This probably seems like a lot to take in, but most of it is common sense.
General
Privacy
What's said here stays here. Reposting content from the board to another forum or weblog is absolutely forbidden unless you have the consent of everyone involved in the conversation. This board relies on mutual trust, and violations of this rule may result in your being banned from the board. We cannot emphasize how serious we are about this rule.
Do not repost private mail or messages without the consent of the person who wrote them. This includes instant messaging and IRC conversations as well as email, private messages, friends-locked weblog posts and other written conversations. We take this rule especially seriously if the second party is also a member of the board. If we see private communication posted on the board we may ask you to remove it, or edit your post.
Do not share the content of posts with people who know the poster in real life. You may think you're doing someone a favor by telling his partner what he posts, but that decision belongs to the person who has to live with the consequences of disclosure. Think about how you'd feel if someone told your secrets.
If you know someone on BUS in real life, it is your responsibility to regulate your interactions here - though many people choose to put "no IRL (in real life)" tags on their posts, this is not a rule which is enforced by the administration. We will, however, do our best to mediate conflicts between users, and find mutually satisfactory solutions.
Research
If you are a journalist or researcher, or want to collect data on the board for any reason, you must clear it with an admin first. Posts attempting to collect data which have not been cleared with an admin will be moved off the board pending approval. Repeated postings will be considered spam, and your account may be deactivated.
No research requests will be approved which are not within the constraints of ethical guidelines, or which do not obtain the consent of all participating parties. Please be aware that it is not permissible to use someone's words that you have found here in your research or writings without that person's permission.
If we do not feel we have enough information to make a decision regarding your request, we may ask you for additional details about your intended use of the data you collect here.
We do not always reach a decision immediately regarding research requests, so please be patient.
Advertising, Solicitation & Spam
No commercial ads, solicitations or requests for money are permitted here. Spamming is also prohibited. Advertisements and solicitations as well as spam will be moved off the board. Spammers will be squished. If you feel your account has been wrongfully deleted, please contact an admin.
You may mention your website, but if you're a new member and all you've ever done is post to advertise your website the post will likely be removed.
Links
Do not link to or post pictures of self-inflicted wounds or pictures of things you would not be allowed to post about -- no blood, no porn, etc. Do not link to pro-SI or pro-ED sites, including journals and journal communities.
If you post a link to something others may find disturbing (such as an article about self-injury) please remember to appropriately trigger the link so that people know what to expect if they choose to follow it.
It is permissible to link to your personal website in a post or in your signature, provided that it does not have graphic content violating the BUS rules.
Inappropriate links will be removed at the discretion of the administrative staff.
Age
If you are less than 13 years old, please send a private message to deb (sine nomine). In accordance with US federal law, people under the age of 13 cannot be on this board without the permission of their parent(s) or guardian(s) in the form of a written and signed letter, with a phone number for confirmation. This rule applies to you even if you do not live in the US.
Usernames
The board is set to reject some words ("blood," for instance) if you try to make them part of your username, but we don't have every possibility covered. Try not to choose a name that identifies you as your problem or that refers to self-harm, eating disorders, and the like. If you've chosen such a name, it's possible you will get a PM from an admin requesting that you think of a different name you'd like to be known by here. It's nothing personal.
Internet Security
The Internet is a big place and it's not a governed place either. Similarly, BUS is a large community and because of the things we divulge in order to get support, it can be very easy to quickly feel so comfortable that keeping ourselves safe can be put on the back burner.
If you want more information, about Internet security, or suggestions on what good Internet safety habits are, please see this post.
Posting for Others & Sharing Accounts
Please don't. If someone who is not a member of this board wants a post placed on BUS, they need to sign up and post it themselves. Along similar lines, please do not post for other members unless the member is absolutely unable to connect to the Internet. Additionally, please do not post for or about other members without their permission, even if they are unable to access the board themselves.
It is not OK for other people to post messages on BUS using your account, whatever the excuse. If you believe someone else has access to your account, please change your password, and/or contact an admin about it. Regardless of your mental state at the time or posting, or any other extenuating circumstances, you are responsible for all words that are posted here under your name. Account-sharing can be grounds for banning.
Please also note that you may not have more than one account on BUS. If you have multiple accounts, please contact an admin to let them know which one you would like to keep.
Interactions, Warnings, & Limits
Personal Attacks
Personal attacks are not permitted under any circumstances. We don't care who started it. If you are having problems with someone on the board, please talk to an admin or moderator about it. We'll try to help you work it out. Personal attacks include things like name-calling and threats. Posting things you may not like or want to hear is not a personal attack. Disagreement is not a personal attack.
If you find interacting with others on BUS to be difficult, you might want to read this post which discusses effective vs. non-effective ways to communicate with others.
