Empty Closets Code of Conduct To ensure that Empty Closets remains an enjoyable outlet for all members, we respectfully request that you adhere to the following rules and guidelines. The Code of Conduct below applies to all activities on Empty Closets, including forums, galleries, blogs and the chat room. Please keep in mind that use of the site is a privilege and not a right. In general, members should treat each other with respect and refrain from personal attacks, even in the case of heated arguments or disagreements. The best way to conduct yourself successfully on the site is to always keep in mind the "Golden Rule." If you treat others the way you'd like to be treated, you're likely have a much more rewarding experience. Be sure to reread this document from time to time as it may change, and you are always responsible for ensuring that your activities conform with these rules. Keep in mind that some forum sections, games, contests, and events may have additional guidelines that govern your use.

Empty Closets Code of Conduct

• To ensure that Empty Closets remains an enjoyable outlet for all members, we require that you adhere to this Code of Conduct at all times.
• The Code of Conduct applies to all activities and areas on Empty Closets, including forums, galleries, the personal messaging system, member profiles, member blogs and the chat room.
• Please keep in mind that use of the site is a privilege and not a right. Empty Closets reserves the right to revoke privileges and member access at any time.
• Privacy and security are of the utmost importance. Never post personal information to the public forums, your profile or the wall. This includes your full name, your email address, your phone number, your contact information (e.g. Skype, Facebook, Whatsapp, KiK etc), or any url that reveals your personal information (e.g. Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, WordPress etc), or any social networking websites (whether or not it links to your profile page). You may only share any of the above information via Private Message, which requires yourself and the recipient to both be Full Members.
• Any and all violations of our security protocols will result in you and all other offenders being subject to a temporary ban from the site for a minimum period of one month. This includes those who are the recipients of publicly shared contact information, and who choose not to report it to the staff team. No exceptions will be made. Repeated violations and disregard for this rule will result in a permanent ban.
• The staff team will not disclose any details regarding a ban with the wider community, unless there are sufficient grounds which staff feel outweigh the member's right to privacy (e.g. discovery of fabricated stories). Community members should not use any area of EC to attempt to celebrate, criticize, investigate or speculate about the sanctions imposed on other community members. 
• Respect for Others. The EC community is based upon mutual support and discussion. We welcome and encourage questions, opinions, viewpoints, commentary, spirited discussion, debate and similar contributions. However, it is not appropriate to create posts, threads or messages that disrespect the viewpoints, sexual orientation or gender identity, religious beliefs or other personal views of other members, or are disruptive, threatening, or constitute hate speech against any individual or group. This rule applies to the discussion board, chat, and the PM/wall system. Failure to comply may result in suspension or permanent banning.
• Conduct yourself with respect to others.  Always keep in mind the "Golden Rule":  Treat others the way you would like to be treated.  By doing so, you will have a more rewarding experience.
• Keep in mind that some forum sections, games, contests, and events may have additional guidelines that govern your use.
• Be sure to reread this document from time to time as it may change.  You are always responsible for ensuring that your activities conform with these rules.

Member Conduct
 

1. Age Limits: Empty Closets is not to be used by those under the age of 13. We regret that we have no choice but to disable the access of anyone confirmed to be underage.
2. Hate Speech: Do not use language that sounds like, stands for, hints at, abbreviates, or insinuates hate speech (including but not limited to racial, ethnic, sexual, or religious slurs) or illegal activities.
3. Harassment/Abuse: Do not harass, threaten, stalk, spam, or otherwise abuse other users.
4. Flame Wars: Do not defend yourself against profane attacks with more profanity. Instead, report the post to a Moderator and allow the Moderators to take the appropriate action.
5. Posting to the Forums, in Personal Messages, Chat or in Profiles/Blogs:

• Erotic Content Is Not Allowed: Do not post or link to erotic discussions, pictures, movies, or stories in public forums, personal profiles, personal blogs or in the personal messaging system.
• For security purposes, all posts, PMs (except to staff), wall postings, and chat in the chat room must be in English.
• Do not post links or information about websites intended for people aged 18+.
• Do not request such materials or information from others.

