Thank you for your interest in the MSWorld®, Inc. website, message boards, chat rooms and other helpful resources. We work towards creating a safe, informative and welcoming community for people with MS, and those who love them. MSWorld is a place to share ideas and help each other cope with the challenges of living with Multiple Sclerosis.
We welcome those diagnosed with MS, who believe that they might have MS, and those whose illness mimics the symptoms of MS as well as friends and family members of people affected by MS.
To protect your privacy, please do not use your real name as your username (nickname).
Because We Care Our message boards and chat rooms are moderated seven days a week by our volunteers, all of who either have MS themselves or take care of someone who does. Message board posts are manually checked for content before appearing. We will remove inappropriate activity on our site that does not follow our mission, core values and/or guidelines to keep our home on the Internet a safe and welcoming site for all members.
Our chat transcripts are all recorded and reviewed. All persons participating on any of our interactive areas are responsible for communications and the consequences when posting inappropriate information. Every complaint is looked at thoroughly. Transcripts are legal property of MSWorld.
Members who do not heed warnings to improve and change their communications may lose access to MSWorld, Inc. MSWorld will work with individuals to help them understand these guidelines. MSWorld reserves the right to permanently remove any member from MSWorld at any time for any reason.
If there is any communication between a member and an MSWorld Volunteer please be advised of the following: CONFIDENTIALTY NOTE: The transmission contains information which may be confidential or privileged. If you are not the intended recipient or have received this transmission in error, please delete this and be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this transmission is prohibited.
If you have any concerns or questions, please e-mail us at Administration@msworld.org. We are here to help you!
The following guidelines have been developed to ensure that MSWorld is a G-rated, safe, informative, useful and fun online community for people living with MS to meet and share ideas now and for generations to come. Please help us continue to maintain MSWorld as the active and vibrant online community that it is by following our guidelines.
1. INTERNET ETIQUETTE: Show respect for others at all times. Prejudicial remarks relating to racial or ethnic background, religion, sex, age, political party or sexual orientation in chat or on the message boards is strictly prohibited. Any comments made with intent to harm or hurt another in any way will be deleted and/or people will be warned and/or banned if said in chat. All chat rooms are recorded and all transcripts are reviewed.
2. PERSONAL INFORMATION: Do not post/exchange your personal information (i.e. e-mail address, phone number, or home address, etc.) in the main chat room or on the message boards. Your email address may be placed in your profile at your own risk. If you decide to share this information with another person in chat, this is not allowed in the main chat room; this is only allowed in auxiliary rooms such as the Annex, again, at your own risk. To access your Member Profile, please go to the Message Boards and then arrow of your username on the top black bar. You will see the word ‘settings’ on the drop down menu. Click on ‘settings’ and then on the left sidebar you will see ways to edit your profile, signature, etc.
3. BUSINESS AND/OR PERSONAL PHONE NUMBERS: Exchanging of phone numbers is not permitted. Please do not post any personal or business phone numbers or share them in chat. Phone numbers for the NMSS, help-line phone numbers for major pharmaceutical companies, and suicide hotline numbers are allowed.
4. KEEP IT CLEAN: MSWorld is a G-rated site. Use of profanity/cursing/pornographic/sexual references in any language is not permitted. Disguised profanity is also prohibited. Note: Disguised Profanity includes but is not limited to adding symbols such as “*” in place of letters in the wording. Descriptive sexual conversation, which has nothing to do with MS, is prohibited. This guideline’s application includes, but is not limited to, avatars and user names.
5. COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL: MSWorld is a public forum but is protected by copyright laws. Do not copy any part of our web content and place it on another website without requesting permission from MSWorld. Do not copy material from any other website and post it on the message board or use it in chat without acknowledging the reference. Any person who disregards this rule may be subject to legal action. To request such permission, please e-mail Administration@msworld.org
6. URLs or WEB SITES: MSWorld allows posting website addresses of reputable sources, that are related to Multiple Sclerosis. Posting personal websites/URLs is not allowed. These may be put in your profile, or set as your MSWorld Homepage. (See Guideline #2 for more information concerning Member’s Profile)
7. SELLING ITEMS AND SOLICITING MEMBERS: Offering items for sale, trade, or free are not allowed. Monetary donation solicitations of members by way of e-mail, message board posts or in Chat are also not allowed.
8. PRESCRIPTION ITEMS: It is illegal to transfer prescription items of any kind to anyone other than the person for whom the prescription is written. Members are not allowed to offer to give or sell prescription medicines, devices, or any other types of prescriptions to others via MSWorld.
