My favorite guideline is the one about not sharing personal information or social media accounts with others on the site.
@Kate I really like that one too, I think it really sets the foundation for safety on the internet :) And it gives people a way to reject unwanted contact/advancements, especially for people who have a hard time saying no and/or setting boundaries. It's an inarguable safety net :) so much easier to say "I'm sorry I can't give my information, it's site rules"-- you don't have to say why you don't want to, or worry about hurting someone's feelings, it's just the rule!
@Kate
I agree, is so important that everyone is allowed to stay anonymous. It helps everyone who uses 7 cups and allows everyone to feel safer.
My favorite site guideline is related to conflict resoltuion. I like that we all can take ownership to resolve conflict amongst ourselves. This is a great skill we can use both offline and online
My favorite guideline is to respect the boundaries of other community members. I think this rule is so important because it keeps everyone safe and eliminates stalking and harassment.
Choose not to engage in sexting or flirting.
There are so many different dating apps or even sites where that's not the focus but it can happen. I come here for support, not to seek a relationship. I'm not single, so it's nice not to have to turn down people who have genuine interest and I certainly do not want sexual advances.
My fave site guideline is *drumrolls*
Be in a healthy state of mind.
I think this guideline is super important and can be misunderstood. It's not a punishment for people who feel this way, it's actually a safety thing (safety week pun intended) it is a rule to help you focus on healing yourself so that you log off & reach out to trained crisis professionals. When you are feeling safe again, you can log back on. This guideline helps me judge my mindset when I log in because I ask myself if I'm okie to be online
@summertimeSamness Yes! Self care and making sure you're healthy is so important.
@summertimeSamness I think it's useful to point out (in case someone is confused by it) that's a Listener Community Guideline, not a general one. Members & guests are not required to be in a healthy state of mind when using the site.
I agree it's a great one for listeners!
@AffyAvo
Members are required to be safe tho that's what the guideline is refering to. That you aren't in danger of actively hurting yourself or other people. So i think the guideline is whole site
@summertimeSamness The general community guideline is different. It is stated as Do not be suicidal, homicidal, or abusing anyone.
When seeking support, one may feel quite distressed and not in a healthy mind state. Some come here during a panic attack, or while dissociating, or just incredibly emotional, all of that is ok.
The one you referenced is a listener guideline, not a general one.
@AffyAvo
I copied it directly from the general guideline
@summertimeSamness That is from the listeners' guidelines.
The general ones only have 14.
@Kate mien's "no fiet only snuggle" :D
Here's a list of the General Community Guidelins:
Guidelines
When accessing the site as a Member/Guest, you are agreeing that you will:
Remain professional, kind, and respectful towards one another.
Even if you do not get along with an individual listener, member, or guest it is up to you to act appropriately, step away and not engage. It is up to you to put yourself in situations where you can act in this manner.
Prevent hurtful rumor/gossip spreading.
Rumor: a currently circulating story or report of uncertain or doubtful truth.
Gossip: idle talk especially about the personal or private affairs of others
Aim to grow and learn as a person.
Show respect and kindness to Group Moderators.
Group Mods are volunteers who strive to foster a healthy chat room environment. Please remember this.
Refrain from sharing personal contact information
including, but not limited to, social media accounts, home addresses, phone numbers, messaging apps/sites, or any other medium of contact off-site.<
Maintain a confidential atmosphere.
All conversations between you and listeners are confidential. Do not share any chat details with any other listeners or members. Additionally, do not write or blog about any issues you are supporting people on.
Engage in healthy problem solving.
This means problem solving with the goal to continue to make the community better. Engage in healthy debates and conversations which lend themselves to problem solving and working together.
Use proper conflict resolution skills with every person on the site
Proper conflict resolution means dealing with conflict in a supportive manner that benefits both you and the other person involved.
Respect boundaries of other community members.
This includes a total ban on stalking and harassment of any kind.
Choose not to engage in sexting or flirting.
We have a zero tolerance policy for these behaviors. Even if it is consensual, it is not allowed on 7 Cups.
Never create second accounts on the site.
Each human in the world is only allowed one listener and one member account. There are no exceptions.
Do not engage in hateful behaviors of any kind.
Showing hate towards any gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion, racial or cultural background or imposing your view point on any of these items on another user is forbidden.
Do not be suicidal, homicidal, or abusing anyone.
We now have a behavior point system.
