GUIDELINES FOR MSWORLD CHAT AND MESSAGE BOARDS
- MSWORLD TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY -
Thank you for your interest in the MSWorld®, Inc. website, message boards, chat rooms and other resources! We work towards creating a safe, informative and welcoming community for people with MS, and those who love them. MSWorld is a place to share ideas and help each other cope with the challenges of living with Multiple Sclerosis.
We welcome those diagnosed with MS, who believe that they might have MS, those whose illness mimics the symptoms of MS as well as friends and family members of people affected by MS.
MSWorld is managed by volunteers, all who either have MS themselves, or are caring for someone with MS.
The following guidelines have been developed to ensure that MSWorld is a safe, informative, useful and fun online community for people living with MS to meet and share ideas now and for generations to come. Please help us to continue to maintain MSWorld as the active and vibrant online community that it is by following our guidelines.
User Names To protect your privacy, please do not use your real name as your user name (nickname). You may not place the letters "OP" or "PGO" after your user name, as this is reserved for staff. Additionally, user names are subject to change if they are deemed to be inappropriate or a distraction.
Because We Care Our message boards and chat rooms are moderated seven days a week by our volunteers, all who live with MS. Message board posts are manually checked for content before appearing. We will remove inappropriate activity on our site that does not follow our mission or guidelines to keep our home on the Internet a safe and welcoming site for all members.
Our chat transcripts, including person-to-person side chats, are all recorded and reviewed. Knowing this, if you use any of our interactive areas, you are responsible for your communications and the consequences if you post inappropriate information. We take every complaint seriously and follow-up on each one.
Members who do not heed warnings to improve and change their communications may lose the privilege of using the message boards and chat rooms. This is the last thing we want to do and will work with you to help you understand our mission and guidelines. MSWorld reserves the right to permanently remove any member from MSWorld at any time for any reason.
If you have any concerns or questions, please e-mail us at boardmoderators@msworld.org about the message boards and helpwithchat@msworld.org about chat. We are here to help you!
MSWORLD GUIDELINES
1. INTERNET ETIQUETTE: Show respect for others at all times. Any comments made with intent to harm or hurt another in any way, will be deleted and people will be warned if said in chat. Remember, our chats are recorded, including private conversations, and all transcripts are reviewed. Any member who exhibits repeat negative behavior and ignores warnings will be blocked from using our services.
2. PREJUDICIAL REMARKS: Using prejudicial statements, comments, or remarks relating to racial or ethnic background, religion, sex, age, or sexual orientation in chat or on the message boards is strictly prohibited.
3. PERSONAL INFORMATION: Do not post or share in chat your personal e-mail address, phone number, home address, or instant messenger identification/name. They may be placed in your profile at your own risk. If you decide to share this information with another person in chat, use the Person2Person option; again, at your own risk.
4. KEEP IT CLEAN: Use of profanity/cursing/pornographic/sexual references in any language is not permitted. Disguised profanity is also prohibited. Descriptive sexual conversation which has nothing to do with MS is prohibited. This guideline's application includes, but is not limited to, avatars, user names, and user titles.
5. BUSINESS PHONE NUMBERS: Do not post business phone numbers or share them in chat. Phone numbers for the NMSS, help-line phone numbers for major pharmaceutical companies, and suicide hotline numbers are allowed.
6. COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL: This is a public forum but is protected by copyright laws. Do not copy any part of our web content and place it on another website or use our content without requesting permission from MSWorld. Do not copy material from any other website and post or use it in chat. Any person who disregards this rule may be subject to legal action.
7. URLs or WEB SITES: MSWorld allows posting website addresses of reputable sources where applicable to the topic. Only those posted by Moderators will be live links. Posting personal websites/URLs is not allowed. These may be put in your profile, or set as your MSWorld Homepage.
