Last updated: April 2025
1. Introduction
Wherevi is built on three core values: authenticity, respect, and helpfulness. Every review, photo, and story shared on our platform contributes to a living map of real experiences that travelers and locals rely on to make meaningful decisions.
These Community Guidelines exist to protect that trust. They apply to all content and interactions on Wherevi, including reviews, posts, comments, photos, profile information, and direct messages. By using Wherevi, you agree to follow these guidelines and help us maintain a community where every voice is valued and every contribution is genuine.
2. Be Authentic
Authenticity is the foundation of everything on Wherevi. The community depends on honest, firsthand accounts to discover places worth visiting.
- Write from real experience. Only review or post about places you have personally visited. Do not write reviews for places you have never been to, based on secondhand information, or on behalf of someone else.
- No fake reviews. Do not create fabricated reviews to inflate or damage a place's reputation. This includes writing positive reviews for your own business or negative reviews for a competitor.
- Be truthful. Share your honest opinion, even if it differs from the majority. Constructive honesty helps the community far more than inflated praise or unfair criticism.
- Use your real identity. While you may use a display name, do not impersonate other people, businesses, or organizations. Your profile should accurately represent who you are.
- Disclose relationships. If you have a personal or professional connection to a place you are reviewing (e.g., you are a friend of the owner, an employee, or a paid partner), you must clearly disclose that relationship in your review.
3. Be Respectful
Wherevi is a global community of diverse individuals with different backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. Treat everyone with the same respect you would expect in return.
- No hate speech. Content that promotes hatred, discrimination, or violence against individuals or groups based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, or any other characteristic is strictly prohibited.
- No harassment or bullying. Do not target, intimidate, or repeatedly harass other users, place owners, or staff members. Disagreements are natural, but personal attacks are never acceptable.
- No threats. Any content that threatens physical harm, property damage, or other forms of violence will be removed immediately and may result in permanent account suspension.
- Respect place owners and staff. When writing reviews, focus on your experience with the place, its food, service, and atmosphere. Avoid making personal, demeaning remarks about individual employees or owners by name.
- Be mindful of cultural differences. What is considered normal in one culture may differ in another. Approach unfamiliar experiences with curiosity rather than judgment.
4. Be Helpful
The best contributions on Wherevi are those that help other explorers make informed decisions. Aim to be genuinely useful in everything you share.
- Be specific. Instead of "The food was bad," explain what you ordered, what was wrong with it, and how it could have been better. Detailed reviews are far more valuable than vague ones.
- Offer constructive criticism. If your experience was negative, frame your feedback in a way that is fair and constructive. Explain what happened and what could be improved, rather than simply venting frustration.
- Include helpful details. Mention specifics like price range, portion sizes, wait times, parking availability, accessibility features, or best times to visit. These practical details make a real difference for future visitors.
- Share photos. Authentic photos of food, interiors, menus, and surroundings are incredibly valuable. Make sure your photos accurately represent what you experienced and were taken by you during your visit.
- Keep it relevant. Your review should focus on the place itself and your experience there. Avoid going off-topic with unrelated personal stories, political commentary, or grievances unrelated to the establishment.
- Update your reviews. If you revisit a place and notice significant changes, consider updating your review to reflect the current experience. Places evolve, and up-to-date information benefits everyone.
5. What's Not Allowed
To keep Wherevi safe and trustworthy, the following types of content and behavior are strictly prohibited:
5.1 Spam and Promotional Content
- Unsolicited advertising, promotional links, or commercial messages disguised as reviews or posts.
- Repetitive posting of the same content across multiple places or threads.
- Using Wherevi profiles primarily to drive traffic to external websites or services.
- Automated posting, bot-generated content, or mass review campaigns.
5.2 Competitor Sabotage
- Writing false negative reviews about a competing business to damage its reputation.
- Organizing or participating in coordinated campaigns to leave fake reviews on a competitor's listing.
- Offering incentives (discounts, free items, payments) in exchange for negative reviews of a competing place.
5.3 Illegal and Harmful Content
- Content that promotes, facilitates, or glorifies illegal activities.
- Sexually explicit, graphic, or obscene material.
- Content that encourages substance abuse, self-harm, or dangerous behavior.
- Malware, phishing links, or any content designed to compromise the security of other users.
5.4 Privacy Violations
- Sharing personal information of other individuals without their explicit consent, including full names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, or financial details.
- Posting photos or videos of identifiable individuals without their permission, particularly in private or sensitive settings.
- Doxxing or any attempt to reveal the private identity of another user.
5.5 Intellectual Property Infringement
- Posting content (text, images, videos) that you do not own or do not have permission to use.
- Copying reviews or content from other platforms and presenting them as your own.
6. Reporting and Enforcement
6.1 How to Report a Violation
If you encounter content or behavior that violates these guidelines, we encourage you to report it. You can report content in the following ways:
- Report button. Use the "Report" option available on reviews, posts, comments, and user profiles to flag content directly within the platform.
- Email. Send a detailed report to contact@wherevi.com with the relevant URL, a description of the issue, and any supporting screenshots or evidence.
All reports are reviewed by our moderation team. We take every report seriously and investigate each case thoroughly.
6.2 Consequences of Violations
Depending on the severity and frequency of the violation, consequences may include:
- Content removal. The offending review, post, comment, or photo will be removed from the platform.
- Warning. A formal warning will be issued to your account explaining the violation and expected behavior going forward.
- Temporary suspension. Your account may be temporarily suspended, restricting your ability to post, review, or interact on the platform for a set period.
- Permanent ban. For serious or repeated violations, your account may be permanently removed from Wherevi. This includes any attempts to create new accounts to circumvent the ban.
- Legal action. In cases involving illegal activity, fraud, or severe harassment, Wherevi reserves the right to cooperate with law enforcement and pursue legal remedies.
6.3 Appeals
If you believe your content was removed or your account was penalized in error, you may submit an appeal by emailing contact@wherevi.com with the subject line "Appeal." Please include your username, the content in question, and a clear explanation of why you believe the decision should be reconsidered. Our team will review your appeal and respond within 7 business days.
7. Contact Us
If you have questions about these Community Guidelines, need clarification on any policy, or want to report an issue, please reach out to us:
These guidelines may be updated from time to time as our community grows. We will notify users of significant changes through the platform or by email. Your continued use of Wherevi after any updates constitutes acceptance of the revised guidelines.
Thank you for being part of Wherevi. Together, we're building a community where authentic experiences lead the way.
