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Chat
Welcome to the Award's Message Board. We hope you enjoy talking about the Award here... it is moderated and the Award reserves the right to ban anyone found abusing it in any way. Everyone is able to read the messages but to post you need to Register. It's free, easy and takes just a few seconds. Scroll down to login. Please keep the chat friendly and fun as it is most of the time but like all Internet chat sites there are some who take things too seriously. So don't abuse other posters. In thankfully rare and extreme cases posts have been forwarded onto ISP's, college and employers! You are liable for what you say on here! If you don't know what is and isn't acceptable (common sense is as good a guide as any) then read the Terms & Conditions. Do not to use abusive or bad language/swearing, it's not big and it's not clever. A few Golden rules:
BE WARY - PEOPLE MAY NOT BE WHO THEY SAY THEY ARE don't take things at face value when meeting people in chatrooms. It can be scary but some people do use chatrooms to make contact. It's unlikely they'll tell you the truth about who they are, instead they'll probably pretend to be the same age as you - a potential mate. They'll spend months chatting, gaining your trust and pretending to be friendly and sympathetic - a process called 'grooming'. So keep your wits about you, trust your judgement and if someone or something makes you feel uncomfortable when you are chatting, let an adult know about it. DON'T GIVE OUT PERSONAL INFO Would you give a complete stranger your name, address and telephone number? No - then why do it in a chatroom/messageboard then? It's easy for people to hide behind e-mail or text messages. Think of all the hassle you'd have to go through if you started receiving abusive texts and had to change your mobile number. You can avoid that grief by never swapping phone numbers in chatrooms. DON'T PUT YOUR MATES IN A STICKY SITUATION BY POSTING THEIR DETAILS Never give away your friends' details online - their addresses, e-mail addresses, mobile numbers or anything that could identify them offline. Never discuss their details in a chatroom, particularly information that they may have told you about themselves in confidence or anything that could possibly get them into trouble BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT MEETING ONLINE CONTACTS FACE TO FACE You should never meet up with someone you have only met in a chatroom no matter how long you've known them or how tempting it seems, because this is really, really risky. But if you are determined to meet up with a friend then NEVER go it alone. Always take a trusted adult with you and ALWAYS tell an adult where you are going, and what time you'll be back. If the contact is providing an Award activity check them out through their Award Operating Authority or via their local Award Office first. YOU ARE IN CONTROL - LET SOMEONE KNOW IF YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE ONLINE Familiarise yourself with the help that's at hand - most chatrooms have an 'alert' button you can press if you feel concerned about another chatter's behaviour or you could keep a record of worrying conversations by hitting 'print screen'. Ultimately just remember this simple fact: you're in control and can leave a chatroom or log off whenever you like. Get on our e-mail newsletter mailing list now!
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