8. SELLING ITEMS AND SOLICITING MEMBERS: Offering items for sale is not allowed. Sales and/or donation solicitations of members by way of e-mail, message board posts, or in private chats are also not allowed.
9. PRESCRIPTION ITEMS: It is illegal to transfer prescription items such as medication or devices for injecting medication to someone other than the person for whom the prescription was written. Members are not allowed to offer to give or sell prescription medicines, devices, or any other types of prescriptions to others via MSWorld or any subsidiaries or affiliated organizations.
10. SURVEYS AND RESEARCH: Due to the large number of requests for surveys and research, MSWorld no longer allows these requests on our website.
11. TREATMENT OPTIONS DISCUSSIONS (or “I Have a Cure for MS!”): MSWorld neither advocates nor disallows any treatment method or medication. If the posts or chat conversation regarding any treatment option is misleading, solicitous, aggressive, or hurtful to others, posts will be removed and the chat member will be contacted and warned. Decisions to remove or not allow such discussions are made at the sole discretion of MSWorld staff.
12. MESSAGE BOARD DISCUSSION TOPICS: Our membership is large and diverse. Please consider this when you post a message on our boards. If the topic is deemed inappropriate, potentially harmful or aggressive, Moderators reserve the right to close or remove any post that detracts from our mission and purpose. Chat Hosts will take the appropriate actions to redirect and/or stop the conversation. This includes religion and politics if the discussion becomes argumentative. The decision of what is appropriate is not open to debate. If you are unsure if a subject is appropriate for discussion, please e-mail us at boardmoderators@msworld.org.
13. SOCIAL NETWORKING: While we hope that friendships will be made in our chat rooms and forums, the primary focus of MSWorld is the sharing of information and support concerning our lives with MS. We ask members to please use our CarePages®, or other personal sites for non-MS-related topics and social sharing. These web addresses can be placed in your profile for friends to find. MSWorld takes no responsibility for your web page or those who visit.
If you have questions regarding our privacy policy, please e-mail us at administration@msworld.org
MSWorld®, Inc. Disclaimer
MSWorld® Inc. Information contained on MSWorld's site or participation in support chats or the use of the message boards should not be considered a substitute for medical evaluation, psychotherapy, psychological services, mental health counseling, or treatment by a qualified health care professional.
Participation in services offered by MSWorld® and use of our resources is by your own choice and is not intended to provide or confirm a diagnosis, nor is any claim made as to the therapeutic safety or effectiveness of any medications, tests, course of treatment, or the subjects of any other discussions.
MSWorld® is not engaged in the practice of psychotherapy. You are strongly urged to seek the advice of a qualified health care professional if you have a medical or mental health question or condition.
No attorney-client relationship will be formed by the act of you accessing this website or reviewing its contents. Nothing contained in this site shall constitute the giving or rendering of legal advice or be construed as a legal opinion, legal consultation, or guarantee of a particular outcome of a legal problem.
Information that is provided is general in nature, may not apply to your circumstances, and is provided as a public service. It is not a substitute for legal advice given by your attorney. Under no circumstances should you make a legal decision based upon information provided on MSWorld's website. You are strongly urged to seek legal advice through an attorney of your choice before you make any decision involving a legal matter.
MSWorld® and its volunteers assume no liability whatsoever for direct, indirect, special, or consequential damages relating in any way to the use of information provided on MSWorld's website.
MSWorld® does not endorse any of the sites to which it links and will not be responsible for any liability for direct, indirect, special, or consequential damages relating in any way to the use of linked sites.
MSWorld® and its volunteers make no representations, warranties (express or implied), or claims as to the validity, authenticity, quality, or viability of the consultation, advice, or services offered by the practitioners listed as other sources. MSWorld® and its volunteers do not make any representations regarding the content of, the effects of, or the participation in online discussion groups.
The information contained in or made available through MSWorld's website (including but not limited to chat, the message boards, or text files) is not intended or should not be construed to replace or substitute for the services of trained professionals in any field, including but not limited to financial, medical, or legal matters.
