Preamble

Whereas, we seek to provide you with the most enjoyable and rewarding online experience available; We seek to create online communities that can be enjoyed by everyone and recognize that the fostering of different vibrant communities with diverse viewpoints, supported by a vast array of content and services, drive IFNs popularity; We recognize that your personal privacy and security online are of utmost importance to you; We recognize that safeguarding intellectual property online is essential to the growth and vitality of IFN and the interactive medium; and In light of these goals, your IFN experience is bounded only by a set of common-sense rules that ask you to be civil and respect others when you are online. We, therefore present to you these Rules of the Road, our policies for operating the IFN service and for guiding you through the vast and enriching world of IFN and cyberspace.

These Rules of the Road ("Rules") describe how Internet Friends Network ("Internet Friends," "IFN, Inc." or "we") operates the Internet Friends service ("IFN" or the "IFN Service") and how you may use IFN. The Rules also provide some practical tips for using IFN. Please carefully read these Rules, and their companion, the Terms of Service, and refer to them as necessary (together, these two documents are referred to as "TOS"). Both were presented to you when you first signed on to IFN and comprise the entire agreement between you and IFN, Inc. You can view the Terms of Service or these Rules on IFN at any time without charge at http://www.iFriends.net/legal/tos.htm. Unless the context requires otherwise, terms used in the Rules have the meanings given in the Terms of Service.

Getting On and Using IFN


1. ACCESS
   
   Equipment. Most of you will access IFN through your residential telephone line, a modem and a personal computer, and an account with an Internet Service Provider or Online Access Provider that provides you access to the Internet Friends Network World Wide Web site. (Remember that when you are connected to IFN, your telephone or other communications equipment, such as a fax, cannot be operated on the same line at the same time.) A variety of personal computers and devices can grant you access to IFN.

2. YOUR IFN ACCOUNT
   
   1. To participate in the e-commerce-enabled areas of the iFriends communications platform, you must be of majority age and capable of affirmatively entering into legal agreements. As an e-commerce platform located on the internet, IFN is attractive to hackers, identity thieves, and others who seek to abuse such internet platforms. Therefore, IFN undertakes certain measures to verify the identity of its e-commerce participants. These measure include, but are not limited to, photo ID, credit-card information, social-security number, and executed written agreements.
   2. Upon your enrollment as a Member, you will select a unique password. You are responsible for protecting its confidentiality. For security purposes, we recommend that you change your password often. NEVER RESPOND TO AN ONLINE REQUEST FOR A PASSWORD. You are responsible for any misuse.
   3. (Upon registering with IFN, you will be asked to choose one or more screen names available from IFN to identify yourself. Be creative and have fun with the screen names you choose. But also be reasonable and responsible in your selection. Inappropriate screen names are prohibited.
   4. Be responsible with your screen names and dont misrepresent yourself to other members. IFN does not permit adult members to impersonate children or children to impersonate adults online.
   5. There is no charge for membership to IFN (Internet access charges may apply). However, video chathosts may set a price and terms for their video chat sessions. For billing inquiries, e-mail help@ifriends.net.

