Before Joining
Remember:
Treat everyone as you would like to be treated.
This is the golden rule.
Generally respecting yourself and others will ensure you have an enjoyable time here on Serenity. Its only when you begin to disrespect others or yourself that you’ll get into trouble. Relax and have fun, that’s the purpose of this chat.
• This is a mature chat for the most part. Looser chatting can be found here as opposed to other chat sites. While we allow this type of chatting atmosphere we ask that you please respect the view’s of other users. This means that when someone ask you to please stop discussing a certain topic, please stop talking about it or move it to whisper. There are also Private Rooms for this type of thing.
• Serenity is generally Rated PG-13, following the US Rating Scale; except for the 17+ rooms which are rated “R”. Parents are strongly cautioned that some material may be inappropriate for children under the age of 13. This goes beyond the PG Rating with violence, sensuality, language, adult activities or other elements but does not reach the Restricted R Category. This site may contain occasional use of harsher sexually-derived words and even some harsh language.
• The Administration Team reserves the right to ask for a user’s age or birth year at any given time. This information is necessary to ensure that the rules are being followed and to keep our younger users out of the room designated for older users. Before giving any of this information away please make sure that this is an admin asking for it.
• Members are allowed to have multiple accounts, though please keep them all in separate rooms and not together.
• Swearing is permitted here! Though please keep it to a minimum in 14+ Rooms. Excessive swearing, swearing directed at someone, and disturbing the peace in general will not be tolerated here. Harsher language needs to stay within the 17+ rooms.
• Do not use inappropriate language or references in your account name, anything that targets another user or is blatantly offensive will be removed.
• We do not tolerate any form of harassment here on Serenity. Understand that our userbase is a diverse one and you may encounter someone who’s views do not match your own. Keep it civil or move on to a different topic.
• Do not attack others based on their race, age, gender, sexuality, etc. This is NOT TOLERATED.
General Chat Rules
• Respect other users and staff at all times
• Harassment is any behavior intended to upset, disturb, anger another user. Harassment covers a wide range of offensive behavior which includes persistent name calling, whispering, howling from another room, cursing, sexual advances, racial slurs and comments, gay bashing, stalking, invading someones personal bubble, etc. Talking of rape in any way shape or form is also not permitted, joking or not, please keep it off the public chat.
• Do not impersonate staff or other users
• Please no mini modding! This is the staff’s job, not yours. However, if there is a problem and an administrator is not currently online please send a message to any Staff Member.
• Please no Spamming! Spam is associated by rapid moving about the room or by text. Moving around the screen can lag some people, not everyone has a great connection. Another form of spam is random letter that mean nothing over and over. Flooding is when you fill up the entire scroll and stretch the screen. All Caps is ok, just please don’t abuse it. It’s considered “yelling” and if kept up it’s considered spam.
• If a user is clearly uncomfortable with a subject or asks you to stop please listen; do not argue with them or become hostile as this is considered a form of harassment.
• Death Threats, Hack Threats, talk of Self Harm can result in a ban. If you talk about suicide or self harm we may choose to temporarily remove you from the chat, to ensure you don’t upset anyone else on chat. We will not, however, remove you for a large amount of time, we do not want to separate you from your friends.
Rules of the 17+ Areas
• No one under the age of 17 will be permitted in this area, in order to allow us to secure a place for our older, more mature users to have a place to express themselves freely.
• We are all adults in the 17+ rooms, so please act like adults and act maturely.
• Discussions and debates are allowed here, please be respectful of other user’s opinions and do not trash/threaten/insult them for not agreeing with your view/opinion.
• Mature topics are allowed here, which would not be allowed in the younger areas. However, if you are offended by the topic, feel free to speak up and ask for it to be changed; do not expect the majority of the room to change the discussion (the best thing to do if the discussion will not be changed is to go to another room). Be respectful of the majority and change the topic if several users ask for the subject to be dropped or changed. If you continue a discussion, despite the majority asking for a change, you may be removed from the room.
• Explicit language is allowed in these zones, but do not direct them at another person in a negative manner. Playful teasing is allowed but if they ask for you to stop it, then please stop.
• Remember, these rooms are not for RolePlaying, keep all RP in the Dark Rift.
• Last but not least, have fun and enjoy yourself.
