, just reread what you’ve written and ask yourself - “am I being kind?” If the answer is no, please don’t submit your post.

Stay on topic

We know topics can often lead to a new direction in conversation, but we ask you to keep the posts on topic, for ease of browsing, and for organisation of the forum.

It’s easy to start a new topic, even when replying. This even creates a link, so users interested in that direction change can still follow and join in.

Treat all users with respect

Even if you disagree with their post, treat the other people in the topic with respect. This doesn’t just include the moderation team, but also all other users on the forum.

Some topic areas are off-limits

There are a few areas in life which can start unhealthy debates, or are sensitive. We kindly ask you to refrain from posting anything relating to these unless those posts add clarity to the topic.

Such areas include:

• Religion
• Race
• Sexual identity
• Politics
• Sensitive current affairs

Forum members may have strongly held views on any of these areas and we will ensure everyone is able to contribute here without prejudice.

This forum acknowledges and fully supports the Equality & Human Rights publication: Protected characteristics | Equality and Human Rights Commission

Respect moderators’ decisions

We get it - doesn’t matter what decision is made by the moderation team, it’s likely that someone will disagree with it.

The moderators act within a set of guidelines - the same guidelines you see here and in our FAQ.

Their decision will be final.

We kindly ask you to understand the reasoning behind their action and if you’re unfamiliar with the guidelines and rules for the forum, give them a quick read through and familiarise yourself with them.

New Users

To help ensure the conversations are good quality, new users will be required to have their first few posts approved. This is usually done within a few hours but is often quicker.

Referral Links

We have no objections to users posting referral links and even have a dedicated category for them - #general-chat:referral-links.

Just like new users have to have the first few posts moderated, the first few posts cannot be referral links or requests relating to them. We’d like you to join in the conversation and be part of our community. Feel free to join in on an existing thread or start a new one.

Moderation Actions

We have a team of moderators who are active on the forum

Each issue will be judged on a case-by-case basis. Some user actions are likely to be more severe than others. For example, harassment or bullying several times would be more serious than going off-topic. The moderation team will decide the severity.

1. Official Warning

In the first instance, we will issue a formal warning as a private message. We’ll also include details of what rule was broken and where, so you can avoid similar situations in the future.

2. Silence

On the second offence, which may be for a different issue and not necessarily the same one, we will silence your account.

We will tell you why this action has taken place. Silencing may be enforced several times, depending on the severity of the offence.

3. Suspension

We really don’t want to suspend anyone, but if a third offence takes place, we will suspend your account.

The reasoning and details will be provided, but will also be on your public profile.

4. Ban

As a very, very, last resort, we will ban a user continually offending on the forum

Notes

Please bear in mind that the actions taken by the moderation team will be relative to the offence.

We want everyone to feel safe and enjoy using Fintech Forum, and we will continually aim to keep it that way.