3. ONLINE CONDUCT
   
   1. Any conduct by you that in IFN's discretion restricts or inhibits any other Member from using or enjoying IFN will not be permitted and may result in termination of Membership.
   2. Public areas are online areas freely open to all Members, such as public chat rooms, online forums and message boards. We try to enforce our Rules to ensure enjoyment by all Members, but we simply dont have the practical capability, nor the intention, to play the role of Big Brother (or your mother :) ), by screening communication in advance. However, you should be aware that certain chat rooms may be used for activity that violates our TOS. We take appropriate action when we are notified of such activities. Members found in chat rooms where TOS violations occur run the risk of a written warning as well as being bumped from the service, even though they themselves may not have violated TOS. IFN realizes that some members are unaware of the purpose of these rooms and may occasionally stray into them. That is why IFN provides the opportunity to appeal the warning.
   3. We may prohibit or delete conduct, communication, or Content on IFN that we think violates applicable law or is harmful to other Members, the communities that comprise IFN, or the rights of IFN, Inc., its affiliates or others. That said, neither IFN, Inc., its affiliates nor its ICPs, have the practical ability to restrict conduct, communication or Content that might violate the Rules prior to transmission on IFN or the Internet, nor can they ensure prompt editing or removal of offending Content after online posting.
   4. We ask you to be civil and to show respect for others. Dont interfere with another Members enjoyment. If you do, we may give you a warning or, at our discretion, terminate your membership. A warning indicates that your language or conduct does not comply with the Terms of Service or these Rules. If you receive such a warning, take the time to read the Terms of Service and these Rules again. They are posted in the Member Services area. With the exercise of some plain common sense, they're easy to comply with. Lets look at some examples of prohibited conduct:
      1. Offensive Communication. IFN, a community-oriented service composed of many different communities of people, strives to provide an interesting, stimulating and fun place for all Members. Using abusive or hateful language undermines this goal and is not allowed. Please use your best judgment and be respectful of other Members. While some video chat sessions are categorized as "Adults Only", others are not, and the use of vulgar language within these rooms is prohibited. If you use inappropriate language online, even if masked by symbols or other characters, a video chathost or IFN System Administrator (SYSADMIN) may give you an "on-screen warning". In some cases, your use of IFN may be terminated immediately.
      2. Harassment. When a Member targets another to cause distress, embarrassment, unwanted attention or other discomfort, this is harassment. We dont allow harassment and may suspend or terminate a Member who harasses others. You may have a disagreement with someone's point of view -- we encourage lively discussion in our chat rooms and message boards -- but personal attacks are not allowed. Also prohibited are attacks based on a persons race, national origin, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or other identification. If you have a disagreement with someone's point of view, stick to the subject, dont focus on the person.
      3. Graphic Files. IFN, Inc. prohibits the transfer or posting on IFN, or pointing to or referencing, sexually obscene images or other Content it deems offensive.
      4. Room and Message Board Disruption. This is what it sounds like. Dont interfere with the normal flow of dialogue in a chat room or on a message board. Disruption may occur in different ways, including repeated interruptions of conversation, actions that antagonize, harass or create hostility, or posting off-topic. Scrolling is another form of disruption thats prohibited. "Scrolling" means repeatedly causing the screen to roll faster than Members are able to type to it. It is caused by a user entering a set of random characters or by repeatedly entering a carriage return or any such action resulting in a similar disruptive effect.
      5. Impersonation. This can involve the portrayal of another person or entity, such as the impersonation of IFN, Inc. staff or an independent content provider ("ICP"), or communication under a false name or a name that you are not authorized to use, such as a celebrity. Members may not pretend to be IFN, Inc. personnel or other persons in any online communication, for example by using screen names, Member profiles, chat dialogue and message postings.
      6. Chain Letters and Pyramid Schemes. Certain chain letters and pyramid schemes are illegal. Transmission of chain letters and pyramid schemes of any kind is not allowed on IFN. This material places an unnecessary load on our e-mail system and is considered a nuisance by many Members. Not only are chain letters (or messages that offer a product or service based on the structure of a chain letter) of questionable legality, they are a waste of resources and IFN does not permit them.
      7. Advertising, Solicitation and Name Harvesting. Unless you obtain express permission from the Member in advance, you may not use IFN to send unsolicited advertising, promotional material or other forms of solicitation to another Member (although Contributors may use the IFriends E-mail System to advertise upcoming sessions to their previous viewers who have not requested to be removed from their mailing lists). You may not use IFN to collect or "harvest" screen names of other Members without the express prior permission of the Member. IFN, Inc. reserves the right to block or filter mass e-mail solicitations on or through IFN. Additionally, you must adhere to IFN's Privacy Policy (see Section 5 of the Terms of Service).
      8. Password Solicitation. Its absolutely prohibited to solicit or attempt to obtain a Members password, account or financial information. The best protection against someone improperly obtaining your password, account or financial information is to NEVER give out your password. "Loose lips sink ships!" So if someone asks you for it, refuse and report the incident to Member Services immediately.
      9. Operating Policies. Operating policies exist for everyones benefit. Please be a responsible Member of our community and follow them whether the policies are IFNs or its affiliates, or other interactive services.
      10. Laws. Contrary to what some may think, the law DOES apply in cyberspace! So follow the law, including applicable local, state, national, international and foreign law. Just like in the "paper-based" world, ignorance is no excuse! You may contact our Sheriff's Office about any violation by using the report form located at http://www.iFriends.net/sheriff.htm.

      This list is not exhaustive. IFN reserves the right, but does not assume the responsibility, to restrict communication which IFN deems in its discretion to be harmful to individual Members, damaging to the communities which make up the IFN Service, or in violation of IFN's or any third-party rights. Please be aware, however, that communication over the IFN Service often occurs in real-time, or is posted on one of the IFN Service's message boards, and IFN cannot, and does not intend to, screen communication in advance.

