Rules & Culture

Diornov · 2026-06-17T11:41:26+0100

DAOForum Rules & Culture

How we treat each other, and how we keep this place worth coming back to.

Before the rules — who we are

DAOForum is a table. You sit at it as a human, next to other humans, working on the same problems. Where you were born, which passport you carry, what you believe — none of it decides whether your idea is good. Only the idea does.

So we keep one habit above all others: we argue the idea, never the person. When someone is wrong, we show them why — we don't tear them down. When we disagree, we stay curious instead of going to war. The fastest way to lose your place here is to make this a hostile room for anyone else.

New here? Start with Why DAOForum Exists — it's the reason all of this is written down.

The 10 things we ask of you

1. Be a builder. (Not only coders — traders, founders, community leaders, and creators all build.) 2. Argue the idea, not the person. Disagreement is welcome; contempt is not. 3. No personal attacks, no racism, no doxxing. Zero tolerance. 4. No signature campaigns. Ever. Rewards are for signal, not post count. 5. No shilling outside Marketplace. Build value first, ask later. 6. No FUD without evidence. Bring receipts or hold the thought. 7. No AI walls of text. Disclose AI use and edit it into something yours. 8. One human, one account. One wallet. No alts. 9. No paid replies, paid likes, or vote-trading. 10. When in doubt, ask: would this post help someone make a better decision?

The kind of room we're building

A few small habits set the temperature here. We try to live by them, and we hope you will too.

• A newcomer's first honest question always gets a kind first answer. • We own our mistakes out loud — edit the post, say "fixed", move on. • We assume good faith until someone proves otherwise. • A trader's question about yield is as welcome as a developer's about gas. No gatekeeping on skill. • We come here to make each other sharper, not to win.

Zero tolerance — instant action

Personal attacks / harassment → 30-day suspension, post deleted, public mod-log entry

Doxxing → Permanent ban, post deleted, public mod-log entry

Scam promotion → Permanent ban + wallet flagged in public scam database

Standard violations — warn, then escalate

Self-promotion policy

You can mention your project:
• In 🚀 New DAO Projects (one intro thread per project, ever). • In your forum signature (text only, 1 line, 1 link — signatures unlock at L2). • In replies when directly relevant to the question being asked. • In Marketplace (deals only, Day 30+) and Service Providers (announcements).

You cannot:
• Post the same project link in 3+ threads in 30 days. • Reply to a question with "use my product" without disclosing your affiliation. • Open multiple "announcement" threads for the same project. • Use signature campaigns. Ever.

AI-assisted writing

We are not anti-AI. We are anti-unedited AI walls of text.

• AI-assisted writing is allowed. • Disclose at the top of the post: "Drafted with AI, edited." • The edit must be substantial — make it yours, not just one changed sentence. • Pure AI output, undisclosed and unedited = post hidden, warning. • Repeat = post-ban.

Conflict-of-interest disclosure

When relevant, post a line at the top:

Disclosure: I'm the founder of [project]. I'm answering this because [reason].

Or for traders:

Disclosure: I hold [token]. Sharing this because [reason].

Required (not optional) when:
• Reviewing a project — disclose any token holdings, prior business, or financial stake. • Recommending a marketplace seller — disclose if you've worked with them. • Voting on a proposal that benefits your project — comment your reasoning.

Failure to disclose = warning. Repeated failure = post-ban + "CoI not disclosed" tag on profile for 30 days.

What we don't pay for

None of these earn DFR:

❌ Posting a thread (including unaccepted library briefs)
❌ Replying to a thread (regardless of length)
❌ Daily login / streaks
❌ Referring a new user
❌ Joining Telegram / Discord
❌ Tweeting about DAOForum
❌ Holding DFR (no staking rewards, no inflation)
❌ Voting on proposals
❌ Adding LP to the pool
❌ Post-count milestones

We pay for signal: Quality reactions from L2+ users, accepted Curated Library threads, and mod-discretion awards. See the Rewards & Bounties thread.

Mod Log — every action is public

Every mod action is logged in the Mod Log thread. If we banned someone, you can see why. If we warned someone, you can see the rule cited. No exceptions — and that includes us.

Appeals

1. You receive a mod action (warning, suspension, ban). 2. DM the founder within 14 days with: what was done, why you disagree, what you'd do differently. 3. Founder reviews within 7 days. Three outcomes: upheld, reduced, reversed. Decision is final. 4. The appeal outcome is logged in the public mod log (without the appeal text).

Permabans for zero-tolerance categories are appealable, but the default is "permaban stands." A meaningful reduction requires showing the post was misread.

The reputation ladder

L0 — Visitor — Read-only L1 — Member — Post, claim library briefs, earn Quality reactions L2 — Builder — Quality reactions (5/day), Marketplace access, signature L3 — Contributor — Quality reactions (10/day), co-sign awards, vote weight ×3 L4 — Mod / Council — DAO-elected. Full mod tools. Public accountability.
Full details: Reputation & Ranks

What "builder" means here

We use "builder" broadly. You don't need to write code to be one.

• A trader building a portfolio — builder. • An entrepreneur building a business — builder. • A community manager building a community — builder. • A marketer building an audience — builder. • A developer building a contract — builder.

The bar is quality of thought, not type of skill.

How this culture actually holds

Rules on a page don't make a culture. What makes it real is that three things point the same way:

• What we say — argue the idea, not the person; come as humans. • What we pay for — signal, never post count. • What we publish — every mod action, in the open, including our own.

Keep those aligned and the culture takes care of itself. That alignment is the whole job.