THIS PLACE
IS YOURS.
The Joined should feel like walking into a room full of people who actually want to make something.
These guidelines explain the behaviour we expect from members, companies, groups, collaborators and everyone else using The Joined.
BASICALLY,
DON'T BE AWFUL.
BE
HUMAN.
Treat people like people, not usernames, opportunities, audiences or stepping stones.
Respect matters
RESPECT
THE WORK.
Give credit, respect copyright and don't pass someone else's work off as your own.
Creators matter
DON'T
BE CREEPY.
Respect boundaries, privacy and consent. Professional networking is not an invitation to invade someone's life.
Boundaries matter
HELP MAKE
IT BETTER.
Welcome new people, report serious problems and help build the creative community you want to be part of.
We all shape this placeWHY THE JOINED EXISTS.
The Joined exists because creative work rarely happens alone.
Films need actors. Bands need musicians. Productions need crew. Writers need readers. Artists need audiences. Companies need talent. Ideas need other people.
We want The Joined to make those connections easier.
You do not need to be famous, established, represented or professionally connected to belong on The Joined.
Students, beginners, experienced professionals and people returning to creative work all have a place in the community.
These guidelines are here to help keep that community open, useful and enjoyable.
BE YOURSELF.
The Joined works better when people have a reasonable idea who they are interacting with.
Your profile does not need to reveal everything about your life, but it should not deliberately mislead other members about who you are.
Do not impersonate another person, company, organisation or creative professional.
TREAT PEOPLE WELL.
You do not have to like everyone you meet on The Joined.
You do have to treat people with a basic level of respect.
People can disagree without becoming enemies.
RESPECT BOUNDARIES.
Networking does not remove normal social boundaries.
Somebody accepting a connection request does not mean they owe you a conversation, friendship, audition, meeting, date, job or collaboration.
If somebody repeatedly does not respond, do not keep sending increasingly aggressive messages trying to force an answer.
Do not turn a professional conversation into sexual or intimate communication where that interaction is clearly unwanted.
Respect blocks, refusals and requests to stop contacting somebody.
GIVE USEFUL FEEDBACK.
Creative work improves through criticism.
Members are allowed to dislike work, disagree with creative choices and offer honest criticism.
“The pacing lost me in the middle, but I really liked the ending.”
“You're talentless and shouldn't be making films.”
Honest criticism is useful. Cruelty disguised as “just being honest” usually isn't.
RESPECT CREATIVE WORK.
Artists, filmmakers, musicians, photographers, writers and other creators retain the rights they hold in their work.
Do not download somebody's work and present it as your own.
Do not remove credits, watermarks or attribution for the purpose of misleading people about authorship.
If you want to use another member's work outside the context in which they shared it, ask first unless you already have the legal right to do so.
DON'T PRETEND YOU DID.
COLLABORATE PROPERLY.
Creative collaboration works best when everybody understands what they are agreeing to.
Before starting significant work together, talk about the practical details.
For anything substantial, a written agreement is usually better than relying on everyone's memory six months later.
JOBS, CASTING & OPPORTUNITIES.
Opportunities should be genuine and described honestly.
If you post a job, casting opportunity, project position or collaboration request, make important conditions clear.
Do not disguise commercial work as an unpaid “opportunity” in order to avoid being upfront about compensation.
Do not post fraudulent casting calls, fake employment or opportunities designed primarily to extract money or personal information.
COMPANY ACCOUNTS.
Companies using The Joined should behave like members of the community rather than treating everybody else as a marketing database.
Company profiles should accurately represent the organisation and the person managing the account should have authority to act for it.
Companies should not use messaging, groups or other community functions for aggressive unsolicited sales.
Genuine recruitment, partnerships and relevant professional outreach are welcome when conducted respectfully.
GROUPS & COMMUNITIES.
Groups may develop their own purpose, culture and additional rules.
Group administrators may moderate participation within their group, but group rules cannot override The Joined's wider Terms, Safety rules or Community Guidelines.
Group leaders should apply their rules reasonably and should not use administrative tools for harassment or retaliation.
REVIEWS SHOULD BE REAL.
Reviews should be based on genuine experiences or professional interactions.
It is fine to leave a negative review where that honestly reflects your experience.
It is not fine to:
EVENTS & MEETUPS.
We actively want The Joined to help people meet outside the internet.
If you organise an event, provide accurate information and take reasonable responsibility for the event you are hosting.
If you attend one, use normal real-world judgement.
Meeting somebody through The Joined does not guarantee that we have independently verified everything they say about themselves.
For more detailed advice, see our Safety & Moderation page .
NO SPAM.
Do not flood feeds, groups, messages, comments or other areas of The Joined with repetitive or irrelevant promotional material.
Do not use automated tools to mass-message members, scrape contact information or manufacture artificial engagement.
Sharing your own work is encouraged.
Posting the same link underneath fifty unrelated conversations is not.
THAN YOU PROMOTE.
MATURE & CHALLENGING CONTENT.
The Joined is an adult creative community.
Art may involve violence, horror, difficult themes, nudity, strong language, political themes or other material some people find uncomfortable.
Context matters.
Legitimate creative expression is not automatically prohibited simply because it is challenging.
Where available, use content warnings, appropriate classifications and privacy controls responsibly.
RESPECT PRIVACY.
Do not publish another person's private information simply to embarrass, intimidate or expose them.
Be particularly careful with:
If somebody shared information with you privately, consider whether you actually have a good reason and the right to publish it.
REPORT SERIOUS PROBLEMS.
If you see behaviour that appears dangerous, fraudulent, abusive or seriously contrary to these guidelines, report it.
SAFETY OR MODERATION CONCERN? REPORT IT →Do not use reporting tools merely because somebody disagreed with you, gave your work a negative review or declined to collaborate.
Good-faith reports are welcome even where we ultimately conclude that no rule was broken.
IF THE RULES ARE BROKEN.
Not every mistake needs the same response.
Depending on what happened, moderation action may include:
We may explain the rule and ask somebody to change their behaviour.
A formal warning may be appropriate.
Content may be removed.
Certain account functions may be limited.
An account may temporarily lose access.
Serious or repeated behaviour can result in account termination.
See our Safety & Moderation page for more information about enforcement and appeals.
HELP NEW PEOPLE IN.
Every established creative professional was once somebody who did not know what they were doing.
New members may ask obvious questions, make mistakes or lack the vocabulary and connections that more experienced members take for granted.
Experience is valuable. Sharing some of it helps strengthen the whole creative community.
You are not required to mentor strangers or work for free, but a little patience goes a long way.
COMMUNITY ENQUIRIES.
Use the secure form below for questions, suggestions, feedback or other enquiries about The Joined community.
Safety or moderation concerns should be reported through our dedicated Safety & Moderation form so they reach the right team.
TALK TO US.
Questions, suggestions and feedback about The Joined community.
LEAVE THE PLACE BETTER.
The Joined is ultimately whatever its members make it.
Algorithms, moderators, rules and software can help shape a community, but they cannot create one on their own.
Share things worth seeing. Help somebody when you can. Credit people's work. Be curious. Take criticism without exploding. Give criticism without being cruel. Meet people outside your usual circle. Make something together.
MAKE THINGS.
BRING OTHERS IN.
Everybody is somebody here.