Community Guidelines

Welcome to the October community!

We're thrilled that you're here to join us. We built this platform as a place for Forest users to meet each other in sessions, to share personal thoughts, feelings and stories and to support and learn from each other. And it's because of our amazing community members that we've been able to create a space where everyone feels respected and heard. We want to keep it that way, which is why we have a few simple rules to follow. By sticking to these guidelines, you're helping us keep this community a safe, supportive and welcoming place for everyone.

TLDR

Here’s the summary if you don’t have time to go through our whole policy:

1. October community is a platform for users to connect and share personal stories and support each other.
2. In case of high-risk situations, seek help from professional medical or emergency services.
3. Maintain integrity and respect others' privacy by avoiding sharing personal information without permission.
4. Certain behaviors such as threats of violence, hate speech, illegal activities, scams, harmful misinformation, and sexually explicit content are not tolerated.
5. Users are responsible for their own behavior and must abide by the community guidelines. In case of disruptive conduct, October reserves the right to restrict access temporarily or permanently. Report any violations to [email protected].
6. The Forest is just a bunch of trees without you

You, our amazing community, drive the action here. The more sessions you start and participate in, the greater your chances of finding the support you need, when you need it.

Suicide and self-harm

While October is here to offer support, we can't provide medical or emergency services and we don’t replace therapy. We're a platform that's here to guide you in the right direction and connect you with the right care when you need it. But if you're in a high-risk situation, it's important to reach out to professional medical or emergency services directly, which are listed below. These helplines are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and offer specialised emergency services to help you in a time of crisis.

• (South Africa) SADAG: 0800 567 567
• (South Africa) Akeso Crisis Line: 086 143 5787
• (USA) Lifeline: 988
• (UK) Samaritans Helpline: 116 123

Everyone should feel Safe in the Forest

In the Forest, you are anonymous and you can be heard but not seen. It's almost impossible to be recognised, and that goes a long way to feeling safe. And while we encourage different opinions and robust debate, it’s important that all participants in every session value and respect the stories that are shared, and the feelings and thoughts that are expressed.

At October, the safety of our users comes first. Treat others in the Forest with dignity, respect, and an openness to learn. Do not make assumptions about identities or experiences, and be mindful of the space you take up. Use inclusive language, respect others’ privacy and confidentiality, and speak only from your own perspective. Take ownership of your impact, even if unintentional. The Forest should feel safe and welcoming to all - do your part to nurture a supportive, understanding community.

Even when you’re anonymous, let your true self shine!

Even though you’ll be anonymous, integrity and honesty are such important values to carry with you on your journeys through the Forest. The Forest will be a much better place if we all act with integrity, purpose and generosity of spirit within it.

Everyone has a right to privacy, and we encourage you to protect your own privacy and the privacy of others. You are prohibited from sharing any personal information, such as addresses, phone numbers, or full names, unless you have permission to do so.

Behavior and content that we don’t tolerate

• Threats of violence: Making explicit or implicit threats to harm someone, either physically or emotionally, is not tolerated. This includes posting threats to harm oneself or others, encouraging violence or harm, or making direct threats against individuals or groups.
• Trolling: No one likes a troll – such as deliberately provoking an argument or emotional reaction from other users or continuously sending irrelevant or inflammatory content that disrupts the session. There will be no trolls under our bridge.
• No hate speech: Our app is a safe space for everyone, and we won't tolerate hate speech or any form of discrimination. This includes harassment, bullying, or any other behavior that targets someone based on their race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic.
• Terrorism: The promotion of terrorism is not allowed.
• Manipulated behavior: Engaging in artificial or manipulated behavior, such as creating fake accounts, or manipulating conversations, is prohibited. This behavior undermines the integrity of the platform and can harm other users.
• Illegal activities: Engaging in illegal activities or promoting illegal acts through our Platform is strictly prohibited.
• Sale of regulated goods or services: Selling goods or services that are regulated by law is not permitted. This includes items such as firearms, prescription drugs, counterfeit goods, or other items that are restricted by law.
• Spamming: We don't allow spamming in any form, including unsolicited messages, excessive self-promotion, or repetitive posting of the same content.
• Scams: Our app is not a place for scams or fraudulent activities. We won't tolerate any attempts to deceive others or take advantage of them, including phishing scams, fake giveaways, or any other scamming behavior.
• Harmful misinformation: Spreading false or misleading information that could cause harm to individuals or society as a whole is not allowed. This includes conspiracy theories, hoaxes, and false information about sensitive topics such as health, politics, or religion.
• Sexually explicit or graphically violent content: Content that is sexually explicit, describes sexual or violent acts in detail is not allowed.

Breaking community rules

All users are responsible for their own actions and the content they post on the app. By using the app, users agree to abide by these community guidelines and to take responsibility for their own behavior.

In the event of disruptive or inappropriate conduct, October reserves the right to block the user's access to engage in the session and can further restrict a user’s access to the October Platform temporarily or permanently depending on the severity of the conduct. October will make a reasonable effort to provide the user with a warning before taking this action, but this may not always be possible.

If you see something that violates our guidelines or that you think is inappropriate, please let us know at [email protected]. We're here to create a safe and positive community, and we need your help to do that.

Creating a safe community

We will continue to proactively monitor for and take action against any extremely harmful content but day-to-day, maintaining a healthy supportive community is a shared obligation. The Forest succeeds when all feel safe, supported and understood and you play an important role in cultivating this environment. We therefore encourage all October users to be active participants in keeping the Forest a safe, welcoming space for all. Working together, we can ensure the Forest remains a place of understanding, growth and comfort for all our users. We appreciate you being an active part of our community!