Thinking about the risks of 'disappearing' on note, safe operation, and terms of service violations, based on the topic that 'note University was banned'

I received an email stating that 'note University (the community/account known as such) has been deleted (account suspended/restricted).'

Based only on third-party posts and rumors, one cannot definitively determine from the outside 'what happened,' 'who the target is,' or 'what the reason is.' Nevertheless, as it was a community I was indebted to, I cannot stop wondering 'why?'

On note, there are cases where the management may not disclose details regarding account suspensions or the making of articles private.
In fact, it is clearly stated in note's terms of service that measures may be taken at the management's discretion if a violation is suspected. (e.g., withholding payments, deletion, etc.)

This time, I received a notification from note official that the reason was a 'violation of terms of service,' but I have been thinking for myself about operating on note again.

First, let's organize: The phenomenon called 'BAN' is not just one type.

It is often lumped together as 'being banned,' but there are multiple patterns within note.

• Making articles private/deleting them (specific articles become invisible)

• Suspension of paid article sales (sales stop/purchase flow disappears)

• Account restriction (some posts or operations are restricted)

• Account suspension (unable to log in, not displayed, etc.)

Even in the case of a 'community ban,' the meaning changes depending on whether it is the management account being suspended, related magazines being made private, or memberships being stopped.

The 'minefield' areas that note is likely to be highly vigilant about

Setting aside the truth of the rumors, what can be learned from this topic is which areas note tends to be strict about.

1) Acts of inciting purchases by presenting sales/profits, etc.

The note creator terms of service state that acts of disclosing sales/profits, etc., to incite purchases can be subject to suspension, deletion, etc.

In particular, when combined with 'screenshots,' 'emphasis on numbers,' or 'anyone can earn money,' the risk skyrockets as exaggerated advertising or information product-like expressions.

2) Expressions prone to violating the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations or exaggerated advertising

Cases have been reported where seemingly common sales pitches, such as 'price increase after selling out' or 'surpassed X number of copies,' become problematic from the perspective of the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations or the terms of service.

3) Spam-like dissemination/unnatural operations

Dissemination using external services is not necessarily an immediate violation, but

• Unnatural 'likes' and 'follows' from a large number of accounts

• Sudden boosts that raise suspicions of ranking manipulation

• Repeated posting of the same text, excessive solicitation, and excessive links

Movements that effectively look like 'manipulation,' such as those mentioned above, pose a risk to platform operations.

4) Violations of copyright and citation rules

Reposting manga, books, or articles, unauthorized use of images, and posting lyrics are classic no-nos. In particular, 'citations becoming the main content,' 'lack of sources,' or 'being unnecessarily long' are dangerous.

Is it true that 'even long-established communities can disappear'?

Although there may be communication if you are in a community (paid plan), at this moment, based only on information that can be confirmed from the outside, it is often impossible to conclude that it was officially banned.

On the other hand, personal accounts of 'articles suddenly becoming private' or 'paid content being deleted' are continuously posted within note.

In other words, in the sense that it 'can happen to anyone,' the size or history of a community may not be a direct guarantee of safety.

'Safe Operation Checklist' to avoid the same fate

Writing (Sales) Aspect

• Avoid definitive statements such as 'guaranteed,' 'anyone can,' or 'certainly'

• Do not use structures that incite purchases by presenting sales, profits, or number of copies sold

• When claiming before-and-after results or effectiveness, clearly state conditions, individual differences, and prerequisites

Diffusion (Customer Attraction) Aspect

• If spreading externally, ensure transparency such as by using 'PR' labels

• Avoid measures that look like unnatural 'inflating of numbers' (mass likes, mass follows)

• Do not mass-produce articles that have little value in the main text and only serve to drive traffic via links

Content aspect

• Keep quotes to the absolute minimum, clearly state sources, and maintain a master-servant relationship between your content and the quotes

• For medical, investment, or legal topics, avoid definitive advice and stick to general information plus disclaimers

If a 'sudden private setting or suspension' occurs

• First, check the expressions (definitive, exaggerated, inflammatory) and quoted sections of the article in question

• Organize the parts that can be corrected in light of the terms of service

• Check the situation by contacting management (support)

The note terms of service explicitly state that measures may be taken at the discretion of management, and that payments may be withheld.

