Mood Chat Guidelines/Rules: Chat is restricted to registered members, to create a safe environment. You can find the registration form here . If it's still confusing to you, please contact us . We really want to help you and make this easy. ( Operators are standing by. Satisfaction guaranteed or your email back. Folks, it takes 5 minutes of your time, it's a one-shot deal, to get registered. But if you still have complaints about the need to register to use the chat room, please contact us; we are building a thread of compulsive kvetches in the Chat Rooms and their complaints. Don't ask, we've had quite a few. ) The chat room is primarily intended to provide support for people with mood disorders, but also provides an opportunity to network, and have a place for casual conversations when you need company. This is your  chat room, please help maintain order. ( Ok, that's the polite B.S. We know what you generally do in the room. We have the disorder too and we've done similar sh*t in the past.. We've written some general guidelines/rules below based on that experience. We also make up rules as we go. So check back often and see if we changed something. Most of us are rapid-cyclers, and as a relay team, we're formidable. Our guideline change will range from plain quirky, absurd, and weird. Or logical if it's a full moon night.) You must be 18 years or older to participate in Chat. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!!!! If you're in crisis, please do not enter the Chat room; call your pdoc, a local help line, 1-800-273-TALK, or 911 for emergencies. Repeated usage of chat during crisis situations will result in a ban. Also, read this.   (Of course, if you're coming to a chat room in crisis, we highly doubt it's a crisis. No disrespect to you, we're not providing warm-lines or hot-lines. But hey, there are people who will empathize and that may help you.) Discussion of self-harm or suicide may trigger other participants; please use good judgment, check with a moderator or other participants, and create a separate room if needed. Topics related to disturbing thoughts on these are ok. Just assure the room you ain't gonna slit your wrist or throat. Please welcome new participants; if anyone joining the room is in need of support, please disengage from casual chat or move casual chat to a different room. New participants: please realize that conversations may be off-topic at times; speak up for your support requirements. Don't be shy, join in on the conversation if you like it. "Sex talk" in the public rooms is discouraged - please use private rooms if these conversations turn too graphic and/or are offensive to others. Please treat everyone with respect and compassion; vile arguments, abuse, confrontation of any kind, excessive gossip, all will result in a warning, and a ban if necessary. Stalking, harassment or threats will result in a ban without warning. ( That may not cover every action that warrants a ban. We don't get to ban people often enough, our complaint form is collecting dust, so maybe you can give us a reason to do it once in a while? :) If you can't figure out why you're banned, you can contact us . A better option is to go to another chat site and tell them you were banned from Mood Chat for no reason at all. What can we tell you? Mood Chat sucks. Spread the word ). Swearing is allowed to a limited extent, but please be considerate to other chatters. Excessive use of foul language will result in a warning, and a ban if necessary. ( We don't expect you to follow this dumb guideline literally. Just don't become a keyboard John McCain and cuss each other out. If you have Tourette's syndrome, we empathize. Find a support room for that. Write to us about their policy on swearing, We are curious). Moderators make judgment calls at the spur of the moment about arguments, abuse and other situations. They may make wrong calls. They may document incidents, including transcripts. If you have complaints about moderators' action(s), contact us ; try NOT discuss these in the main chat room or spread gossip. Do not argue with or harass moderators, that will get you banned. ( Avoiding the discussion and emailing the administrator will help you express your frustration to someone that you think will read and do something about it. It's worth a try, and it's therapeutic for you. Chances of any action on your petty complaints are slim to none. ) We reserve the right to kick, gag or ban any participant who's deemed disruptive, from Mood Chat, at the discretion of the moderator. Moderators will warn you once, and take necessary action if the situation persists. Length of ban will be determined on the reason of ban. ( if you don’t agree with this then contact us. I doubt it will get any action taken against it but it may help you by getting it off your chest.) If there are no moderators in the room, enter Chat at your own risk. It's safer to leave if you are triggered, rather than get into an argument, when no one is around to help you. (Sure, you probably came for argument and abuse in the first place. Knock yourself out, if there's no moderator to kick you out.) Moderators are volunteers, and are not counselors or professionals; they would rather participate in chat for themselves, than be involved in difficult situations. Please assist them in maintaining order in the Chat room the best you can. ( If they kick, gag or ban you, don't take it personally. For all you know, they may just be testing the system. Likewise, feel free to test them. See what it takes to get kicked out or banned. Make sure you know some other member who can contact the moderator to say it was a prank and it won't happen again.) Moderators have the ability to be present in the room in invisible mode. This is rarely used and is not intended to 'spy' on the room. It's typically used when the moderator wants to monitor a potential confrontation and take action, but isn't comfortable disclosing identity to persons in the room. ( Either the moderator hates you and/or is chicken, or is just a peeping Tom or Jane. Doesn't matter, the end result will usually be the same. ) Privacy: WHAT PRIVACY?! Moderators can save transcripts of the conversation in the chat rooms when they are actually present (visible or invisible modes) in the listed chat rooms . This option has been turned off for all other users for obvious reasons. Transcripts are used to document incidents which the moderator wants to escalate to the administrator. Moderators can not see contents of (a) whispers, (b)private messages and (c) conversations in private rooms created by users. Administrators cannot see whispers or private messages. Whispers are cumbersome to use, and often result in messaging or responding to the whole room by mistake. Questions? Ask someone in the room. If you don't get answers, just add it to very bottom of the list of unanswered questions in your life.

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