9. STUDIES, QUESTIONNAIRES, AND SURVEYS: MSWorld does not post studies, questionnaires, or surveys on the MSWorld message boards. Direct requests for such information in chat rooms is prohibited. Questions? Email : letusknow@msworld.org
10. TREATMENT OPTIONS DISCUSSIONS: MSWorld neither advocates nor disallows any legal treatment method or medication. If message board posts or chat conversation regarding any treatment option is intentionally misleading, illegal, solicitous, aggressive, or hurtful to others; posts will be removed and the member will be contacted with a warning and/or termination of membership status. Decisions to remove or not allow such discussions are made at the sole discretion of MSWorld staff.
11. CHAT AND MESSAGE BOARD DISCUSSION TOPICS: Our membership is large and diverse. Please consider this when you post a message on our boards or chat room. If the topic is deemed inappropriate, potentially harmful or aggressive, Message Board Moderators reserve the right to close or remove any entry that detracts from our mission and purpose. Chat Hosts reserve the right to warn and/or ban anyone who detracts our mission and purpose.
Chat Hosts and Message Board Moderators will take the appropriate actions to redirect, stop and/or delete anything that contradicts our mission. An example may include religion and politics that becomes argumentative or ignores our mission at MSWorld. All unlawful activities; such as how to obtain drugs or other substances illegally is strictly prohibited. Chat host and moderator opinions will prevail as to whether a topic is argumentative. The decision of what is appropriate is not open to debate. If you are unsure if a subject is appropriate for discussion, please e-mail us at Administration@msworld.org
The discussion of medical treatments is acceptable; however, the solicitation or exchange of prescription or illegal drugs is prohibited. The decision of what is appropriate is not open for debate. Members who do not heed warnings to improve and change their communications may lose the privilege of using the message boards and chat rooms. We will first work with you to help you understand our mission and guidelines. MSWorld reserves the right to permanently remove any member from MSWorld at any time for any reason.
12. SOCIAL NETWORKING: While we hope that friendships will be made in our chat rooms and message board forums, the primary focus of MSWorld is the sharing of information and support concerning our lives with MS. We ask members to please use other established social networking websites for non-MS-related communications. Personal websites can be placed in your profile for friends to find. MSWorld takes no responsibility for your web page or those who visit it. (Please refer to Guideline #2 for directions on creating/editing your Member Profile.
13. OUR RIGHT TO USE MATERIALS YOU SUBMIT OR POST: When you submit or post ANY material or comments to any of the MSWorld Sites (or to any MSWorld.org email address), you understand that you are thereby granting to MSWorld a royalty-free, nonexclusive, irrevocable license to use, display, reproduce and/or distribute such material and comments for any purpose whatsoever. You hereby waive any claims for loss or damage that you may have against MSWorld in connection with, and you understand that you will receive no compensation of any kind for the use, display, reproduction and/or distribution of, any such material or comments.
14. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND LIABILITY: The content of the MSWorld sites (the “site content”) is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be used for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition or as a substitute for seeking professional medical advice. For specific information and advice regarding your medical condition, please consult your personal physician.
Neither MSWorld nor its, officers, directors or volunteers are liable for any damages arising out of or in connection with the site content or the use of any of the MSWorld sites. This includes published links to external resources.
MSWorld does not warrant the accuracy, completeness or currency of the site content and expressly disclaims any and all warranties of any kind, express or implied, with respect to the site content (including, without limitation, any warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose).
MSWorld does not endorse, certify, recommend or assume any liability or responsibility for any services, products, information, publications, materials, methods, processes, treatments, medications, professionals or organizations discussed, provided, or linked to on any of the MSWorld sites (including, without limitation, the content of any webcasts or guest speaker chats).
The displayed name or logo of any person or entity, or the appearance of any information provided by such person or entity or a link to such person or entity’s website, does not indicate endorsement, recommendation or referral by MSWorld.
MSWorld® Inc. DisclaimerMSWorld®, Inc. Privacy DisclaimerMSWorld® Inc. Non-Discrimination PolicyMSWorld®, Inc. Disclaimer
MSWorld®, Inc. Disclaimer MSWorld® Inc. Information contained on MSWorld’s site or participation in support chats or the use of the message boards should not be considered a substitute for medical evaluation, psychotherapy, psychological services, mental health counseling, or treatment by a qualified health care professional. Participation in services offered by MSWorld® and use of our resources is by your own choice and is not intended to provide or confirm a diagnosis, nor is any claim made as to the therapeutic safety or effectiveness of any medications, tests, course of treatment, or the subjects of any other discussions. MSWorld® is not engaged in the practice of psychotherapy. You are strongly urged to seek the advice of a qualified health care professional if you have a medical or mental health question or condition. No attorney-client relationship will be formed by the act of you accessing this website or reviewing its contents. Nothing contained in this site shall constitute the giving or rendering of legal advice or be construed as a legal opinion, legal consultation, or guarantee of a particular outcome of a legal problem. Information that is provided is general in nature, may not apply to your circumstances, and is provided as a public service. It is not a substitute for legal advice given by your attorney. Under no circumstances should you make a legal decision based upon information provided on MSWorld’s website. You are strongly urged to seek legal advice through an attorney of your choice before you make any decision involving a legal matter. MSWorld® and its volunteers assume no liability whatsoever for direct, indirect, special, or consequential damages relating in any way to the use of information provided on MSWorld’s website.MSWorld® does not endorse any of the sites to which it links and will not be responsible for any liability for direct, indirect, special, or consequential damages relating in any way to the use of linked sites.MSWorld® and its volunteers make no representations, warranties (express or implied), or claims as to the validity, authenticity, quality, or viability of the consultation, advice, or services offered by the practitioners listed as other sources. MSWorld® and its volunteers do not make any representations regarding the content of, the effects of, or the participation in online discussion groups. The information contained in or made available through MSWorld’s website (including but not limited to chat, the message boards, social media or text files) is not intended or should not be construed to replace or substitute for the services of trained professionals in any field, including but not limited to financial, medical, or legal matters.
