Last updated: 2025-11-11
Applies to: All activity on CrestReader (forums, reviews, challenges, profiles, and credits).

 

Overview

  • Be respectful. No harassment, hate speech, or personal attacks.
  • Quality over quantity. No spam, credit-farming, plagiarism, or low-effort mass posts.
  • Be original. Disclose use of AI and cite sources when relevant.
  • Crest Credits fuction as utility, not money. No promises of profit or value outside the site.
  • Moderation happens. Warnings → penalties → suspensions. Appeals are available.

 

 

Table of Contents

  1. Respect & Conduct
  2. Content Guidelines
  3. Book Review Challenge Rules
  4. Crest Credits (Earning, Purchasing, Spending)
  5. Badges & Ranks
  6. Governance & Moderation
  7. Safety & Compliance
  8. Enforcement & Appeals
  9. Changes to These Rules
  10. Administration Contact

 

 

1 | Respect & Conduct

  • Be respectful. Debate ideas, not people. No insults, harassment, dog-piling, or doxxing.
  • No discrimination. Content attacking protected classes (race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, disability, etc.) is prohibited.
  • No spam/trolling. Irrelevant links, repetitive low-effort posts, or attempts to derail threads are not allowed.
  • Constructive feedback. Offer thoughtful, specific notes—dismissive or bad-faith replies may be moderated.

 

2 | Content Guidelines

  • Stay on topic. Discussion should relate to sci-fi, fantasy, or adjacent speculative genres.
  • Quality over quantity. Repeated low-value content may be treated as credit-farming and removed.
  • Original work. Write your own posts/reviews. No plagiarism.
  • AI disclosure. If AI assisted your writing, clearly note it. You’re responsible for the final content.
  • Citations encouraged. When referencing secondary sources, cite appropriately.
  • No pirated/illegal content. Don’t share infringing copies or instructions to obtain them.

 

3 | Book Review Challenge Rules

To qualify for Challenge rewards:

  • Follow the review format & word count set in the event post.
  • Show engagement (e.g., a quote, theme, or reference from the book).
  • Be original (and disclose AI assistance if used).
  • Moderator approval required before rewards are granted.

 

4 | Crest Credits (Earning, Purchasing, Spending)

What they are

  • Crest Credits are site utility points used for things like post boosts, badges, cosmetic perks, and community features.
  • They are not money or securities. Credits do not imply profit, appreciation, or liquidity, and have no cash value.

Earning

  • Earn through approved activities (e.g., reviews, challenges, quests, community participation) as announced.
  • No farming. Attempts to game the system (spam, mass low-effort posts, fake engagement) may result in reversal of credits and penalties.

Purchasing

  • You can buy credits via our checkout (e.g., PayPal) as listed on the Buy Crest Credits page.
  • Prices are displayed during checkout and may change over time.
  • If a payment is refunded/charged back, related credits may be removed.

Spending

  • Use credits for in-platform utility (boosts, badges, flair, governance features as available).
  • Credits are non-transferable and non-refundable except where we’re required by law or our refund policy explicitly allows.

 

5 | Badges & Ranks

  • Badges and ranks recognize community participation and milestones.
  • Requirements may include specific references in activity logs (e.g., “Book Review Posted”, streaks, challenge completions).
  • We may adjust badge/rank criteria to protect integrity and reduce abuse.

 

6 | Governance & Moderation

  • Voting rights (where applicable) may be unlocked by meeting credit/reputation thresholds. Vote brigading is not allowed.
  • Moderator trust. Staff and appointed moderators act to protect community well-being. Disrespecting or evading moderation (ban evasion, sockpuppets) may result in stricter penalties.
  • Reporting content. Use the report tools; do not publicly “call out” other members.

 

7 | Safety & Compliance

  • Age requirement. You must be 16+ (or comply with your local digital-age laws).
  • No illegal content or activity.
  • Privacy. Don’t post personal identifying information about yourself or others in public spaces.
  • Copyright. Respect creators and publishers—no sharing of pirated material.

 

8 | Enforcement & Appeals

  • Progressive enforcement (typical flow):
    1. Warning → 2. Removal of content/credits → 3. Temporary suspension → 4. Permanent ban (for severe or repeated violations).
  • Credit clawback. Credits granted through abuse, error, or reversed payments may be removed.
  • Appeals. If you believe an action was in error, contact us (see below) with context and links. We’ll review in good faith.

 

9 | Changes to These Rules

We may update these rules to reflect new features, safety needs, or law. The “Last updated” date indicates the current version. Material changes will be announced in-site.

 

10 | Administration Contact

Questions or appeals? Reach us via the Contact Us page.