Acceptable use

This page defines what may be published on TechDug and what happens when something crosses the line. It covers posts, author profiles and comments alike. Think of it as the spec; the TOS references it.

Hard limits

The following are removed on discovery, with no warning first:

• Illegal content, or instructions whose purpose is to help someone break the law.
• Malware, phishing pages, and links designed to trick readers into handing over credentials or personal details.
• Deceptive or harmful links, including anchor text that disguises the real destination.
• Harassment, hate speech, or threats aimed at anyone.
• Someone else’s private information: home addresses, phone numbers, private messages and the like.
• Impersonation of a person, a project or an organisation.
• Plagiarism and copyright infringement.
• Sexual content of any kind involving minors.

Runnable code

If a post tells readers to execute something, state what it does before they run it. Flag any command that deletes data, alters system settings or requires elevated privileges. Code written to damage systems, or to collect people’s data without them knowing, does not belong here.

Attribution

Publish your own work, or work you have the right to publish. Quoting a short passage from documentation, a paper or another post is fine, provided it is marked as a quote and credited. Reproducing an article wholesale, or most of it, is not. A translation or adaptation must say that it is one and link to the source. Borrowed code samples must respect their licence and name their origin.

Outbound links

Linking out is part of writing well here: to docs, repositories, specifications, your own website. Each link must go where its text claims, and each should earn its place in the post. A post that is only a vehicle for links is off-spec.

Identity

Authors write under their real name or one consistent pen name. Portrait, bio and website link must be about the author and nobody else. Commenters can pick any name, as long as it does not pose as another person.

Comment threads

Stay on topic and stay civil. Corrections, follow-up questions and examples from your own setup are all welcome. Spam, promotion, personal attacks and off-topic replies never make it out of the queue, because a moderator reviews every guest comment before publication.

Enforcement

Moderators can take down posts or comments that violate this page. A blog with serious or repeated violations can be shut down entirely. Responses are scaled to the problem: an off-topic comment simply stays unapproved, while a phishing link is removed immediately.

To report a violation, go to the contact page, select Flag a post or comment (or Copyright claim if the copied work is yours) and include the URL. Each report gets read by a person.

Design intent

Rules cover the edges. The centre looks like this:

• Explain what you know, and mark the point where your knowledge runs out.
• Cite your sources and credit the work you build on.
• Be straight about who you are and where your links go.
• Disagree with the approach, not the person who wrote it.