From Leaks to Community Guidelines Co Creating Your Rules Together




Community guidelines are usually top-down: creator writes rules, audience follows. But what if your audience helped create them? Their leaks about community behavior—complaints, suggestions, conflicts—are the perfect foundation for co-created rules everyone owns.

💬 leak about rules 📋 co-created guidelines 👥 community owns them rules they help write, they help enforce

🤝 Why co-create community guidelines?

  • Ownership: People follow rules they helped create
  • Relevance: Guidelines address real issues, not theoretical ones
  • Trust: Shows you value their voice in governance
  • Enforcement: Community members help hold each other accountable

Co-created rules transform "my community" into "our community."

⛏️ Mining leaks about community behavior

Look for leaks that mention:

Leak typeExamplePotential rule
Complaints about others"People are so negative here"Be constructive, not destructive
Suggestions for improvement"We should have a weekly thread for X"Structure/rules for posts
Conflict reports"That comment crossed a line"Harassment policy
Requests for clarity"Can we post our own content?"Self-promotion guidelines

Collect these over 1-3 months before updating guidelines.

📊 Identifying themes for new rules

Group your rule-related leaks into themes:

  • Theme 1: Tone and respect (15 leaks)
  • Theme 2: Posting frequency (8 leaks)
  • Theme 3: Self-promotion (12 leaks)
  • Theme 4: Disagreement handling (6 leaks)

These become your priority areas for guideline updates.

📝 Drafting with audience input

  1. Draft new guidelines based on leak themes
  2. Share draft with your community: "Here's what I'm hearing—did I get it right?"
  3. Ask for specific feedback on each proposed rule
  4. Incorporate suggestions
Sample post:
"I've noticed many of you mentioning [issue]. 
Based on your feedback, I'm considering adding 
this guideline: [proposed rule]. 
Does this feel right? What would you change?"

🔄 Feedback and iteration

After collecting feedback:

  • Share what you heard: "80% agreed, 20% suggested X change"
  • Explain your final decisions (why you kept/changed certain things)
  • Thank everyone who contributed—especially those whose leaks started it

Transparency builds trust even when you can't incorporate every suggestion.

🚀 Launching co-created guidelines

When launching:

  • Highlight that these came from the community
  • Tag contributors whose leaks shaped the rules
  • Explain the "why" behind each rule (connect back to leaks)
  • Make it easy to find (pinned post, bio link, etc.)

Celebrate this as a milestone in your co-creation journey.

📅 Ongoing governance: keep listening

Guidelines aren't static. Continue to:

  • Monitor leaks about community behavior
  • Review guidelines quarterly with your team/top contributors
  • Announce updates with the same co-creation process

Your community's needs evolve. Your guidelines should too.

Rules they own: When your audience helps write the rules, they help enforce them. Co-created guidelines transform compliance into community care.