Dear Friends:
Running a network like ours is a balancing act.
There are many who try and gain entrance to the network for the purposes of spamming. Every day I go through the process of looking at the applicants to join the network, rejecting those who don't seem to have any real connection to Vitiligo, admitting those who do, and then looking for those who may have sneaked through and deleting their accounts. I do this gladly as my form of contribution to creating a safe place for those with Vitiligo, and their loved ones, to be able to talk openly with each other--but private from the larger world--about the impact of this disorder on our lives. I don't hesitate to delete someone from the network who has misrepresented themselves in order to join but whose interest is only in spamming, commercial promotion, or worse.
More difficult are those members of the network who do have Vitiligo, who suffer from the social, cultural, and emotional stigmas that most of us have faced, and in loneliness reach out to make friendships here. Because of the variety of individual circumstances and the differences in cultural appropriateness, the network largely polices itself. Individuals who are contacted in a manner that is not appropriate generally email or message me privately, and I then communicate with the offending member and make sure they understand our guidelines for conduct and agree to abide by them.
If you have received unwanted advances or inappropriate messages, please email me at steve@hargadon.com. It is entirely appropriate, if you receive an unwanted personal or romantic query, to let the other person know that you are not interested in such correspondence, and to communicate with me if it does not stop.
I know that the social aspects of Vitiligo Friends can be a significant reason people are on the site. But to be clear:
- This is a family-friendly site, and we need parents and children to be comfortable viewing discussions here about their health and other Vitiligo-related topics. If you post inappropriate pictures, or use vulgar or demeaning language, I will remove you from the site.
- If you engage in conversation with someone on the site and they tell you they are not interested in talking, or they feel your questions are too personal, continuing the conversation is not OK.
- Any discussion of sexual matters should take into account the family-friendly nature of the site. Even in private messaging, unwanted or inappropriate sexual questions are cause for removal from the network. If you receive such messages, forward them to me at steve@hargadon.com immediately.
Thank you for making Vitiligo Friends a safe place for those who benefit from our common bond.
Steve
Steve Hargadon
Founder, VitiligoFriends.org
steve@hargadon.com
Replies