Online Community and Internet Safety

Welcome to the internet but please be careful.

I thought I should write some information on internet safety seeing as we run a discussion group and a database where people can meet each other.

It is great that we all love our poi and staff twirling but that does not mean that everyone is nice and honest. Chances are there may be a few who are not who they appear to be .

Remember that we can not actually see each other and some people use this to pretend to be something they are not. A mentally ill person who is 40years old and male may be pretending to be a 18 year old girl :eek: . And you really don't want to be giving out personal details to this kind of person.

You should always think about what you put into our discussion group. It is viewable by anyone on the internet. That includes the crazy people who get a thrill out of hurting or harming others.

So what should you do to keep SAFE on the internet?

Think very carefully about what information that you give out in public viewable areas of the site.
Do not give out your personal street address or phone numbers. Keep your full family name private, use a nick name or first name only. Just because you may see others post their personal information does not mean that it is a safe practice.
If you are giving out information in order to shop on the internet. Make sure the site uses a secure server (SSL, look for the padlock symbol on the bottom of your browser) and they have a privacy policy that safe guards your information.
Remember also that even though this site is protected by copyright, people will still help themselves to information in the discussion group and/or meet others sections and could even cut and paste it onto another site and use it in a fashion that could be very hurtful to you .
Think that what ever you post or say on the internet should be suitable for everyone in the world to see.
This site is a great resource for making new friends and meeting others interested in the same arts. But just because you are best friends online does not mean you should let your guard down.
If you want to meet up with someone from the internet then instead of meeting at your place, try meeting in a public place where other people will be, and make sure you tell someone (eg. parents) and why not take a friend along too, that way you have help if you need it.
Do not go for a ride in their car or meet at their house unless you feel safe and have friends (large body guard type person ) with you. It is better always to organize your own transport to and from the meeting place, that way you can leave when you want to.
You make the rules and do not let them convince you otherwise. If they are genuine they should be happy meeting you the way you want.

Hopefully most of the people you meet and chat with are really nice HOP people , but always be prepared for the very few that are not.

Happy surfing

Kindest regards

Malcolm Crawshay

PS. If you ever have a concern before or after meeting someone or concern about some information in our discussion boards please feel free to contact site administrator.