We ask each user to live by the guidelines outlined in this thread. Each behavior mentioned will be assigned a behavior point, once a certain number of points are accumulated within 6 months, consequences will be enacted.
Here's a list of the Listener ones:
When logged in as a Listener, you are agreeing that you will:
Profile Picture Guidelines
Please choose a head shot (picture of your face), nature scene, art/symbol/image (i.e, Hope), or animal. Please do not include pictures of famous people, sexually suggestive pics, or cartoon pics. You must be fully clothed in your picture. The goal of the picture is to express warmth, compassion, and kindness. Images must be in JPG, GIF or PNG format and less than 5MB. Thank you!
Profile Bio Guidelines
Please share a little about yourself. Do not link to other social media accounts or share any of your personal contact information. Do not include any graphic or inappropriate language. Your bio should be professional and approachable.
Profile Username Guidelines
Avoid using graphic or inappropriate language in your username. Any username that contains graphic or inappropriate language will be flagged.
Remain professional, kind, and respectful towards one another.
Even if you do not get along with an individual listener, it is up to you to act appropriately. If you must, step away and do not engage.
Prevent hurtful rumor/gossip spreading.
Rumor: a currently circulating story or report of uncertain or doubtful truth.
Gossip: idle talk especially about the personal or private affairs of others
Aim to grow and learn as a Listener & person.
In this light, learning to accept feedback thankfully.
Be aware of how to use the forum correctly and what may happen when you do not do so.
See more detailed forum guidelines below.
Refrain from sharing personal contact information
including, but not limited to, social media accounts, home addresses, phone numbers, messaging apps/sites, or any other medium of contact off-site. Learn more about internet safety in this forum. If you use the scheduling tool YouCanBookMe, you are required to remove the email submission step. Learn how to do this here.
Maintain a confidential atmosphere.
Between you and member/guests and between you and other listeners. All conversations between you and members are confidential. Do not share any chat details with any other listeners or members. Additionally, do not write or blog about any issues you are supporting people on.
Engage in healthy problem solving.
This means problem solving with the goal to continue to make the community better. Engage in healthy debates and conversations which lend themselves to problem solving and working together. Read more on the topic of healthy problem solving in this forum.
Use proper conflict resolution skills with every person on the site
Proper conflict resolution means dealing with conflict in a supportive manner that benefits both you and the other person involved. Read more on conflict resolution in this forum.
Be completely sober.
If you are suspected to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol to any degree we will suspend your account immediately for two weeks. In order to listen to another user, you must be sober.
Respect boundaries of other community members.
This includes a total ban on stalking and harassment of any kind.
Choose not to engage in sexting or flirting.
We have a zero tolerance policy for these behaviors. Even if it is consensual, it is not allowed on 7 Cups. Read more about sexting and flirting in this forum.
Never create second accounts on the site.
Each human in the world is only allowed one listener and one member account. There are no exceptions.
Protect your log-in information to all accounts on 7 Cups and not allow anyone else to use it besides the person whose name is in our system.
We expect that you will be the sole user of your listener/member account. If it comes to our attention that another person has accessed your account, we will need to immediately close your account for security reasons. This includes log-in details for 7 Cups Admin accounts.
Do not engage in hateful behaviors of any kind.
Showing hate towards any gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion, racial or cultural background or imposing your view point on any of these items on another user is forbidden.
Be in a healthy state of mind.
You must not be suicidal, homicidal, or abusing anyone.
We now have a behavior point system.
We ask each user to live by the guidelines outlined in this thread. Each behavior mentioned will be assigned a behavior point, once a certain number of points are accumulated within 6 months, consequences will be enacted.
@AffyAvo
Thank you for this! I've been on 7 Cups for a while now and this is the first time I've seen it!
@romanticthi3f It's been moved around a few times. Currently, it's on the community home page, near the bottom right hand corner.
When using a listener's account you'll be taken to the listener guidelines, if signed out or on a member account, you'll be taken to the general ones.
@Kate .. Maintaining confidential atmosphere
since this encourages members to be more open and receive help that is needed
I especially like that professionalism is encouraged. It help creat healthy boundaries.
My favorite guideline is
Remain professional, kind, and respectful towards one another.
It is a simple rule, but one that many people forget in both large and small social settings. Most especially online. Making it a rule that should be followed is a good way to start getting people into the habit, especially in websites that revolve around helping others and becoming part of a community such as this one.