We think that it is always good to have reminders about safety. 
Here are some things that you can do to help you stay safe here on CS, and elsewhere on the Internet:
- Always use care when reading posts. If you are not in a good place yourself, it may be wise to not read in the triggering forums at that time. Read the information on posting triggering information (posted in cloudy days), so that you can each help one another to self care on the forums!
- Give yourself permission to not read posts by anyone that tends to post things that you find triggering, or that you feel unready to handle. You can use the “Ignore” feature of the forum to help you with this. (click on the usercp link under the top banner, and choose the buddy/ignore link from the left hand side menu!)
- If you do not wish to have members reply to your posts using Christian terms or from a Christian perspective, please feel free to say so. You do not have to be a “Christian” or even interested in pursuing Christianity as an option to be a member of this forum.
- Be aware that it is much safer to post about your issues on the forum, rather than using private messages or email, because you can get a much more balanced input on the things you post about. Having one online individual be your “counselor” can be very dangerous, even if the individual means well. This is not to say that you should never discuss things in private messages or on MSN, etc ... but rather that it would be wise to be cautious in all your online relationships and make sure that this is not your only source of support. Please also be cautious of members who wish to take things to a more private level very quickly. If you are at all uncomfortable with doing so, it is totally ok to say so!
- Be particularly wary of anyone that encourages you to meet them, or to discuss things in private with them rather than post on the forum. It can be very risky to meet someone face to face that you know solely from the Internet, because they may not truly be who they appear to be online. If you do choose at any time to meet someone that you don't know other than from online, it is always wise to meet in a public place, and have someone that you know and trust with you. It is ok to take your time and be sure you are safe.
-Always be careful about giving your personal information (whole name, address, telephone number) to anyone that you haven't had plenty of time to get to know well. Never let anyone make you feel guilty for saying no to such requests. It is always ok to keep yourself safe.
- If someone seems to be too anxious to discuss everything in private, or if you ever feel pressured to talk in private, we would encourage you to bring it to the attention of the staff, by posting in the conflict and concerns forum. (where only the senior staff, and the thread-starter can read each thread, making it very private and safe!)
- Always use the 'Flag' function (by clicking on the Flag located on every post on the forum) if you are concerned about a post that has been made, so that staff are alerted to any potential problems asap.
As always, please feel free to contact any of the Senior Staff members with any concerns that you may have about the forum, or Private Messages you may be receiving.
Here are some things that you can do to help you stay safe here on CS, and elsewhere on the Internet:
- Always use care when reading posts. If you are not in a good place yourself, it may be wise to not read in the triggering forums at that time. Read the information on posting triggering information (posted in cloudy days), so that you can each help one another to self care on the forums!
- Give yourself permission to not read posts by anyone that tends to post things that you find triggering, or that you feel unready to handle. You can use the “Ignore” feature of the forum to help you with this. (click on the usercp link under the top banner, and choose the buddy/ignore link from the left hand side menu!)
- If you do not wish to have members reply to your posts using Christian terms or from a Christian perspective, please feel free to say so. You do not have to be a “Christian” or even interested in pursuing Christianity as an option to be a member of this forum.
- Be aware that it is much safer to post about your issues on the forum, rather than using private messages or email, because you can get a much more balanced input on the things you post about. Having one online individual be your “counselor” can be very dangerous, even if the individual means well. This is not to say that you should never discuss things in private messages or on MSN, etc ... but rather that it would be wise to be cautious in all your online relationships and make sure that this is not your only source of support. Please also be cautious of members who wish to take things to a more private level very quickly. If you are at all uncomfortable with doing so, it is totally ok to say so!
- Be particularly wary of anyone that encourages you to meet them, or to discuss things in private with them rather than post on the forum. It can be very risky to meet someone face to face that you know solely from the Internet, because they may not truly be who they appear to be online. If you do choose at any time to meet someone that you don't know other than from online, it is always wise to meet in a public place, and have someone that you know and trust with you. It is ok to take your time and be sure you are safe.
-Always be careful about giving your personal information (whole name, address, telephone number) to anyone that you haven't had plenty of time to get to know well. Never let anyone make you feel guilty for saying no to such requests. It is always ok to keep yourself safe.
- If someone seems to be too anxious to discuss everything in private, or if you ever feel pressured to talk in private, we would encourage you to bring it to the attention of the staff, by posting in the conflict and concerns forum. (where only the senior staff, and the thread-starter can read each thread, making it very private and safe!)
- Always use the 'Flag' function (by clicking on the Flag located on every post on the forum) if you are concerned about a post that has been made, so that staff are alerted to any potential problems asap.
As always, please feel free to contact any of the Senior Staff members with any concerns that you may have about the forum, or Private Messages you may be receiving.
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