Mamamia's commenting and contributions policy.

Comments and contributions are an integral part of the Mamamia experience, which is why we’ve established these clear guidelines to keep things tidy. Posts are not intended as one-way communication, but rather the start of a bigger conversation; a launchpad for interesting discussion and debate.

But since this is the internet and everyone has a different view of what’s fair (and what’s interesting), we’re going to spell out exactly what’s OK – and not OK – when it comes to commenting or contributing on Mamamia.

Think of the comments section of Mamamia as a dinner party. Differences of opinion are most welcome, but if you are deliberately rude, insult the host or start throwing food, you’ll be kicked out.

Here are some more specific guidelines about how our moderation works:

Stay on topic: Tangents can be wonderful things. They’re a fundamental part of conversation and can even enhance it. BUT. Comments which are completely irrelevant or deliberately try to hijack the conversation are NOT OK. Please don’t advertise your business either. This isn’t the forum for that.

Don’t be crass: We know a thing or two about swearing at Mamamia. We’re not opposed to it, so long as it’s not in an abusive context. Swearing AT people or calling them names whether it be the author, other readers or the team, will get you deleted. The same goes for posting graphic and disturbing photos, videos and other media. These will be immediately deleted.

Be constructive: Saying, “This article is pathetic” or, “This author sucks” is neither helpful nor interesting. Comments like this will not be published. There are a million other ways to express a contrary opinion to the one explained in a post, including, “I disagree because…”, “I don’t share this view because…” “On the other hand…”. Give them a try.

Don’t dominate: You know the person at the dinner party who won’t shut up? DON’T BE THAT PERSON. Have your say and then give others some space to have theirs. Don’t intimidate or dominate. People who post many, many, many times on a single post will be nuked.

It’s NOT OK to get personal: Argue the point, not the person. Don’t be abusive towards writers, Mamamia staff, moderators, other commenters or even strangers. We do not allow personal attacks and any comments which are defamatory won’t be published.

Don’t be racist, sexist, homophobic or generally cruel: If you personally attack our writers or members of the team, you will be banned from commenting on the website. Permanently.

Don’t share misinformation: Mamamia has never and will never publish any articles, opinions or comments that are anti-vaccination, anti-abortion, racist, deny the existence or impact of climate change, or victim blame sexual assault victims. It’s non-negotiable. 

Abide by the umpire’s decision: The process of moderation is not discussed on individual posts. We are moderating thousands of comments per day. There isn’t time to explain why a comment has not been published. The moderators are human and do their very best to remain consistent in their applications of our commenting guidelines. Sometimes you might not like or agree with it but ultimately? You’re not ‘owed’ an explanation.

If you don’t like the site, you really don’t have to read it: The internet is a big place. If you don’t like the website or its content, then there are a whole lot of alternatives. So if you’ve come along just to diss an author or an article, then your comment won’t be published.

Be patient, technology ain’t perfect: Mamamia receives tens of thousands of comments each year, so we are not able to give you a personalised response as to why individual comments are deleted. Occasionally, gremlins may eat your comment for no reason. In some rare instances, they are misdirected to spam or are deleted accidentally. If you think this might have happened, just politely leave another comment alerting us and we’ll do our best to restore your original comments.

Thanks and happy commenting and contributing.

If you have constructive feedback, suggestions or requests, please email info@mamamia.com.au.