MSWorld®, its volunteers and affiliated organizations, or any of its or their respective licensors or suppliers make no representations or warranties (express or implied) concerning any treatment, action, or application of medication or preparation by or to any person following the information offered or provided within or through the MSWorld® website.
Neither MSWorld®, its volunteers, affiliates, or partners, or any of their affiliates will be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary, or other damages, including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness, or death, which may result from the use of such information.
All transcripts recorded by MSWorld® are the sole property of MSWorld® and may not be copied, reproduced, or printed in any form (electronic or otherwise) by anyone other than an authorized MSWorld Administrator.
If you are ever in an MSWorld® online chat or message board and have said something that you want omitted from the transcript or from the message boards, please e-mail us at info@msworld.org and request that your comments be omitted. Your comments will be edited from the MSWorld® transcript and to the best of our ability will not be made available to the public.
MSWorld® and its volunteers will not be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary, or other damages that may occur as a result of the publication of something you have made public in an online support group meeting, chat session, or on the message boards.
MSWorld®, Inc. Privacy Policy
MSWorld® is very concerned about your privacy.
We will not ask your name, address, or phone number. During registration, we ask for your e-mail address, birth date, and place you live; which can be as general or specific as you like. (State or city/state or country.) Additional demographic information such as the country you live in, preferred language and gender are optional.
We only ask your age so that we can comply with COPPA (The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998) regulations to protect those under 13 years of age and to send you a greeting on your birthday.
If you choose to be on our mailing list, we will use your email address for our weekly express and special events. We may also from time to time provide you with the latest information concerning MS related topics. For example, we will occasionally e-mail our membership with upcoming guest speakers, breaking news, or urgent information in addition to the weekly newsletter.
You may be removed from our mailing list by sending an e-mail to info@msworld.org with a request for removal or by using the "Unsubscribe" option on our email newsletters.
Any information that you provide will never be shared with a third party or advertiser.
As a means to protect your privacy, we do not permit the posting of personal e-mail addresses, home addresses, or telephone numbers in posts, chat, or as usernames.
In the same light, we discourage using your real name for your nickname and we won’t allow instant messenger identification as your username.
Linking to other sites via MSWorld's website means that your private information is subject to the new site's rules and privacy policy. MSWorld® takes no responsibility for other websites’ guidelines and privacy policies.
At MSWorld®, we reserve the right to keep e-mail that you send to us and any response we send to you for follow-up on an issue or to make sure that your requests have been addressed.
Please keep your personal information updated so that you get the maximum benefit from the services that MSWorld® offers. You may e-mail MSWorld to update information relating to chat. You may update your personal information for the message board in your personal profile under User Control Panel.
If you have questions regarding our privacy policy, please e-mail us at administration@msworld.org.
MSWorld® Inc. Nondiscrimination Policy
MSWorld® Inc. does not practice or condone unlawful discrimination in any form against members, volunteers and applicants on the grounds of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or veteran status.
a. Discrimination based upon race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or veteran status is in violation of federal law and MSWorld® Inc. policy, and will not be tolerated.
b. Retaliation against any person complaining of discrimination is in violation of federal law and MSWorld® Inc. policy, and will not be tolerated.
c. MSWorld® Inc. will respond promptly to all complaints of discrimination and retaliation. Violation of this policy can result in expulsion for members or discharge for MSWorld® Inc. volunteers.
d. Action for violations of this policy will be the responsibility of the President or Vice-President of MSWorld® Inc., as may be appropriate in accordance with applicable procedures.
e. MSWorld® Inc. hereby affirms its desire to maintain an environment for all staff and members that is free from all forms of unlawful discrimination and free from discrimination which is otherwise prohibited by MSWorld® Inc. policy or regulation. Unlawful discrimination is completely incompatible with the values and goals of MSWorld® Inc., and will not be tolerated.
