• DO say something interesting
• DO include links to your references
• DO include a relevant image
• DO use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation
• DON'T try to explain the obvious
• DON'T annotate individual words
• DON'T be too wordy
• DON'T plagiarize
Note: Embedding is automatic
• DO back up your arguments with links
• DO use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation
• DON'T spam the site
• DON'T be a j*rk
• DO format lyrics in the Genius style
• DON'T add pages that are already on the site
These guidelines are best practices, but your work can and will still be edited by others - everything can get better
Some users have been around longer than others, and they're here to help you!
Editors "know the ropes" around Genius and have more powers on the site—they can accept and reject other people's annotations and suggestions; they can edit any annotation they want; they can add annotations to "locked" pages; etc. You'll know editors by their yellow usernames
Moderators are even more powerful than editors. They're the most active and dedicated users of the site. They can make editors (and de-editor users when the editor isn't doing great work). They have lots of behind-the-scenes powers that help keep quality up on Genius. Moderators are purple
Regulators are super-users who push the community forward and help lead the site. They can make and un-make moderators and have lots of other fancy powers. Regulators are steel-blue
The editors, moderators, and regulators are here to help YOU. Reach out to them if you have any questions or concerns. Do great work and you'll be an editor one day soon!
Genius aspires to be a place where everyone feels welcome and safe. We want this to be a community where everyone knows the power of their words at all times, and feels both the joy and responsibility that comes with such power.
Please respect your fellow members. Though we believe in freedom of expression, we also want our contributors to think about the impact of their words on others. We encourage everyone on the site, but especially editors, moderators, and regulators to send a private message anytime they see someone using language in a way that undermines the community. These messages should be thought of as discussion rather than punishment, and in most cases no further action will be taken.
The exception is bullying and harassment, which we take seriously. Everyone is welcome here; bullying and harassment are not—in annotations, forums, chat, or private messages. If any member of the community feels they are being bullied or harassed, please report it to a moderator (purple names) or regulator (steel blue names) immediately so that we can help. People who bully or harass other contributors will lose privileges on the site. This may include temporary penalty boxing or the loss of editor/moderator/regulator privileges.
Please also respect the site’s mission, which is to promote human understanding by annotating the world. In the course of this project, we will allow controversial texts to be posted, but we expect informed and thoughtful readings of those texts from our community members.
It’s the responsibility of all our users to make sure that the site remains welcoming to everyone and focused on its goal to add knowledge to the world. This is especially true for editors, moderators, and regulators who are role models on the site.
If you feel we’ve failed in any way, feel free to hit up a moderator or regulator to explain the issue
• Notifications
• Formatting
• IQ
• Pyongs
• Rate Limits
• Keyboard Shortcuts
• Common spelling/grammatical errors
• Foreign breakdowns
If you have any questions...