6. User Names:  Do not create a screen name or chat name that is intended to aggravate or incite other members, or which can be used to identify you on other websites outside of the Empty Closets community.

• User names and screen names should not reference controversial religious topics, notorious people or organizations, or current or historical events that may be considered inflammatory or inappropriate.
• Your user name should be unique to our community and not used on any other website. It should not contain any identifiable information about yourself, including but not limited to: full name, email address, postal code, IM user names etc.
• Empty Closets reserves the right to change any username that is deemed inappropriate for any reason. If you are in doubt about your username, please ask a Moderator first.
• Empty Closets will change any user name that we identify as violating this rule, and the account holder (and others) may be subjected to infractions as part of our security policies.

7. External Links:    Do not post links to websites or request links to websites that violate our Code of Conduct.  

• Do not link to content on websites or any internet site other than Empty Closets (e.g. hotlinking) without that site owner's permission.   
• Do not post links to websites or request links to websites that violate our Code of Conduct. 
• Do not post links to websites that contain materials that might harm or take control of another user's computer, such as viruses or trojans.
• Do not discuss, share, ask to share, or link to torrent files or other downloadable pirated videos, music, or software etc.
• It is not OK under any circumstance to share materials from any membership site that normally requires a fee to access the material. This is expressly prohibited. This includes links to file sharing services (e.g. Rapidshare, Torrent websites) and similar services that exist to infringe on copyrights.  Violation of copyright law can result in a permanent ban from Empty Closets.
• Do not post any links to a website that you own with the intention of promoting it. Advertising is strictly forbidden on EmptyClosets.

8. Flooding:  Avoid excessive shouting (use of all-caps) or flooding (continuous posting of repetitive text).

• Do not deface the board with multiple posts containing the same or  similar messages.
• Do not post meaningless messages for the sole purpose of increasing your post count.

9. Spam: Do not engage in the spamming of commercial websites. (This does not apply to members posting links to their favorite sites, etc. We know spam when we see it.)

• Do not use the message boards, Personal message system, chat room, or personal webspace for any commercial purpose without the express consent of Empty Closets. This includes soliciting respondents or posting questionnaires for research or media purposes. Please see below for more guidelines for commercial users.
• Do not post crude, indecent and/or lewd content on any area of the community. As a PG-13 community, all content should be appropriate for an audience as young as 13 years of age. Any posts which appear to cross this line and offend the spirit of the community will be swiftly removed.

10. Security-User Accounts:  Do not trade passwords or share user accounts.

• You may only create one account for yourself as an individual. The username for this account should be unique.
• You may not create an account for your corporation or other business entity.
• If your account is banned you may not create another one to circumvent the ban.   
• Each person should post only under their own account.   Do not give anyone your account user name and password.  Do not use the account of another user.
• Do not impersonate or harass Empty Closets staff or moderators.
• Do not impersonate another member or screen name (including "faking" a screen name by using similar-looking text characters).
• Do not post your full real name, your physical address or email address, your phone number, or any off-site contact information in the forums, in the chat room or in your profile. If you wish to share this information with a particular member, please use the personal message system.
• You should only use contact/personal information if received in a personal message (PM) by the account holder of that information. Do not provide or offer contact information on behalf of another member, or use contact information that has been shared outside of a PM. Any violations of our security rules will result in ALL involved members receiving a sanction, including those who fail to report the information provided to them in contravention of the above.

11. Security - User Privacy:  Do not post personal information in any public area of the site, including the forum, wall and profile.  This is to protect your privacy.

