Tide House

Community Rules

Version 1. Last updated: [date]

Tide House is a home for friendship. It works because people can trust each other, so we ask everyone to follow these rules. They apply in the app, at Circles and Gatherings, and anywhere else you meet someone you met through Tide House.

1. Be yourself

• Use your real first name and a recent photo that is clearly you.
• Have one account, and use it only yourself.
• You must be 18 or over.

2. Friendship, not dating or selling

Tide House is for friendship.

• Don't use it to look for dates or sex. Don't make romantic or sexual advances, or send sexual messages or images.
• Don't sell, advertise, recruit for a business or scheme, ask for money, fundraise or campaign.
• If a friendship becomes something more, that's for two adults to decide between themselves. It's never the reason to be here.

3. One "no" is enough

• Anyone can decline a suggestion, leave a Circle, skip a Gathering, close a connection or stop replying. You don't need to explain, and neither do they.
• Don't keep contacting someone who has said no, closed a connection or blocked you. Don't try to reach them another way, through other members or on other apps.
• Never pressure anyone to meet, to drink, to share personal details or to stay longer than they want to.

4. Be kind, even when you disagree

We don't allow:

• harassment, bullying, insults or threats;
• hate or discrimination against anyone because of their race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or belief, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, or any other part of who they are;
• violence, or encouraging anyone to harm themselves or others.

5. Keep each other's privacy

• What people share in Circles, Gatherings and messages is theirs. Don't share it, screenshot it, record it or post it without their permission.
• Gathering addresses are for confirmed guests only. Don't pass them on.
• Don't share anyone's photo, contact details or other personal information without their permission.
• Don't record or photograph people at Gatherings without asking. Hosts can add photos only of people who've agreed.

6. Meet safely

• Meet in a public place the first time you meet anyone.
• During the trial, Gatherings must be in a public place, such as a café, pub, park or community space, not someone's home.
• If you host, be clear about what it'll cost before people say yes. Splitting real costs is fine. Making money from a Gathering isn't.
• Look out for each other. If you're worried about someone, tell us.

7. Look after yourself and each other

Many people come to Tide House at a hard time, so please be gentle.

• Don't give medical or psychological advice, and don't diagnose other members.
• If someone tells you they're in crisis, encourage them to call Samaritans on 116 123, or 999 if they're in danger, and let us know.
• Tide House isn't a therapy or crisis service, and the coach isn't a therapist.

8. Never anything illegal

We have zero tolerance for anything illegal. That includes:

• threats and stalking;
• sharing intimate images without consent;
• fraud and scams;
• selling drugs or weapons;
• terrorism;
• any content that sexualises children.

We remove illegal content as soon as we know about it. We close the accounts of people who share it, and we report it to the police or the National Crime Agency where the law requires us to or someone is at risk.

9. Reporting something

• Reporting and blocking: you can report a member, message, Circle or Gathering from the app, and block anyone at any time. They're never told who reported them.
• Urgent reports: if you mark a report as urgent, for example because you feel unsafe, we aim to review it the same day. If you're in danger, call 999 first.
• Reporting by email: you can also report anything to hello@tidehouse.app, including things that happened in person.

10. What we do, and how to challenge it

When something's reported, a founder looks at it. Depending on what happened, we may:

• do nothing;
• remove content;
• warn you;
• suspend your account while we look into it;
• close your account and stop you rejoining.

We'll tell you what we've decided and why, unless doing so would put someone at risk or the law stops us.

If you disagree with a decision, or you're unhappy with how we handled a report, you can complain from the app or by emailing hello@tidehouse.app. A founder who wasn't involved in the original decision will look at it where possible, and we'll tell you the outcome.

11. Changes

We may update these rules as Tide House grows. If we make a change that matters, we'll tell you before it applies.