Everyone has seen at least a few of the various gore posts by now, and I would like to address the problem. Up until now, I've left them alone because I think a default subverse like /v/aww should remain free of censorship as much as possible, with the only exceptions including violations of site-wide voat rules about spam, personal information, and illegal content. Troll posts, off-topic content, and a few other things that don't really fit the spirit of the subverse don't have any kind of formal prohibition, so I've allowed them thus far.

For the most part, the system has worked and troll posts have gotten heavily downvoated. The community here has rallied together and started posting and upvoating lots of good quality content to drown it out. Special thanks (in no particular order) to @plankO, @ExpertShitposter, @gabara, @LisaScienceQueen, and numerous others for all you've done to fill this place with aww-worthy stuff. I and many other people here truly appreciate it.

I would still like to formalize some rules for the subverse and discuss what a default subverse should prohibit. I don't want gore in this subverse and don't want anyone subjected to it, but I still don't want to hurt the integrity or spirit of voat by imposing content restrictions. I understand that even the trolls and weird mentally disturbed freaks have the right to use this website, and any restrictions on their freedoms affects my freedoms as well. So what does everyone think about adding rules prohibiting gore, animal abuse, and disturbing content? What else should this subverse formally prohibit? What do you think the moderators here should enforce, and what rules would justify the removal of a post or comment? Should the rules work as mere guidelines for a default subverse, or should they define the kinds of content the moderators can remove? I welcome all thoughts and ideas. Above all, I think the community should have its say and maintain control rather than someone like me dictate the rules as I see fit. I don't have any real claim to this subverse even if I moderate it, it belongs to everyone.

Finally, I would like to extend an offer to anyone interested in helping moderate this subverse. Even if we don't start enforcing any new rules, it would never hurt to have more people available to remove spam and other site-wide rule violations. This subverse hasn't had very much activity for a long time and hasn't really needed any help, but I'd say its recent rise in activity warrants having a larger mod team. Leave a comment making your case if you would like to moderate /v/aww, and provide info about any moderating you've done or any other relevant details. Everything for this process will stay out in the open, no PMs or back-room dealings. @KatHarzso and @HateCumbuckets have offered to help, but the offer extends to everyone of course, and I won't play favorites. I hate you all equally. :)

Unrelated: https://i.imgtc.com/RFGleB6.jpg

Edit 12/2: For now, I will tag gore/troll posts as NSFW and apply the appropriate flair. If you see an untagged post, please ping me or reply here. Lots of good arguments for and against enforcing a well-defined set of rules and I will consider all options presented, but I most certainly won't rush to implement anything here. Same goes for adding other moderators.