Community Guidelines
Sema works because thousands of people show up to discuss real problems with respect and good faith. These guidelines keep the platform constructive.
Critique ideas. Respect people.
Sema is not a platform for attacking people. Sema is a platform for improving ideas. Strong disagreement is welcome. Personal attacks are not.
Members are encouraged to:
- • Challenge ideas
- • Ask difficult questions
- • Identify risks and weaknesses
- • Suggest improvements
- • Offer alternative solutions
Members are not allowed to:
- • Attack individuals
- • Insult contributors
- • Shame people
- • Harass users
- • Use discriminatory language
- • Target personal characteristics
- ✅ "I don't think this solution would work because…"
- ✅ "Have you considered the cost of implementation?"
- ✅ "This idea might create unintended consequences."
- ✅ "Here's a small change that could make this stronger…"
- ❌ "You clearly don't know what you're talking about."
- ❌ "Only an idiot would suggest this."
- ❌ "People like you are the problem."
The full guidelines
Critique ideas. Respect people.
Challenge ideas, ask hard questions, and propose better solutions — but never attack the person behind an idea.
Focus on solutions, not just complaints
Tell us what could work, what to try next, or how to improve an idea. Complaints alone don't move us forward.
Share experiences respectfully
Lived experience matters. Share yours without putting others down.
No spam, scams, or advertising
Sema is not a marketplace. Don't promote products, services, or schemes.
No hate speech or discrimination
No language that targets people by ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, or any personal characteristic.
No personal attacks or harassment
No insults, shaming, or harassment. Strong disagreement is welcome — personal attacks are not.
Stay relevant to the challenge
Keep ideas and comments tied to the challenge being discussed. Off-topic posts may be hidden.
Help improve ideas
Constructive feedback — risks, alternatives, refinements — is the whole point.
See something that crosses the line?
Use the Report button on any idea or comment. Moderators review every report and may hide, restore, or delete content.
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