Community Guidelines
Last updated 15 May 2026.
Welcome
This is the Cake! Network: a place to learn, share, connect, and grow with other people who love cake. Whether you're brand new to decorating or you've been at it for decades, you're in the right place.
These guidelines aren't rules so much as the way we look after each other. Most of the time, things work well because everyone shows up wanting it to. These guidelines are how we keep that going.
How we treat each other
1. Be kind. We're all here to lift each other up. Offer feedback gently, celebrate progress, and remember that everyone's at a different point on their journey.
2. Share your work proudly. Cakes at every skill level belong here: finished pieces, work-in-progress shots, the practice attempt that didn't quite go to plan. Perfection is not the price of entry.
3. Ask anything. No question is silly. If you're stuck, curious, or want a second opinion, ask. Someone else will be wondering the same thing.
4. Keep feedback constructive. Offer suggestions thoughtfully and only when asked. If someone shares a cake to celebrate, celebrate with them. If they ask for critique, give it kindly and actionably.
5. Respect each other's choices. Styles vary. Techniques vary. Experience varies. There's room for all of it. Avoid dismissive or judgmental comments about other people's designs, preferences, or methods.
6. Welcome everyone. Decorators come from all backgrounds. Harassment, discrimination, or harmful behaviour towards anyone, for any reason, isn't tolerated here.
7. Keep content community-appropriate. Our community welcomes decorators from all backgrounds, and cakes shared here should feel welcoming to that audience. Imagery that excludes, demeans, or disturbs members, including racist imagery, sexually explicit work, or anything outside acceptable community standards, doesn't belong here.
How we handle content
8. Honour copyright and credit. Only share photos, tutorials, or content you have permission to share, and credit the original creator clearly when you should. Don't upload paid course materials or anything you've been asked to keep private.
9. Use disclaimers when it matters. If you're sharing techniques involving sharp tools, heat, or allergens, note any safety considerations.
10. Respect each member's work. If you'd like to share another member's cake outside the community, ask them first. Don't screenshot, repost, or republish their work without their permission.
How we behave commercially
11. Self-promotion goes in the right places. If you sell things or run classes, please only promote them in spaces designated for that. Keep the main community focused on learning, connection, and inspiration.
12. Discount codes are personal. When a Preferred Supplier (a cake-supply business we've partnered with) gives Cake! Network members a discount code, it's a perk for you, not a coupon to pass around. Sharing codes outside the membership devalues the program for everyone and makes Preferred Suppliers less willing to keep offering them. Please keep your codes to yourself.
How we keep things healthy
13. Stay curious. Jump into monthly themes, share tips, try new techniques, explore the resource library. The more you put in, the more you'll get out.
14. Flag anything that feels off. If you see a post that doesn't sit right, or someone's behaviour is making the space feel less welcoming, flag the post in-app or get in touch via our contact form. We always want to hear about it.
Our community promise
We're here to learn from each other, support each other, and celebrate the joy of cake decorating. By being part of this community, you help create a space where decorators feel inspired, confident, and connected every single day.
When something goes wrong
We hope this section never applies to you. But sometimes someone makes a choice that affects the rest of the community, and we have to do something about it. Here's how we generally handle it.
How to tell us
If you've seen something concerning, or experienced something yourself, you have two options:
- Flag the content in-app, which is the fastest route.
- Get in touch via our contact form.
We respond as quickly as we can, and we treat anything urgent (safety, harassment, threats) as a priority. Where we can, the person looking into a report isn't the person it's about.
We won't share who told us what without your consent, except where we're legally required to.
What we generally do
Situations differ, so we don't follow a strict formula. Most of the time the response moves through these steps in order, but we'll skip ahead if something serious has happened.
A friendly word. Most of the time, we'll send a private message: "hey, this didn't quite land, can we try a different approach?" Most things stop here. If it keeps happening, we'll note it internally so we can see the pattern.
A pause. If something serious happens, or minor things keep happening, we may pause your posting and community access for a while, usually somewhere between a week and a month. You keep your membership and access to course content; you just step back from the community for a bit.
Ending the membership. The most serious step, and one we'd rather not take. We don't do this for one-off mistakes. We do it for repeated serious breaches, deliberate harm to other members, or behaviour that pulls value out of the community for one person at the expense of everyone else.
Ending a membership and refunds
If we end your membership for cause under this section, the unused part of your annual term isn't refunded. (The 30-day refund window in the Membership Terms applies to renewals you didn't intend to keep, not to memberships ended for cause.) Where the Australian Consumer Law requires a refund in the circumstances, we'll honour that.
If you think we got it wrong
You can appeal. Send your appeal through our contact form within 14 days of being notified: choose the "Community standards & safety" category and include the word "Appeal" in your message.
Tell us:
- which decision you're appealing;
- why you think it was wrong (what we got wrong, or what context we missed);
- what outcome you're seeking.
We aim to review appeals within 14 days. Where we can, the appeal is reviewed by a different person. If we agree with the appeal, we reverse or reduce the consequence and tell you what we're doing differently. If we don't, we'll tell you why.
How long things stay on the record
A pause stays on the record for 24 months. After that, if nothing else has happened, we treat it as cleared.
Where this fits with our other documents
These Community Guidelines describe how we want the Cake! Network community to feel and what happens when something goes wrong inside it.
The contractual side of your membership lives in the Membership Terms & Conditions and the Privacy Policy. If anything in these Guidelines and the T&Cs ever conflict, the T&Cs prevail.
Cake! Network is operated by The Cake Network Pty Ltd (ABN 91 691 434 821), trading as Australian Cake Decorating Network.