Content Guidelines
Questions
Your question has more chance of being answered if it is of public interest and it attracts votes. Offensive questions never attract votes.
Features
You should seek a range of views when creating a feature.
You should confirm the participation of public figures beforehand.
You should keep copy to a minimum- explain the issues, describe the panel and their positions and then ask users for questions by a certain deadline.
Try to deliver the answers on time and according to the guidelines laid out below.
Answers
Yoosk is looking for new interviewers to put users’ questions so every member of the public is welcome to conduct interviews.
Please keep answers short and concise and above all, ensure the question is answered.
No cuts or editing are permitted.
Follow up questions are allowed, but keep them topical and to a minimum. The interviewer is there to put the community’s questions not their own.
Public figures should address the person who posted the question.
Approach
Yoosk Interviews
Yoosk is different from media sites in that Yoosk users are the driving force behind it. Where many media organisations have their own agendas to promote, and may shy away from the important issues or be influenced by certain political leanings, Yoosk can never be accused of these things because the questions asked come from Yoosk users – not from Yoosk. Anybody can ask any question to anybody on Yoosk (providing it conforms to our editorial guidelines).
The Yoosk commitment to interview subjects
Yoosk take responsibility to the public figures who are answering questions very seriously. Yoosk will not edit answers or use them out of context and answers will be freely available to anybody who requests them.
Wherever possible, Yoosk will publish individual questions and answers in short easily viewed segments.
Transparency
Yoosk will be transparent in dealings with users and will at all times label where content has come from. If it has come from users, we will credit it as such.
Yoosk will not edit content or delete content from the site (unless it breaches the Yoosk Rules of Engagement). This will ensure that Yoosk’s position as a trusted platform on the internet is maintained.
Fairness
Yoosk output will be based on fairness, openness and straight dealing. Contributors will be treated honestly and with respect.
Impartiality & diversity of opinion
Yoosk will be impartial and open minded and aim to reflect opinion across the political spectrum and explore a wide range of views.
Yoosk will strive to be objective and even handed in its approach to topics.
Yoosk will not promote particular views on controversial or political subjects.
Links
Where Yoosk links to external sites dealing with controversial topics, Yoosk will endeavour to represent a reasonable range of views about the subject.
Where Yoosk links to sites concerning political topics, Yoosk will ensure a broad range of political views are represented wherever possible.
Yoosk undertakes not to link to sites which may breach the law through defamation or incitement to racial hatred.
Personal space for users on Yoosk public service sites
Where Yoosk offers users the chance to have their own personal pages on Yoosk.com, Yoosk will consider the following factors:
- Visitors should be aware that they are accessing content that has not been written or created by Yoosk.
- To avoid giving the perception of Yoosk endorsement on a Yoosk branded page, it should be made clear at an early stage to users that these pages are intended for personal use only. The space should not be used as a campaigning platform to promote any political, commercial or charitable cause, or for fundraising.
Election campaigns
During election campaigns Yoosk will strive to give all Political Parties standing at elections equal opportunities to have their opinions represented on the site.
Online voting
All views expressed on the site in the form of voting for questions, rating answers and Public Figures represent the views of a select sample of people and should not be construed as an accurate representation of public opinion or as the opinion of Yoosk.
Any summary of online voting or expression of opinion should:
- Not be called a poll.
- Make it absolutely clear that the results have no wider significance and represent only the views of the audience at that time.
Religion
Yoosk respects the fundamental human right to exercise freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This includes an individual's freedom to worship, teach, practise and observe. At the same time, Yoosk recognises its duty to protect the vulnerable and avoid unjustified offence or likely harm. Yoosk aims to achieve this by ensuring that output is not used to denigrate the beliefs of others.
External Relationships
Yoosk is committed to working with partner sites to broaden its reach, increase creative possibilities and give maximum value to Yoosk users.
When entering into these external partnerships, Yoosk will ensure that:
- Editorial impartiality and integrity are not compromised and that Yoosk retains editorial control of output.
- Choice of partners is editorially justified and will not bring Yoosk into disrepute.
- Yoosk does not promote or appear to endorse other organisations, products, services, views or opinions.
- Yoosk fairly credits others where editorially appropriate.
Moderation
Every Yoosk site on which the public places material should be moderated. This may involve pre-moderation, post-moderation or reactive moderation.
- Pre-moderation is where material cannot be accessed by visitors to the site until the moderator has seen it and decided it is suitable for placing on the Internet.
- Post-moderation is where the moderator sees the material, and decides whether it is suitable to remain on the site, after it has been posted.
- Reactive moderation is where visitors to the site alert the moderator to an inappropriate or offensive message. The moderator does not read every message.
The team
Mashing Yoosk