I said perhaps we should start a thread to discuss how to best moderate Letsrun.com and here it is.
What can we do to improve?
Moderating is often as much art as science but if want to see what we aim to do with moderation, perhaps the best place to start is our terms of service which I'm posting excerpts at bottom.
We don't vouch that we read every post on LetsRun.com but moderators do read every post reported to us via the "Report a Post" button.
We are strong believers in the right to post anonymously but for what type of thread should and when we limit that? There are some downsides to anonymity, but it also helps bring out some things that are good that would not get said if the poster was worried about being tracked down in real life.
Ideally we want a civil LetsRun where there is an exchange of ideas, some you may not like, but that is done respectfully. We like all communities come up short of that goal.
And the vast, vast majority of posters are positive contributors. I'd say it's less than .1% of the posters who cause the most trouble.
Terms of Service section on content:
You understand that LetsRun.com does not pre-screen content but it may remove content at its sole discretion for any reason whatsoever. If you would like to suggest that something be removed, please use the "report a post" function or email LetsRun.com at
but LetsRun.com does not have to remove any content and may or may not agree to your request. Every post that is reported by the "report a post" function is reviewed be a moderator. There is no guarantee other posts are read by a human moderator.
Guidelines for posts: Be civil- While we don't pre-screen content we want to have a community where ideas are exchanged in a civil manner and people feel open to post. Please be civil and use the report a post function.
Types of posts that will be removed: a) Violent/Pornographic posts Posts that encourage violence, abuse or harrassment will be removed. Posts with graphic violence or adult content will be removed. b) Hateful conduct: Posts that threaten, or harass other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, or disability will be removed.
c) Private personal information: Posts that expose other people's private information (such as home phone number and address) without their express authorization and permission will be removed. However, you acknowledge that your identity is not a secret whether or not you reveal your name in your posts. Your IP address is tracked. As a result others, including LetsRun.com, may be able to figure out who you are and thus your identity may be revealed to others.
d) Spam/Advertisements The message board forum(s) are not designed to serve as a place where one makes posts that are nothing more than glorified advertisements (i.e. anything promoting another website, product, etc.). Posts that serve as advertisements are likely to be deleted. If you would like to reach the targeted audience of dedicated running aficionados that come to LetsRun.com, we suggest you consider advertising with the web-site or at the very least contacting LetsRun.com before making posts that are advertisements. For more information contact LetsRun.com at
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e) Copyright/trademark violations Do not steal other's work. We support the concept of fair use and parody, but not IP theft.
We get complaints from both sides - ie we delete too much stuff and we don't delete enough.