Suicide Notes/Threats of SI
Suicide notes and threats are not permitted. If you feel you are in immediate danger, please go to the hospital, call a hotline, find a friend - whatever it takes to keep yourself safe. It's OK to post here about your feelings but it is not OK to say (or imply) that you are about to kill yourself - this is extremely upsetting to many people, and especially since there's nothing we can do, it's very unfair. Suicide threats will be removed from the board.
Asking whether or not something is an "overdose" falls into the same category. If you think you have taken an overdose, phone Poison Control or a pharmacy. We are not medical professionals -- we don't know for sure.
The same goes for immediate self-harm situations. Put down your tools before you log on to the board. If you still want to hurt yourself later, it's your choice, but it's unfair to ask for help while holding imminent self-harm over someone. Do not threaten to hurt yourself if you don't get the response you want or if someone doesn't answer you. It's not fair.
Though board members can often give good first-aid tips, again, remember that we are not medical professionals -- if you think you may need medical help for your SI, please go to the hospital. We cannot make this determination for you.
Because we think that what you're feeling is far more important than what you've done to hurt yourself, we ask you to be careful about posting some types of content.
Graphic Details
Be careful about posting graphic details of injuries, sexual situations, abuse, violence, or other such subjects. Before you post, ask yourself what you hope to get from the post, and how much detail is necessary. Use the system of warnings described here in your subject line or within the text of your post to let people know what to expect. Casual mentions of these things don't require tags, and by tagging them you may get fewer responses than you would otherwise.
Methods & Tools
Do not post asking for methods of self-injury or describing them in detail. It's okay to say "I cut" but not "I honed a beet to a fine edge and slashed with it." If you want to say things like "slash" and "carve," think about what you're hoping to convey with them.
It's OK to mention tools in a general way, but please refrain from talking about them in specifics. Posts containing descriptions of methods or tools for self-injury will probably be edited. It's usually not a problem to mention things that are commonly used or general categories; "blade" or "knife" usually aren't edited, for instance.
We strongly believe that the feelings behind self-harm are infinitely more important than the details of what you've done to yourself.
Numbers
Don't post weights, amount of weight gained or lost, clothing sizes or other similar information. Don't post wound or scar dimensions, number of wounds or scars, or number of stitches received. Do not post the contents of an overdose, or any other similar information
Generally, stay away from numbers; most of them will be edited. Again, we consider the feelings behind these things to be much more important than the physical details.
If you want to talk about health or your weight in healthy ways, there's a special forum for this called "please be healthy." If you'd like access, click on the Usergroups link above and apply to join. You'll be added as soon as a moderator see the request.
Warnings
Please know that you can't expect to be protected from everything here. If you are feeling fragile enough that the sight of the word "cut" is too much, please either stay away from the board or stay in forums like games and distractions until you feel stronger.
Different people are bothered by different things, and it's a good idea to come up with a plan for what you will do if you read a post that's very upsetting to you. The coping forum is a good place to get help doing that. Ultimately, you are responsible for your own safety here.
If you have thought about it carefully and have decided that you need to post some graphic content in order to say what you need to say, let people know. Use descriptive subject lines, and add a tag, either in the subject or within the text of the post. Saying "I cut" or "I want to hurt myself doesn't need a tag, but giving specific details does. It's generally a bad idea to tag posts that don't need warnings, because over time that tends to make the warnings less useful. If in doubt, ask a moderator or an admin.
Some of the most commonly used warnings are:
- SI/SH = explicit discussion of self-harm
- SU = detailed discussion of suicidal feelings
- ED = explicit discussion of eating disorder(s) or disordered eating. We don't allow tips or thinspiration under any circumstances, though you can talk about the health consequences of eating disorders in the please be healthy forum.
- OD = discussion of overdose(s). Please don't ask if something is an overdose -- we almost always don't know. Phone poison control, a hospital, or a pharmacist/chemist. If you're waiting for help and you need reassurance, it's okay to ask for that.
If you see something you think should be edited please let us know! We can't guarantee we'll agree with you, but we always appreciate it when people report posts. This thread explains the different ways you can report a post to the mods and admins of BUS.
The rules are here for a reason. They've evolved as the board has grown, and they aren't always set in stone. If you think a rule is unfair, bring it up in the suggestion box.
Please don't be intimidated. If you post with good intentions and respect for others, you should get along just fine here! Making a few mistakes isn't going to get you "kicked off" or "in trouble." Deactivation or banning are used as a last resort. A decision to remove someone from bus is never made lightly.
If you have been edited, or are worried about being edited, you might want to read this post: when you get pm'd about an edit. We're not bad guys, and we don't see you that way either. The staff is not out to get you
Welcome to bus
and Happy Posting!(written by deb and Prox)