Greetings.
If you are a logged-in member here at
Stepping Out of Squalor you should find a shoutbox button at the top of the board under the main group title on the left. You should see: Home, Latest, Help... etc, followed by Shoutbox.
The shoutbox is available at all times to members under the same rules and guidelines as the
forum. If you are logged into the forum, you will be logged into the shoutbox.
There are limitations compared to a chat room. The messages won't update automatically (you need to hit enter to refresh). We can’t tell who is present but silent. The last shouts are saved indefinitely, whether the author is logged in or not. Text colors are only available with a copy-and-paste method good for one message. There is no private messaging through the shoutbox itself.
If people have recently logged into the shoutbox but not responding, it is likely they are away on a "chat challenge". This is a quick challenge between two or more people to get a task done within a specified period of time. The time is usually 15 minutes but it can be more or less. When people return triumphant, we give them the praise they deserve.
Every username in the shoutbox belongs to a living, breathing person who may be of a different race, religion, sexual or political orientation, nationality, age, weight or eye color than you. Please use your best judgment and limit potentially offensive discussions. In addition to the usual pitfalls, a number of us have personal demons that we find hard to manage. If someone says they have difficulty handling a particular topic, please respect them enough to change the subject.
Under certain circumstances wherein a chatter seriously offends other chatters, we ask that the offended chatters ask the offender to "Stop". If this does not help and the content continues, reports to the admin group may occur. To report a shoutbox problem to the admin group
use this link.
Serious offenses that violate ProBoards
Terms of Service and
Stepping Out of Squalor's rules, will result in the following consequences:
- Six month suspension from the shoutbox for first serious offense
- Posting on the forum is allowed
- "Probation" on the user's profile, visible to the member on probation and mods only
- Ban at second serious offense, including flare-ups on the forum
- "Banned" will be be placed on the offender's profile for all to see
The investigation process to be used by the admins for reports of serious offenses in the shoutbox :Once the admins receive a report (or are personally witness to it while in the shoutbox) an investigation will be conducted. This may take as little or as much time as needed, but we will make every attempt to be prompt in our deliberations by gathering the facts in the most efficient way possible.
Like posting on the forum, the use of our shoutbox means you are agreeing to the
rules.
You may decide the shoutbox isn’t for you. Members may want to use Chatzy or Discord or some other service. Feel free to do so with the caveat that the moderators here do not oversee those services or guaranty their security or privacy. They may have other rules than those of
Stepping Out of Squalor, so don’t assume anything.
Thank you. We appreciate your help in preserving the supportive, empowering atmosphere we have here at
Stepping Out of Squalor.