Sniff/Profile Rules
• Sniffs are to be generally PG13 Level (please include a warning if your sniff contains explicit logs), as they are seen on all chatlands
• If a Death or Suicide Threat is found in someone’s sniff, the user must remove the material within 24 hours. If the material is not removed by the next Log In, you will be banned without warning.
• Please no “Do Not Click” links, this can result in a Permanent Ban if not removed
• Please no “Hate List”, you will be asked to remove the content
RolePlaying
• Keep roleplaying to the appropriate roleplay areas
• There are a few public rooms for you to roleplay in, or you can do it in a private room, but please do not roleplay in public rooms.
Private Rooms
• In your room, be it temporary or permanent, you are your own Alpha, and you can pick your own rating and you can kick out whoever you want for whatever reason. In someone else’s room, you are subject to their laws. If you don’t like someone’s rules in their room, just go somewhere else. If they are violating one of the special consequence rules, such as a death threat, a hack threat, or propositioning a minor, you should report the violation to an Administrator immediately. Administrators will generally not interfere in private room issues unless it is one of the aforementioned special consequences rules. If you have an issue with someone else in a private room and it does not fall under the special consequences rules, you need to discuss that issue with the room Alpha or find a new room.
Links to Inappropriate Content
As a service to our users, the Serenity chat software automatically converts web addresses that are typed in as “speech” into clickable links. These web links open up a new browser window and display the content found at that web address. These links are typically for sites that are external to this website and are thus not under the control of Serenity. Please note that Serenity is not responsible for any content displayed when a link takes you to an external website. Furthermore, any user who enters a link to a page with explicit sexual, violent or racist content, or a site that opens multiple windows repeatedly to force a user to restart the computer, or to any other site that is considered offensive in nature, may be banned without warning, such bans can be temporary or permanent depending on the content of the link in question. This rule applies in both public rooms and to your profile (also known as a ‘sniff’). If you have any doubts about a particular link, DO NOT POST IT ON SERENITY.
As a side note, “Shock sites” result in automatic bans, be they posted in PUBLIC or PRIVATE rooms. Any “shock site” links found in your profile and/or sniff will also result in a permanent ban without warning.
Important Information Regarding Propositions to a Minor:
(1) If you proposition a minor to participate in any illegal activity, you will be permanently banned from all Chatlands sites, not just this one. Instances of propositioning minors will be reported to the appropriate Internet Service Provider (ISP) and/or legal authority.
(2) As a reminder: by your act of participating in Serenity, you have already agreed to abide by our rules and you have already agreed to our terms of use. Any evidence of unlawful acts taking place on Serenity will be turned over to the appropriate ISP as well as possible law enforcement.
(3) If we have a reasonable suspicion that any involvement with a minor is unethical in our sole judgment, WE WILL BAN YOU, without warning, even if this situation occurs in a “role play” or “pretend” atmosphere.
Please Remember:
The Serenity Administration cannot be everywhere at once, so it’s up to YOU, as a User, to report any suspicious activity to Staff. We will follow up all allegations as soon as we can, and we will take necessary and appropriate action as required. So please save all your logs, note the time, date, what room, any details that will help.
Important Note:
If an incident happens outside of Serenity, on systems over which Serenity Admins, and/or Chatlands, have no control (for example: if the users are communicating via instant messengers such as MSN, AIM, YIM, or perhaps via an email messages on hotmail.com, gmail.com, etc), we aren’t able to help. If you are a child and you have a problem, WE STRONGLY ADVISE that that you notify your parents or other responsible adult and get their help. They should contact those responsible for the service (such as AOL for AIM messenges, Microsoft for hotmail.com type emails, Google for gmail.com type emails, etc). Be sure to save all information and any history of the problem, as this will help the authorities as they work to solve this problem.
As always, WE STRONGLY ADVISE everyone: Do not give out personal contact information such as phone numbers, street address, real life names or the name of your school, any information that helps someone else you met online locate you in real life. No exceptions.
For further information on Internet Safety please look at these links provided:
FBI Kids Safety
http://www.fbi.gov/fun-games/kids/kids-safety
Internet Safety for Kids and Parents
http://www.netsmartz.org/Parents
Tip List
http://www.commonsense.com/internet-saf … r-kids.php