• Code Of Conduct
• Staying Safe Online

Code of Conduct and User Agreement

Use of our discussion boards and chat room constitutes acceptance of and agreement to our Code of Conduct and User Agreement. Please read this in full:

The discussion boards and chat area (jointly described as forums) are only for young people between the ages of 13-19 years (up to 25 with a learning difficulty or disability) living in Hertfordshire. Access to the chat area is by invitation only. The only other people that will be able to access the chat area are staff acting as moderators and the site administrator, all of whom will be given a secure password.

Young people will automatically be de-registered and logged off on their 19th birthday and only logged on if they are over 13 years old (the log off date for young people with learning difficulties or a disability is their 25th birthday)

If you violate the Code of Conduct or User Agreement, we reserve the right to terminate all accounts belonging to you without prior notice. We prefer to advise users initially of inappropriate behaviour, however, flagrant and repeated violations of our Code of Conduct will result in an immediate ban. Our failure to enforce this policy, for whatever reason, shall not be construed as a waiver of our right to do so at any time.

We created the Code of Conduct to provide a basic understanding of what's allowed and not allowed in our discussion board and chat room or 'forums'. The following are guidelines for the establishment and enforcement of our Code of Conduct:

• Ensure a friendly atmosphere to our visitors and forum members

• Ensure the privacy of our members and that of others

• Comply with existing laws

• Encourage responsible use of our forums and discourage activities which disrupt our community and reduce the value of our services to our visitors

• Encourage the freedom of expression and exchange of information in a mature and responsible manner

While we are committed to the principles of free speech, certain activities may be damaging to the resources of  the Hertfordshire Children’s Trust Partnership agencies and our communities and cannot be permitted under the guise of free speech. The resources of the Hertfordshire Children’s Trust Partnership agencies are limited, and abuse of these resources by one user has a negative impact on the entire community.

As a member of our community, you must participate responsibly. If you have any questions regarding our Code of Conduct, please contact any of our forum moderators via email.

Violations of the Code of Conduct

The following constitute violations of our Code of Conduct:

1) Unauthorized access / Violation of Forum Security

The following actions are strictly prohibited:

• Accessing, or attempting to access, the accounts of other users
  Exploiting, or attempting to exploit, bugs, vulnerabilities, or loopholes; whether they are disclosed or undisclosed

• Penetrating, or attempting to penetrate, security measures of the Hertfordshire Children’s Trust Partnership lead agency Youth Connexions software or hardware, or electronic communications system

• All intrusions will subject all your forum accounts to immediate termination, regardless of whether or not the intrusion results in the corruption, loss, or theft of data.

• Users are responsible for the security of their accounts. Users may not share their passwords or transfer – via any means – their accounts. In addition, each user is responsible for all activity made by him/herself.

2) Use of Profanities or bypassing censor

You may not use profanity or bypass the software-based censor*. In addition to words included in the censor list, sexual remarks and slang may be considered profane when used in certain contexts.

*A note about what is considered to be bypassing the software-based censor:

Anything done to avoid the default *'s provided by the censor is considered to be a bypass of the censor. For example, if the word "angle" was in the censor (it is not), then all of the following are considered a bypass of the censor and thus in violation of the Code of Conduct:

A**** ang1e, angl3
anglë, añgle
a n g l e
[i]A[/i][i]n[/i]gle
angle
(links to image containing the word "angle" used in a demeaning context)

3) Harassment

We have no tolerance for personal attacks, as determined by forum moderators, towards users or staff.

You may not use terms or audio/visual materials referring to ethnic/national origin, ideological/religious beliefs, gender, or sexual preference in a demeaning context.

We have no tolerance for discrimination. You are in violation of this rule if the nature of your post discriminates, promotes hate, promotes violence or advocates hatred or discrimination against individuals, groups, races, cultures or organizations because of their ethnic/national origin, skin colour or culture.

4) Derogatory Terms

If you use any terms in an offensive context against a person, race, culture, group or organization, as determined by our moderators, you are in violation of this rule.

Please note that words carry different meanings in different cultures, and that while a word may be acceptable in one part of the world, it may not be in another. In addition, anyone can invent their own derogatory terms. Because of those factors, we will evaluate the context in which the term was used to determine whether a violation has occurred.

5) Porn / Sexually Offensive Materials

You may not post or link to pornography or sexually offensive materials. If you are unsure whether what you wish to post may be in violation of this rule, please consult a moderator first before posting.

6) Illegal Use

You may not use our forums for illegal purposes, in support of illegal activities, or encourage conduct that would constitute a criminal offence, as determined by the laws of the country. Such activities will guarantee a ban. We reserve the right to cooperate with legal authorities and/or injured third parties in the investigation of any suspected crime or civil wrongdoing.

7) Privacy

You may not post any form of real life information of a user unless the user has first permitted it by express consent. Examples of real life information include name, address, IP addresses, and phone numbers.

You may not distribute any form of real life information, email address, private/email Messages, and Instant Messenger messages ("Chatlogs") with intent to harass or in any demeaning manner as determined by a moderator, regardless of consent.

You may not disclose a user's unpublicized email address unless the user has first permitted it, either by actual consent or previously releasing said information. You may not post any form of real life information if you are 13 or under.

8) Email Addresses

You may not harvest email addresses from our forums for any purpose.

9) Repetition, baiting and other infringements

Do not post negative comments and discussions that are repeated over and over with no other purpose than to disrupt conversation. If you feel the need to say something, say it once and then move on. Do not disrupt multiple threads in order to get your view out.

You may not bait/troll users. Baiting/ trolling is defined as posting with a clear intent to provoke anger, incendiary posts, and behaviour that results in other users violating the Code of Conduct.

You may not bait, insult, flame, or otherwise abuse a staff member. Staff members have to follow the same rules, and should you have a problem with a certain staff member, please contact a moderator or the Forum Management Team.

You may not abuse your ability to post in HTML in HTML-enabled forums.

You may not post graphically-disturbing images.

You may not register multiple accounts with intent to violate any part of this Code of Conduct.

Terms & Conditions

Although we attempt to moderate all messages we cannot be held responsible for any messages posted. We do not vouch for or warrant the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any message. You agree that neither these forums, nor any person or entity associated with them will be held responsible for any content.

You agree that you will not use our forums to post any material or links to any material which is knowingly false and/or defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threaten, invasive of a persons privacy, or otherwise in violation of any law.

You agree that you will not post copyrighted content without the express permission of the copyright holder. Advertisements, chain letters, pyramid schemes and solicitations are also inappropriate in this forum. We reserve the right to remove, edit, close or move any post for any reason at our discretion.