Guidelines, Policies & Other Information

After you've read the rules ... it's time to put them in context. Here's a description of how the Community works.

Forums/Newsgroups: If you want to understand how you can best use messages and message threads to make your point and have fun, and how the message database in the Community is managed by the Community staff, read on.

Messages on HealthyPlace.com are organized into conversations with each message within a conversation (thread) having the same subject. The first message in a conversation is originally given its subject by its poster. When you reply to a message, your message will retain the original subject so that your message will become a part of that conversation.

Being a good community participant: The best way to be a good community participant is to participate. You're welcome to 'lurk' and read others' messages -- most participants do a lot of that. But when you have something to contribute -- when you read a message that seems to cry out for another point of view -- jump in and reply to that message. Your thoughts and ideas don't have to be earth-shattering, but you can state how you feel, or provide additional information, or you can ask a question that arises from a message you have read. You'll be surprised how much conversation you can stimulate with a single message.

If you have a question or a comment that doesn't seem to fit the subject of a conversation you are reading, or your thoughts take a direction that the subject doesn't really encompass, you can post your message with a new subject. You'll be starting a new conversation thread. Remember that other members will scan subjects and won't like it if your message's content isn't consistent with its subject. Try to always start a new thread if you 'change direction'. Everyone will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

That's about all there is to it. There are some message content lines that shouldn't be crossed and some policies that simply can't be violated, but a good rule of thumb is -- read your message before you send it. If you received the message, how would you feel about it? If you might be offended, then you should reword it or, perhaps, just not send it at all.

How the staff tries to keep order
The Community Manager and staff have the responsibility of keeping the message database in each community orderly so that your use of the community is convenient and interesting for you. There are several actions that they frequently take to keep order -- we'll outline some of the more frequent ones for you.

Right message, wrong newsgroup.
Our community has several areas, each of which is appropriate for certain kinds of subjects. Each area has its own newsgroup(s). Having messages in appropriate newsgroups makes finding messages or avoiding ones of no interest much easier. When Community staff identifies a message that would be more appropriate in a different newsgroup, they will move it out of view and request that the member re-post it to a more appropriate newsgroup. Your message is not lost; it will be in your "Posted" folder in your newsreader.

Moving messages out of public view.
Once in a while the staff will observe a message that deals with private Community business (for example, new file uploads), is inappropriate to the Community, or that violates Community or HealthyPlace.com policies or guidelines. That message will be moved out of view, and appropriate action taken.

Policies
Members are responsible for observing certain rules and regulations while participating, and the Community Manager and staff are charged with maintaining Community decorum.

Please read the Rules page very carefully, and ask the Community Manager about anything that you do not understand.

Ultimately, a decision on whether a specific message violates a rule is a judgment call by the Community Manager. You will find that our policy is mostly a matter of common sense and common courtesy. If you have any questions, ask the Community Manager in advance.

Advertising. Advertising for anything and/or soliciting for the use of goods or services in the Community is prohibited in Bipolar. Contact the Community Manager via private mail for information about advertising.

Personal attacks. Discussions sometimes become very animated but a thoughtful tone is always welcome. Please remember, this is a place to share and respect each other’s experiences. Speak from what is true in your life, and remember that other members will have had different experiences and recognize different truths.

Personal attacks are not acceptable. When a message attacks a person's motives, intelligence, ethics, or morality, the staff will remove the offending message from public view and take appropriate action. This is regardless of whether the person is an HealthyPlace.com member, public figure, or private person.

Libel, slander, and other legal issues. The rule is very simple: don't post messages that might put anyone at legal risk.

Profanity. Profanity and vulgarisms are not allowed. You should not use profanity, including acronyms and wildcards (using *'s and other special characters substituted for some letters) representations.

"Thank you's" and other messages of interest only to the addressee. Use email to send thank you messages. You should do this as a courtesy to other users who do not want to read messages of no interest to them.

Duplicate messages. Duplicate messages are not permitted. Do not post the same message in different sections or newsgroups of Bipolar. You should choose the place that is most appropriate for your message. Ask a Community staff member for help if you're not sure where to post your message.

Privacy and confidentiality. Do not post a copy of a private message or share its content anywhere without the permission of the sender and its other recipient or recipients. Private messages are like mail. Most of us don't want our personal letters publicly posted for all to see.

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Your name. If you have a shared account (one used by more than one person), please sign all messages so others know which individual is requesting or providing information.

Files. HealthyPlace.com allows you to attach files to your messages. Files are not verified or validated in any way, that is your responsibility as a member when downloading materials to your personal computer. All files are provided as is, with no guarantee as to usability or safety.

Virus protection. All files available are provided to you to use at your own risk. You should ALWAYS virus-check any file before running it on your computer. If you do find a file with a problem, please send a message to the Community Manager via private mail immediately, so that the file can be removed and the source of the virus determined.

Summing it up
All of the subjects and issues discussed here have gray areas. The Community Manager and staff are human, too, and may vary in their judgments. Ultimately, actions taken by them are judgment calls.

If you disagree with such actions, please let us know. First send a private message to the Bipolar staff member for that area of the Bipolar Community. If you are not satisfied with the result of your discussion, send a private message to the Community Manager and discuss your feelings. If you are not satisfied with the result of your discussion with the Community Manager, please follow the procedure for dispute resolution with HealthyPlace.com staff.

Thanks
We've tried to cover most of the issues and subjects that will help you make the Bipolar Community helpful and enjoyable.

Sue Moran, Bipolar Community Manager.

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