MSWorld®, its volunteers and affiliated organizations, or any of its or their respective licensors or suppliers make no representations or warranties (express or implied) concerning any treatment, action, or application of medication or preparation by or to any person following the information offered or provided within or through the MSWorld® website. Neither MSWorld®, its volunteers, affiliates, or partners, or any of their affiliates will be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary, or other damages, including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness, or death, which may result from the use of such information.All transcripts recorded by MSWorld® are the sole property of MSWorld® and may not be copied, reproduced, or printed in any form (electronic or otherwise) by anyone other than an authorized MSWorld Administrator. If you are ever in an MSWorld® online chat or message board and have said something that you want omitted from the transcript or from the message boards, please e-mail us HERE and request that your comments be omitted. Your comments will be edited from the MSWorld® transcript and to the best of our ability will not be made available to the public.MSWorld® and its volunteers will not be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary, or other damages that may occur as a result of the publication of something you have made public in an online support group meeting, chat session, social media, or on the message boards.
MSWorld®, Inc. Privacy Policy MSWorld® is very concerned about your privacy. We will not ask your address or phone number. During registration, we ask for your name, e-mail address, birth date, and place you live; which can be as general or specific as you like. (State or city/state or country.) Additional demographic information such as the country you live in, preferred language and gender are optional.We only ask your age so that we can comply with COPPA (The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998) regulations to protect those under 13 years of age and to send you a greeting on your birthday.If you choose to be on our mailing list, we will use your email address for our weekly express and special events. We may also from time to time provide you with the latest information concerning MS related topics. For example, we will occasionally e-mail our membership with upcoming guest speakers, breaking news, or urgent information in addition to the weekly newsletter. You may be removed from our mailing list by sending an e-mail HERE with a request for removal or by using the “Unsubscribe” option on our email newsletters.Any information that you provide will never be shared with a third party or advertiser.As a means to protect your privacy, we do not permit the posting of personal e-mail addresses, home addresses, or telephone numbers in posts, chat, or as usernames.In the same light, we discourage using your real name for your nickname and we won’t allow instant messenger identification as your username. Linking to other sites via MSWorld’s website means that your private information is subject to the new site’s rules and privacy policy. MSWorld® takes no responsibility for other websites’ guidelines and privacy policies. At MSWorld®, we reserve the right to keep e-mail that you send to us and any response we send to you for follow-up on an issue or to make sure that your requests have been addressed. Please keep your personal information updated so that you get the maximum benefit from the services that MSWorld® offers. You may e-mail MSWorld to update information relating to chat. You may update your personal information for the message board in your personal profile under User Control Panel.If you have questions regarding our privacy policy, please e-mail us HERE.
MSWorld® Inc. Nondiscrimination Policy MSWorld® Inc. does not practice or condone unlawful discrimination in any form against members, volunteers and applicants on the grounds of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or veteran status.
a. Discrimination based upon race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or veteran status is in violation of federal law and MSWorld® Inc. policy, and will not be tolerated.
b. Retaliation against any person complaining of discrimination is in violation of federal law and MSWorld® Inc. policy, and will not be tolerated.
c. MSWorld® Inc. will respond promptly to all complaints of discrimination and retaliation. Violation of this policy can result in expulsion for members or discharge for MSWorld® Inc. volunteers.
d. Action for violations of this policy will be the responsibility of the President or Vice-President of MSWorld® Inc., as may be appropriate in accordance with applicable procedures.
e. MSWorld® Inc. hereby affirms its desire to maintain an environment for all staff and members that is free from all forms of unlawful discrimination and free from discrimination which is otherwise prohibited by MSWorld® Inc. policy or regulation. Unlawful discrimination is completely incompatible with the values and goals of MSWorld® Inc., and will not be tolerated.