Hi folks, part of my role at Just About involves writing and maintaining documents like our Community Code of Conduct. To help with this I try to pay attention to when and, more importantly, why the expectations of social platforms and their members don’t quite match up.

In situations like these, one question comes up time and again - Should members follow the spirit or the letter of the Community Code of Conduct?

At the start of the year Twitch updated its attire policy, thanks in no small part to the wave of content using implied nudity to draw viewers in. The use of strategically placed censor bars gave the impression that the streamer was naked, and while this adhered to the letter of their policy, it wasn’t in the spirit of it.

How did the expectations of the platform and the members differ so greatly? Was it poor communication? A genuine misunderstanding? How could this have been avoided before it became an incident?

Share your thoughts in the replies.