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. 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.
Changes to this policy will be posted here. No notification will be sent. It is the users responsibility to read and understand this information.
