Community · Conduct standards for readers
How we run the comment thread.
TECHi readers know more than most editors. Comment threads on this site are designed to harvest that knowledge — with a few hard rules that keep the signal-to-noise ratio workable. For our reporting standards (sourcing, fact-checking, corrections), seeEditorial Standards.
Be useful, not loud
Comments should add information, perspective, or a question that helps other readers. We weight upvotes from verified analysts more heavily — but anyone can climb a thread by writing the most useful contribution.
No personal attacks, harassment, or doxxing
Disagreement is welcome. Attacks on the person, slurs, threats, sustained harassment, posting another user's private information, or coordinated brigading are not. Repeat offenders are removed.
No market manipulation or pump posts
Coordinated promotion of a security or token, paid shill activity, copy-paste hype threads, undisclosed positions presented as research, and "buy now before it explodes" posts are removed without notice.
Disclose your position
If you hold a long, short, or derivative position in something you're commenting on, say so. Disclosure preserves the conversation's credibility — for everyone, not just for the regulators.
Cite your sources
Numbers, claims, or insider-sounding statements should link back to a primary source — a filing, a press release, an analyst note, a regulator statement. Anonymous "I heard from someone" claims will be removed.
No spam, scraping, or LLM dumps
No promotional links, no link-shortened spam, no scraped articles posted as comments, no large unedited LLM outputs presented as your analysis. Use AI to draft if you want — but the comment is your responsibility.
Respect article scope
Stay on topic. A comment on a Q1 earnings article should engage with the Q1 numbers — not pivot to "btw why are you covering this stock instead of [X]?" Threads work when they go deep, not wide.
Reporting + appeals
See a comment that breaks these rules? Hit "report" — it routes to the moderation queue with the URL, comment text, and your reason. We respond within 48 hours. Removed comments can be appealed once via the email below; we don't litigate appeals through Twitter.
Account standing
Five states. Knowable consequences.
We don't shadow-ban. Every moderation action is logged, reasoned, and appeal-able. Here's the ladder:
In good standing
Your comments appear immediately. You can vote, follow analysts, and apply for the verified-analyst program.
Probation
After 1–2 rule violations. New comments enter the moderation queue for ~7 days; nothing else changes.
Read-only
After repeat violations or a single severe one. You can still read, save, and search; new comments and posts are blocked.
Suspended
Account locked. Email outreach permitted; reinstatement requires a written agreement to abide by these guidelines going forward.
Banned
Permanent removal. Reserved for harassment campaigns, market-manipulation, doxxing, and threats. No re-registration under a new identity.
Reporting + appeals
Need to flag a comment, or appeal a moderation action?
Hit the "report" button on any comment to send it directly to the moderation queue with context attached. Appeals to suspensions or bans go to the editorial desk via the contact form below. We respond to good-faith appeals within five business days; we do not relitigate moderation decisions through social-media DMs.