Community Guidelines
Help us maintain a helpful and respectful environment
Our Philosophy
JargonJam is built on the belief that language is constantly evolving, and the best people to document these changes are the communities using the language. We aim to create a comprehensive, accurate resource that reflects how language is actually used.
To maintain the quality and usefulness of our platform, we've established these community guidelines. Following them helps ensure JargonJam remains a valuable resource for everyone.
1Be Authentic
Submit definitions for terms that are actually used in real communities. While language evolution includes creating new terms, JargonJam is not a place for completely made-up words that have no actual usage.
Good Example
Defining "doom-scrolling" as the habit of continually scrolling through negative news, a term that gained popularity during global events.
Avoid
Making up a word like "flurpnation" that you and your friends invented yesterday and has no wider usage.
2Be Clear and Helpful
Write definitions that genuinely help people understand the term. Include enough context, be specific about meaning, and provide examples that illustrate typical usage.
Good Example
"Ghosting: The practice of suddenly ending all communication with someone without explanation, typically in a romantic relationship."
Avoid
"Ghosting: When you ghost someone lol"
3Be Respectful
While we document slang and informal language, we do not accept definitions that are primarily:
- Hateful or discriminatory toward groups based on attributes like race, gender, sexuality, religion, etc.
- Targeted attacks against specific individuals
- Promoting violence or illegal activities
- Sexually explicit or graphic content without linguistic value
4Value Originality
When adding a definition for a term that already has entries, make sure you're contributing something new. This could be an alternate meaning, a more clear explanation, or a different contextual usage.
5Vote Responsibly
Upvote definitions that are accurate, clear, and helpful. Downvote those that are incorrect, unclear, or unhelpful. Don't downvote simply because you disagree with the existence of a term.
Enforcement
Moderators review reported content and may remove definitions that violate these guidelines. Repeated violations may result in temporary or permanent account restrictions.
Our goal is not to censor language but to maintain a space where people can learn about language as it's actually used in a way that's helpful and respectful to all users.