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‘Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.’ – Groucho Marx

Responsibilities

 

Our responsibilities to you

The wellbeing of our users and their online safety is a joint responsibility between users, us as site administrators and parents/guardians.

Safety

So this space is safe for everyone, we need to make sure that what is published is not potentially harmful for members. For this reason, we may remove or edit any comments, posts, tweets, images, graphics, video or other material that contains content including but not limited to:

  • Disrespectful or derogatory remarks about any other member;
  • Expletives or foul language;
  • Details or graphic descriptions or depictions of harm to yourself or to others;
  • Details, descriptions or depictions of drug use;
  • Sexually explicit material;
  • Content that promotes violence or contains threats against others;
  • Content that is racist, sexist, homophobic or in any way discriminates against others;
  • Personal contact details or identifying information;
  • Content that is likely to offend other members;
  • Content that contains advice we believe is damaging or unhelpful to others.

If any content posted indicates risk of self-harm or harm to others, we may endeavour to contact you and offer referral to relevant services.

Online safety is something all of our community are responsible for maintaining; it’s up to users, moderators and parents/guardians to manage. We will provide reasonable information and guidance on how to safely engage with Inside a Dog, we ask users to be responsible for their conduct and we provide parents with as much information as possible to make informed decisions about whether the site is appropriate for their children.

Privacy

The Centre for Youth Literature at State Library Victoria will never ask for more information than we need to administer our site(s), and we strongly encourage users to keep identifying information (such as surname, address, date of birth and school) private. For more details see State Library Victoria’s Privacy Policy.

 

User responsibilities as a member of the Inside a Dog community

Safety

Good behaviour online looks the same as offline. Treat other people with respect; if you don’t want someone to do something to you, don’t do it to others. We are a community and we all have a responsibility to keep the space supportive and welcoming. Moderators will enforce Community Guidelines, but it’s up to all of us to be responsible users of Inside a Dog.

If you believe someone has violated the Community Guidelines, report it to the site moderators by emailing iadmoderator@slv.vic.gov.au. Bullying and harassment will not be tolerated. If another user is making you feel uncomfortable please let us know.

Privacy

Follow some general guidelines for keeping safe online

  • Never disclose your surname, date of birth, address or school details in posts, images, video, comments or to other members.
  • User names should not include your surname or date/year of birth.
  • Remember that once information is online it is almost impossible to take back. Think carefully about what you are comfortable sharing when you cannot control who may read it.
  • Be aware that while Inside a Dog users must be 18 years of age or under, content is still able to be viewed by the general public, including adults.
  • Inside a Dog moderators are able to see all content, even private blogs or draft posts.
  • Take the time to read our FAQ posts about keeping safe online.

 

Respectful and courteous conduct

While encouraging debate and the sharing of diverse opinions, community members are expected to treat each other with respect and courtesy. For this reason, site administrators may remove or edit any comments, posts, tweets, images, graphics, video or other material that contains content that is considered to be:

  • defamatory, or otherwise unlawful or that violates laws regarding harassment, discrimination, racial vilification, privacy or contempt;
  • intentionally false or misleading;
  • an infringement of intellectual property rights including copyright;
  • abusive, offensive or obscene;
  • inappropriate, off topic, repetitive or vexatious. For example, we reserve the right to reject contributions that have been widely canvassed in the forum. We also reserve the right to reject contributions from users who seek to dominate the discussion;
  • compromising the privacy of any person or containing inappropriate personal information;
  • seeking to endorse commercial products or services;
  • seeking to directly solicit donations;
  • deliberate provocation of other community members; or
  • impersonating someone else and/or posting on behalf of a suspended member.

If you breach these Terms, site administrators may block your account, access or contributions.

 

Parents/guardians and teachers

The wellbeing of our users and their online safety is a joint responsibility between users, us as site administrators and parents/guardians.

Children and young people engaging in social media encounter many of the same social issues as they do offline. When using Inside a Dog we encourage them to follow the same guidelines for good social behaviour online as they would offline and engage with their peers in positive ways. Site administrators, users, parents/guardians and teachers are expected to be proactive about educating young people on the risks and responsibilities of using the internet, social media and creating content online.

Please be aware that while this site focuses on books for young adults, not all books will be appropriate for all young people. Just as your child or student may enter a library and find material unsuitable for them, our database of books includes works with themes of violence, self-harm, suicide, drug use and sex. It is up to a parent/guardian to discuss with their child what books are suitable for them to read.

In line with best practice, site administrators, users, parents/guardians and teachers are expected to focus on digital resilience. We empower young people to create a community that expects and delivers supportive, fun and responsible engagement. We have proactive discussions on internet safety, privacy and behaviour. Where issues occur we have clear channels for reporting problems and encourage users to speak out if they witness any behaviour that makes them uncomfortable. This approach empowers users to feel ownership of the space, making them invested in creating a positive community. It skills users to adapt and respond effectively to potentially harmful online experiences.

For further advice and information about establishing safe online practices visit the iParent site from the Office of the Safety Comissioner (https://www.esafety.gov.au/).

 

Our full Terms and Conditions are available for further details.