What happens to the fees if a 'sudden deletion' occurs?

In the case of note university this time, I am relieved to hear that there will be a refund for this month's portion.

Summary: The important thing is to 'steer your operations toward safety'

What I can say is that on note,a 'careless mistake' can be fatal.

Especially for those who create paid notes or traffic funnels, expressions tend to become stronger, so

• Do not incite

• Do not make definitive statements

• Do not lure with numbers

• Do not engage in behavior that looks like manipulation

Using these four as a standard will increase your safety.

[Update] Main predictable violation patterns

Hina-hime from note University has made an official announcement (paid note) via a new account.

What I am personally curious about is the self-introduction stating, 'An immediate account ban due to a single mistake born of ignorance regarding a new feature.'

I am not a PRO member myself, so I can infer that this is something specific to PRO.
If you are interested, please be sure to read Hina-hime's note.

Below, based on Hina-hime's comments, I have summarized the key points that are particularly likely to be viewed as problematic because of PRO status under note's terms of service, separate from the cause of the violation by note University/Hina-hime this time.

1. Sales/profit-based aggressive marketing using screenshots

Under its terms of service, note

is viewed as problematic.

If you were using new features (e.g., memberships, subscriptions, sales analysis features, etc.) to

• post screenshots of sales screens

• emphasize 'achieved ◯◯ yen'

• create content structured as 'copy this to make money'

then

there is a possibility it could reach the level of an immediate suspension.

This seems to have become quite strict recently.

2. Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations (exaggerated advertising/guaranteed results)

In paid articles,

• "Guaranteed earnings"

• "Success for anyone"

• "100% reproducible"

• "Price increase once sold out (no basis)"

and similar claims, if emphasized strongly,

can be considered a violation from the perspective of both the terms of service and the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations.

Given the excuse of 'doing it unknowingly due to new features,' there is also a possibility of exaggeration using sales UI or analytics screens.

3. Copyright infringement in paid sections

Within paid articles,

• extensive quoting of books or teaching materials

• reprinting content from others

• exposing the contents of other paid notes

if these occur, they are also
likely to be subject to immediate banning.

The rules are particularly strict regarding 'sales content'.

4. Terms of service violations related to memberships

notePRO is a feature geared toward corporate and commercial use.

If there is

• redirection to external payments

• unauthorized sales outside of note

• External solicitation funnels

If you incorporate these, it may be a violation of the PRO terms of service.

5. Fraudulent dissemination/purchase manipulation

• Self-directed purchases

• Unnatural purchase boosts via external services

• Ranking manipulation

can also be subject to 'immediate banning'.

Important point

note has recently become

• information product-related

• get-rich-quick related

• guaranteed reproducibility related

content very strictly.

Standards can change all at once when new features are introduced

is what I felt again is the scary part.

[Postscript/Update]

I never thought I would end up adding a postscript to a postscript.
The new account and paid note for note University that I introduced in the postscript seem to have been deleted in no time.
They cannot be viewed at this time.

There are two main possibilities here.

1. The possibility of a permanent ban status where even starting a new account is NG

2. The possibility that the content of the paid note violated the terms of service again

I don't know if it's just one side or both, but after seeing various impressions and thoughts from people who are confused because note University suddenly disappeared and they can no longer see it, the following opinions and points stood out to me.

• I thought I had done something wrong based on the email I received from note official.

• I wanted them to explain the circumstances to the participating members before announcing the cause in a paid note.

• Judging by the content of the email received, it is possible that disclosing the reason for the account deletion would also be a violation of the terms of service.

Although I personally benefited from note University, I was a light user, and I am relieved by the 'refund process' from the note side, but I think there are a certain number of people who are not.
As far as I know

• LINE

• X (formerly Twitter)

• Coconala

However, since they are posting officially, I am a little curious about what kind of response and communication they will provide in the future.