• Protect your privacy. Do not post email addresses, social networking links, contact email addresses, IM or chat information in the forums, on your profile, on any wall or in the public area of the chat room. This information can only be shared via Private Message.
• Protect the privacy of others. You must never share the personal information of another Empty Closets member. Always consider the privacy of others when posting pictures of other people in your profile or in your gallery.
• Do not post links to your personal blog.
• In forums that allow anonymous posting, do not try to guess the identities of anonymous posters or say anything intended to force them to reveal themselves.
• In forums that allow for photo linking or posting, do not link photos to anything other than a full size version of the same. Linking to other sites is prohibited. 
• Make sure you own the copyright or have the copyright holder's permission to upload photos to your gallery, in the forums, as avatars or any area on Empty Closets, If you upload images where the copyright is owned by others without their permission they will be deleted and you may be banned from further use of the gallery system.
• Do not publicly post anything that could potentially be used to contact you. This includes any website profiles that have the option to message you. These should be shared via PM to comply with our security procedures.

12. Security - Gallery Pictures:

• You must own the copyright or have the copyright holder's permission to upload photos to your gallery.
• Albums must not be used for the storage of 'generic pictures' from the internet. Common examples include symbols, flags, memes etc.
• Do not post any pictures depicting nudity, bulges, pubes, exposed breasts, buttocks, genitalia etc into any area of Empty Closets. This includes images posted to both the public forums and your galleries. The EC staff will immediately remove any image violating this policy.
• Place any sexually suggestive pictures of yourself (ie, shirtless, partially unclothed) into a Gallery album of the type 'Private - Only visible to contacts and moderators' only. Any uploaded outside of a private album (including Avatar or Profile Picture) will be removed.
• 'Sexually suggestive pictures' is defined as any picture which you have taken with the sole intent to expose that which would otherwise typically be covered by clothing, such as a chest and/or torso.
• You may post images of yourself in your public gallery if the image is not posted for "sexually suggestive" purposes. Examples of images that could be posted publicly include pictures of you and your friends/family at a beach or at a waterpark, pictures of you competing in a sporting competition, pictures of your vacation, etc.
• The EC staff will either send you a request to place a picture inside a private album, or will alter the album privacy which your photo is uploaded into, changing it to private on your behalf. 

13. Meet-ups/Hook-ups & Flirtation: Do not use Empty Closets for "meeting", "hooking up", flirting, dating, cybersexing or chat requests. This is not what Empty Closets is for. The occasional lighthearted compliment is acceptable, but those who are found to be using the community to engage in excessive and inappropriate flirting/complimenting will risk losing their access.
     
14. Have Fun:  Engage with other members and treat your fellow Empty Closet members with respect.

Moderator Conduct and Rights

1. Moderator Conduct:  Moderators are also expected to uphold the Code of Conduct.

• There are certain exceptions, but a major responsibility that comes with being a moderator is the exercise of restraint when dealing with members. It may not always be easy, but we ask that moderators remember that their actions reflect on all other moderators, as well as the operators of the site.
• All moderators hold themselves to a higher standard than they would expect from a regular member.

2. Anonymous Posts:  In forums that allow anonymous posting, be aware that the moderators can find out who made anonymous posts.  They will only do so if an anonymous post violates this Code of Conduct to the extent that the poster needs to be contacted about the problem.
3. Personal Messaging System:  The EC Site Administrators have the ability to view any message sent in the personal messaging system.  However, they will only do this in emergency situations or when there is a suspected violation of the Code of Conduct.
4. Locked Threads:  Moderators have the ability to lock forum threads.

• Do not create posts regarding previously moderated threads or users (whether deleted, locked, banned or otherwise).
• If you would like to enquire about or rebuke a moderated thread, forum suspension or ban, or a staff decision then please use our Ask The Staff forum. Public disclosures regarding such issues & grievances will be removed and may be subject to further action. 

5. Chat Room Moderation:  Moderators have the right to restrict access to the chat room.

• A Moderator can remove or boot any user who violates the Code of Conduct from the chat room.
• A Moderator has the right to temporarily ban any user violates the Code of Conduct from the chat room.   If the violation persists, the Moderator has the right to permanently ban the user from chat.

