CASUAL CHAT GUIDELINES
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Casual Chat is the place to meet for chat and discussions in a mature, friendly, non-sexual environment. The forum is open to all ages and the following are guidelines to ensure that Casual Chat maintains its usual friendly environment.

NICKNAMES & AVATARS

Please ensure that your nickname or Avatar does not offend. We have members from all races, creeds and cultures whose beliefs all have equal status.

CHATTING

Word filtering is in place to prevent offensive swear words. Whilst it is possible to use other means to imply profanity, literate people do not need or use extensive profanity.

Nor do they attack or berate each other.

Playfulness such as flirting may occur in both messages and chats, however, any explicit sexual content in messages and especially in chats to the extent that it becomes hot-chatting or cybering will not be allowed. Conversations that are more sexual in nature should be taken to private chat. Offensive, disruptive or illegal behaviour is not welcome and may lead to your expulsion from the forum.

If you are a minor, do not inform anyone of any identifying information. This is for your own protection as people you encounter online may not always be who they say they are and could wish you harm.

This forum is not a crisis center. If you are depressed and feel that you may be a danger to yourself, please contact your local mental health agency at once. Do not participate here.

DISCUSSIONS

Please do not post any contact information such as a postal mail address or telephone number.  Remember that there may be others in the forum who would abuse such information. 

We do not allow posting of websites that are of a commercial nature, or that contain advertising or anything of an adult or offensive nature. If you wish to advertise you may have the privilege of paying CompuServe to do so.

Personal or informative websites that are in keeping with the Forum Guidelines are permitted.

Because of the way that CompuServe's forum software works, messages posted in the forum are not pre-screened by the forum staff. Therefore, the forum management is not responsible for the content of messages posted by its members. Each forum member is responsible for his/her own actions here. If you post a message that is offensive or that is illegal (for example, that violates someone else's copyright or that slanders someone), you are subject to possible ejection from the forum and/or litigation by the person who believes he/she has been wronged. This includes talk about illegal activities such as drug use.

Discussions may become heated on occasions. You should always bear in mind that it is perfectly acceptable to attack a person’s opinion but never to personally attack someone for holding an opinion that it different to yours.

To attack a person may result in your message being moved from the public arena.

Repeated attacks may result in your expulsion from the forum.

SIGNATURES

The signature format of the new software provides the opportunity for everyone to personalise their messages. We hope that everyone enjoys this feature but wish you to bear in mind that the majority of our members still access on a dial-up connection. Signatures that are overly large make messages very slow to download and can spoil the enjoyment of reading discussions.

ATTACHMENTS

Large attachments will also cause long download times, so please keep them under 10240kb.

Please do not post attachments that are offensive or illegal (for example, that violates someone else's copyright or of an adult content). Such attachments will be removed.

GENERAL

If it should come to our attention that a member uses this forum to solicit children for immoral purposes, or if a member expresses an interest in such activity, we may lock that member out of the forum and inform the authorities both at CompuServe and at the member's location.

THE FORUM MANAGEMENT RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MOVE OR DELETE ANY MESSAGE OR FILE, OR TO REMOVE ANY MEMBER FROM THE FORUM, FOR ANY REASON, AT ITS SOLE DISCRETION.

If you do not agree to the above forum guidelines, please leave the forum immediately and do not return. Your participation here indicates your agreement to these guidelines.

The Forum Manager or its designee may, in its sole judgment, deny access to any Member whom Manager deems not to meet admissions requirements or whom it deems to have violated the rules or standards of the Forum or the Service. Manager and its designees will incur no liability for damages, direct, incidental or consequential, to Members or any third party in the exercise of this judgment.

Casual Chat Forum Manager & Staff