Hello Bloggers... come in... sit down... make yourself comfortable...

You are in The Foyer of the Chat Room. The Chat Room is a place for friends to meet and interact with each other in 'real time'. Here we have rooms designed for discussions about specific subjects. If you are a visitor your access to some of these rooms will be restricted. Visitors may visit The Foyer, The Public Bar and The Suggestion Box only. Friends of the Chat Room will be added by invitation only. Some of you will already have received an invitation, but if you haven't got one yet, don't worry. Some of you will have a membership just waiting for you to tell us that you want it. Others will receive one after we've determined that you're a nice guy/gal. Just go to the suggestion box and leave a message to let us know that you would like to become our Friend. Friends may visit all rooms in the Chat Room, excluding the Board Room. The Board Room is exclusively for the use of Chat Room Administrators.

The Rooms...

The Foyer... This room does not allow comments. The purpose of this room is to advise Friends and Visitors of the rules and regulations of The Chat Room. Please read the rules carefully before proceeding, as a failure to comply with these rules may result in expulsion and permanent banning from The Chat Room. Open to everyone.

The Public Bar (admin, tinacee)... This is an open chat room, and the only chat room that visitors may chat in. The rules and regulations of The Chat Room must be adhered to in this room, as in all rooms of the blog. Interaction in this room will be used as a guide by the administrators in applications for 'Friend' membership. Comments are allowed, but this room will be monitored carefully to ensure that the rules are strictly adhered to. Open to everyone.

The Suggestion Box (admin, kittyrex)... This is the room to visit if you would like to become a Friend of The Chat Room. Leave a comment and let us know that you would like to become a Friend. Chat Room Administrators will vote on your application and we will add you if your application has been accepted. It may take some time for your application to be seen by all administrators, so please be patient. The Suggestion Box is also the place to make suggestions on the running of the Chat Room. Again, leave a comment. Open to everyone.

The Couch (admin, Rinny)... A discussion on entertainment. TV, Videos, DVD's, games, etc. Friends and Administrators only.

The Darkroom (Admin, aries67)... A discussion on photography and everything to do with it. Friends and Administrators only.

The Departure Lounge (admin chica)... A discussion on travel. Local, interstate or overseas. Friends and Administrators only.

The Library (admin TheBat45)... A discussion on literature. Books, magazines, etc. Friends and Administrators only.

The News Room (admin Plonka, gryphonn)... A discussion on news and current affairs. Friends and Administrators only.

The Playing Field (admin cc1804)... A discussion on all topics concerned with sports and sportspeople. Friends and Administrators only.

The Kitchen (admin tinacee)... I dunno... food, cooking tips, accompaniments. Friends and Administrators only.


Rules and Regulations...

This is a blog that is to be used by a bunch of friends who want to get together to share stories, ideas, and have a friendly chat. The key word here is 'friendly'. So our rules are pretty simple.

1. We ask that you keep your comments friendly and respectful. Differing opinions are acceptable, however 'flaming' or 'trolling' is not. If you don't like someone or some subject matter that presents on this blog you are welcome to take your opinion to your own blog, but please don't do this here. We will not tolerate disrespectful behaviour.

2. No X-rated sexual discussions will be allowed. We don't want to discriminate against anyone, and therefore there may be children present in these rooms. Open discussion on a range of subjects is encouraged, however there is no need for anything of a sexually graphic nature. There are some things that should remain private, and we ask that you keep that in mind when chatting. In the same respect, advocating violence towards any other member, individual or group (whether a part of The Chat Room or not) will not be tolerated. We ask that you demonstrate a respectful attitude about these subjects when chatting in any of our rooms.

3. On occasion, swearing may be present on our blog. Monitoring and banning swearing would be very time-consuming and unrealistic, considering that it is used quite often in everyday discussion. So, this is acceptable, providing the swearing is not aimed at anyone in a derogative manner. For example... "Shit, that sucks," is acceptable... however, "You are a dickhead," is not. Please use discretion along these lines too.

4. Those who wish to be considered for 'Friend' membership must have their own WhitePage blog. When you apply, The Chat Room administrators will look at your blog and use the content to help make a decision on whether to accept your application. In the event that there is not much content on your blog, administrators may ask the applicant to fill in a short questionaire to provide a bit more background information on themself. We also ask that you update your profile and enter your real age. This will not impact on your application as we will not discriminate against any applicant because of age... it is simply to help administrators to make a more informed decision.

4. No spamming please. We want a space to chat amongst ourselves in a relaxed manner, without having to feel that we're buying something. Feel free to discuss work, offer opinions and advice, but we do not want our blog used as a means for spammers to advertise their wares. This will warrant a warning and possible expulsion of the blog.

5. DO NOT exchange personal information (names, addresses, schools, etc) with others using The Chat Room. It is never a good idea to give a stranger too much information. Anyone caught doing so will receive a warning.

6. Any breaches of the rules will be dealt with in the following manner. Administrators will remove any offending content from the blog and offenders will be issued with a public warning. In the event of repeated offences, your name will be removed from the 'Friend list'. This will mean that you will not be allowed access to most of the chat rooms. In the case that an offender continues to breach our rules in the Public Bar area, your name will be added to the Banned IP's list, meaning that you will not be allowed access to any parts of the blog.

Administrators reserve the right to reject any claim for 'Friend' membership. We also reserve the right to ban any 'Friend' who has broken the rules of The Chat Room. Furthermore, administrators reserve the right to add any offending user to the Banned IP's list.

Thank you, and welcome. Choose the room you'd like to visit from the list in the left-hand column. Please report any problems you experience to the Suggestion Box.