Forum rules
Our discussion
forum provides users with a positive space in which they can
share experiences and exchange views.
All views posted on the forum are individual and not the views,
policy or advice of Parkinson's UK. Please see the forum terms and conditions for information on
your responsibilities as a forum user.
We ask for certain information about you when you register for
the forum. This information is subject to our website terms and conditions and is for internal
use only.
What is the forum for?
Our discussion forum provides users with a space in which they
can share experiences, exchange views and support one another.
Who is it for?
The forum is here for anyone affected by Parkinson's. This means people with Parkinson's,
families, friends, carers, etc. All are welcome to join but we ask
that only one person posts using any one username.
Be respectful
Remember that people on the forum may be having the best or
worst day of their lives. Don't attack or abuse others or inflame
situations.
Disagreement is fine but harassment, intimidation or verbal
abuse isn't. Don’t treat people on the forum with less respect than
if you were standing in front of them.
Give others the benefit of the doubt. If you find a post
objectionable, consider whether the person who posted it meant it
to be so. People may be tired, stressed out or having a bad
day.
Read your response before you post it and consider whether it is
reasonable or whether it will make things worse.
Think before you post
Remember that everyone is entitled to their opinion. Before
making a post, consider that people interpret things in different
ways and what may be innocent to one person could be offensive or
upsetting to another. Similarly, you may disagree with something
someone has posted, but that does not make them wrong.
Do not reply to an offensive post in an angry way. Reacting may
encourage the person who posted it, and arguments on the forum
upset other users, not just those involved.
It is better to report the post to the forum moderator instead
of posting a reply.
DON'T SHOUT
Use CAPITALS sparingly. Using capital letters in posts is
considered to be shouting. Only use bold, italics and underlining
to highlight parts of your post. Also, CAPS can be difficult to
read.
Don't advertise
While people on the forum may want to share information about
products and services that have worked for them, the forum is not
intended as a market-place. We do our best to ensure that you are
not bothered by spam but we ask at the same time that you do not
use the forum to sell products and services.
If you receive private messages from anyone trying to sell you
something or recruit you for a study or media campaign, please
contact a moderator.
Keep it relevant
Be sure to post in the correct section of the forum and if you
must use links, ensure that they are relevant to Parkinson's.
Keeping to the correct section means that your post is likely to be
read by those who are interested. You’re also likely to get more
responses. We remove links that have nothing to do with
Parkinson's.
Don't post the same message in more than one section. In
most cases, this stops the flow of conversation and can be quite
boring for those who are looking through the latest activity.
Still, there are times where this might be appropriate.
If you think this is something that you would like to do,
contact the moderator to find out whether it’s acceptable.
Stay safe
The forum is public and everything that is posted can be found
on search engines. People are not necessarily who they say they are
on the forum. Keep yourself safe by sticking to the following
rules:
- Never use your real name or email address as your
username.
- Don't post your contact details.
- Don't share your password.
- If you contact someone using private messaging, they'll have
access to your email address.
- Forum members sometimes arrange to meet each other. If you
decide to do this, do meet in a public place and use caution.
Always make sure someone knows where you are.
- We can't monitor emails sent so think carefully before you
send a private message.
Be legal - read the terms and conditions
The forum terms and
conditions set out your legal obligations and you agreed
to them when you joined the forum. Make sure you know what they
are.
Only post content that you have written yourself. If you would
like to share the work of another person that may be relevant, be
sure to only use a short excerpt of the material and acknowledge
the person who wrote it. We will remove posts that breach copyright
immediately.
Moderation
Our team of moderators check the forum regularly to ensure that
we are keeping to these guidelines and the terms and conditions. The actions that we can
take when the forum rules are breached are listed in the terms and
conditions. Where we can, we will try to moderate in a way that
doesn't interrupt the flow of conversation.
When you write to us either through the 'Report this post' link
next to a forum post, or by emailing forum@parkinsons.org.uk, we
will normally get back to you within 3 days.
How to complain
Forum users sometimes prefer to complain about (or compliment)
the charity using the forum. It is valuable to some users to know
that others are aware of their complaints. Unfortunately, these
remain as comments on the forum and don't go to the appropriate
department for further action.
We have a dedicated feedback department, to which can address
your comment or complaint. Send us your
feedback online, or email feedback@parkinsons.org.uk
or call 020 7963 9324.
Keep talking to us
We do our best to moderate the forum according to these
guidelines and the terms and conditions
but we sometimes miss things.
We rely on forum users to help us by letting us know. Email us
at forum@parkinsons.org.uk
- email
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