Description of Service
 

1. Code of Conduction Violation:  If you violate the Code of Conduct, your account may be limited, suspended or permanently deactivated. While we will endeavor to inform you of the reasons for our actions, Empty Closets is not obligated to warn you before taking any action on your account.
2. Inappropriate Content:  Empty Closets reserves the right to remove any user-created or uploaded content at any time, without notice. Empty Closets is not obligated to monitor every post, but we reserve the right to remove any post or user we feel has violated the letter or the spirit of our Code of Conduct or Terms of Use.
3. Revocation of Privileges:  User privileges are granted by the Moderators and Administrators of Empty Closets.  The moderators - may at their discretion- limit, restrict, demote or revoke privileges of any user who violates our Code of Conduct.

• Some offences may warrant a warning, while others will result in immediate account suspension.
• We reserve sole judgment in all such matters. In almost all cases, severe racial remarks or hate speech, profane usernames, posting viruses or URLs to viruses will result in immediate and permanent removal from Empty Closets.
• Circumventing a Ban:  Circumventing a ban by creating another account will result in your IP being blocked and no possibility for your account to be reinstated. You may contact [email protected] if you need to contact us regarding a ban.

4. Ability to Self-Delete:  All users have the ability to delete their account.  

• The self-delete feature includes a “cooling off period”.  During this time, you may choose to retain your account on Empty Closets and to revoke your self-delete request.
• Users who self-delete should not repeatedly add and self-delete their account.  Doing so may result in a permanent ban from the site.
• Users who are banned should not attempt to add another account under a different name.  Doing so may result in a permanent ban and block from the site.

 

Username Changes

1. Three username changes in total - If you are requesting a username change for a casual reason (ie just want a better name) then you can only do so for a maximum of three times during your membership. However, any username changes done for security reasons either by staff or requested by you will not count as being 1 change.
2. One username change every 6 months - If you wish to have your username changed then you cannot do so if it has been changed within the last 6 months. If you have had it changed then you will have to wait until after the deadline unless you have had 3 changes already. This once again does not include usernames changed for security reasons.
3. Two weeks for a username reverse - If you change your username then you will have two weeks to have the name changed back again if you decide you do not like it. You will not be able to change it to something else and must request for your old username back within 2 weeks of the username change occuring. A username change and reverse will count as a single change. This does not apply to usernames that are changed for security reasons.
4. New Members - New members are allowed one username change during their first two weeks of membership without it being counted as a change. This could be due to security reasons (using a name that is used elsewhere or a real name), due to a typing error when registering or due to the name being confusingly similar to another member.

• Note: Changing your username will not result in you losing your Full Member status. Do not use the self-delete with the intention of creating a new account just for the username. This will result in you losing your Full Member status and you will have to once again meet the requirements set out before applying for Full Member status. We do NOT promote people early, despite us knowing that they are a returning member and/or are who they say they are.

General Internet Precautions

1. External Links:  Some areas of Empty Closets may contain links to other websites. Please be advised that Empty Closets does not control and is not responsible for the content on any of these offsite links.
2. Personal Responsibility:  You are responsible for any actions you may take based on advice or information you receive from other members. Use your own good judgment when evaluating such information as Empty Closets does not control, sanction or guarantee any information transmitted by our users.
3. Report Inappropriate Content:  Be a good Internet citizen and report content that violates our Code of Conduct or Terms of Use to a moderator or administrator. At the bottom of most pages of the site you'll find a link to report abusive content.
4. User Content:  Empty Closets does not control the content posted by our users. While we reserve the right to delete content that we find objectionable, we are not obligated to do so. Therefore, exercise caution when reading or viewing content posted by others and realize that there is a great diversity of opinion among our members.
5. Protect Your Privacy and the Privacy of Other Members:  Don't give out or post any personally identifiable information (such as social security numbers, credit card numbers, names and addresses, telephone numbers, driver license numbers) to strangers online, as this information may be used for illegal or harmful purposes.

Last updated 3rd January 2015