4. CONTENT
   
   1. The essence of this medium is interactivity: the ability to communicate and share ideas, opinions and information with others -- whether that's your next-door neighbor or someone on the other side of the globe. With the awesome power of interactivity comes important responsibilities, both as a poster and a reader of Content. We encourage Members to freely voice their diverse ideas and opinions -- that's the essence and the beauty of the medium. But that also means you've got to exercise judgment -- even skepticism at times -- when viewing some online Content. At minimum, you should be as careful in your evaluation of it as you are in everyday life. As a matter of policy, we don't endorse or oppose any opinion expressed by a Member, or information or material provided by an ICP or other independent parties. And with all the Content that is posted everyday by so many people and organizations, there's really no practical way for us to monitor it. If we are notified about Content that doesn't conform to our TOS, we'll try to investigate. As we indicated in the Terms of Service, if we decide it violates our TOS, we'll ask for it's removal or remove it ourselves.
   2. Intellectual property laws apply with equal force to Content found on IFN. If you do any of the following you may be liable to the rightsholder for copyright or trademark infringement: Copying pictorial images, logos or blocks of text you find on IFN; copying excerpts from online news services to distribute to others; taking online discussions of others even when you've participated in the discussion and posting them elsewhere. Basically, you may not transmit over IFN material that is subject to any person or entity's rights, including copyright, without the express permission of the rights holder. If no specific restrictions apply directly or indirectly to a particular item, however, you may make a reasonable number of copies provided that the copies are only for your personal use and that all proprietary-rights notices are reproduced unchanged. This means that you may post to IFN's video chat sessions and message boards or otherwise transmit on or through IFN only two types of Content. One type is "public domain" content, which is content that is not subject to any copyright, trademarks, or other intellectual and proprietary rights protection. The other type is content protected by copyright, trademark, moral rights, or other intellectual and proprietary rights, but the holder of those Rights has expressly authorized distribution on IFN or the Internet without restriction. When you obtain permission to submit or post copyrighted material on IFN, your posting should contain a phrase such as "Copyright owned by [name of the owner]; used by permission." The unauthorized submission of copyrighted material that is otherwise subject to any third-party rights, constitutes a breach of our TOS and may also make you liable to the rights holder. Remember, you, not IFN, Inc. or its affiliates or independent contractors, are exclusively responsible for any liability resulting from infringement of rights arising from such submission or transmission. The maxim "Ignorance is no excuse" applies! IFN recognizes that safeguarding intellectual property is essential to the growth and vitality of the interactive medium and wants you to recognize this too. We have a process in place that can assist you if you believe your intellectual property rights have been infringed. We will, when properly notified, attempt to investigate the claim, which may involve contacting the poster and may, when warranted, take appropriate action. Our process is designed to balance our desire to assist others who seek to protect their rights online with our desire to promote free speech and information flow on IFN. IFN, Inc. reserves the right to remove or hide any material in its discretion.
   3. Public areas on IFN are those that generally are accessible to other Members, such as public chat rooms, message boards and file uploads. Dont forget, as we stated in the Terms of Service, if you submit Content to any public area, you have represented that you are the copyright owner, or are authorized by the copyright owner, to submit the Content and you are authorized to grant and have granted IFN Inc. a broad license to it (see the Terms of Service, Section 4B for more details on this).
   4. IFN allows you, without leaving the comfort of your home or office, to visit destinations, review and create Content, and interact with Members of IFN's international services world-wide. As in the case of an actual visit to such international destinations, your communication, conduct, and Content is subject to applicable law and you should act accordingly. Furthermore, the law of "cyberspace" will continue to evolve and adapt to the social, political, and economic changes engendered by the rapid expansion of the Internet online experience. Use these Rules as your guide, but be mindful of applicable and changing legal rules. As we mentioned in the Terms of Service, because of the export control laws of the United States and other countries, you need to be careful not to transfer through IFN any Content that is regulated by these laws to a prohibited destination without proper authorization. This includes certain types of encryption software and software containing encryption functionality.

5. Finale
   
   You made it! You've reached the end of our rules and policies which are intended to make your visits to IFN enjoyable. While some of this sounds complicated, it's really not -- good common sense will always be your best guide. These Rules will always be here for your reference. After all, these Rules really do enhance your experience on IFN and ensure that IFN will be an enjoyable service for all Members. We have tried to explain our terms clearly, but if any aspect remains unclear, please let us know at help@ifriends.net.




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