Dealing with Unwanted Content on EducationPub

While EducationPub aims to be a positive and collaborative space for learning, you might occasionally encounter content or interactions that are unwelcome or violate community guidelines. Understanding how moderation works on the Fediverse, and the tools you have at your disposal, is key to a comfortable experience.

The Decentralized Nature of Moderation

Unlike large, centralized platforms, the Fediverse (including EducationPub instances) is decentralized. This means:

• Each Instance Has Its Own Rules and Moderators: Every EducationPub platform (or "instance") you join or interact with is independently owned and operated. The administrators of that specific instance set their own rules, terms of service, and moderation policies. What might be acceptable on one instance could be against the rules on another.
• Local Moderation: The moderators of your EducationPub instance are primarily responsible for enforcing their own rules and keeping their community safe. They handle reports related to content or users on their instance, and often decide how to interact with problematic content or users from other instances.

This decentralized approach means there's no single "Fediverse police" but rather a network of communities each managing their own space.

Instance-Level Moderation: Reporting Content

If you encounter content that you believe violates the rules of your EducationPub instance, you can report it. Reporting helps the platform's administrators take appropriate action.

The Reporting Process:

1. Find the Report Option:
   • Most posts, profiles, or comments will have an option to report them. This is often found by clicking a "..." (three dots) menu next to the content, or directly on a user's profile. Look for "Report," "Flag," or a similar option.
2. Select a Reason:
   • You'll typically be presented with a list of reasons for your report (e.g., "Spam," "Hate Speech," "Harassment," "Inappropriate Content," "Violation of Terms"). Choose the reason that best fits the issue.
3. Provide Details (Optional but Recommended):
   • You may have a text box to add more specific details about why you are reporting the content. Providing context, such as specific phrases or behaviors, can be very helpful for moderators.
4. Submit the Report:
   • Confirm and submit your report. The report will then be sent to the administrators and moderators of your EducationPub instance for review.

What Happens After You Report?

• Review by Moderators: Your instance's moderators will review your report against their platform's rules.
• Potential Actions: Depending on the severity and their policies, moderators might:
  • Remove the content.
  • Issue a warning to the user.
  • Suspend or ban the user from their instance.
  • "Defederate" from (block) an entire problematic instance if it consistently hosts harmful content.
• No Direct Feedback: You typically won't receive a direct response about the outcome of your report due to privacy concerns, but your report helps keep the community safe.

Personal, User-Driven Moderation

Beyond reporting to instance moderators, you have powerful tools to control your personal experience:

1. Muting Users

• What it does: Muting a user hides their posts and activities from your view. You will no longer see their content in your feeds, but they can still see your public posts and interact with them.
• When to use it: If a user isn't violating rules but their content isn't relevant to you, or you simply don't want to see it, muting is a good option. It's a "soft block" for your personal feed.
• How to do it: Go to the user's profile or find one of their posts. Look for a "..." menu and select "Mute" or "Mute User."

2. Blocking Users

• What it does: Blocking a user is a stronger action. It prevents them from seeing your posts, following you, replying to your content, or interacting with you in any way. You also won't see their content.
• When to use it: If a user is consistently harassing you, sending unwanted messages, or you simply want to completely cut off interaction with them.
• How to do it: Go to the user's profile or find one of their posts. Look for a "..." menu and select "Block" or "Block User."

Key Differences: Mute vs. Block

Feature	Mute	Block
Visibility	You don't see their content	Neither of you see each other's content
Interaction	They can still interact with you	They cannot interact with you
Privacy	They can still see your public posts	They cannot see your posts (even public)
Notification	They are not notified	They are not directly notified

By using a combination of reporting to your instance's moderators and employing personal tools like muting and blocking, you can effectively manage your experience and contribute to a safer, more enjoyable learning environment on EducationPub.