The Rules

There are a few simple rules that all of the members of our community agree to live by. Any entries or notes posted to the site that do not follow these rules will be removed, and the diary account of the person responsible will be subject to suspension or deletion by our staff.

Rule 1 - Respect All Members

Insulting, derogatory, or otherwise offensive language directed at other diarists in our community is strictly forbidden. If you do not agree with the viewpoints expressed by another member, please choose to simply not read their diary. Personal attacks will not be tolerated, and will result in removal of the offender's diary from the site. We believe that the opinions and views of all of our members are important, and should be respected.

Also, please refrain from harassing other OD members by repeatedly contacting or noting them, if you have been asked not to do so. If an OD member requests that you leave them alone, please respect their wishes.

Rule 2 - Be Careful With Your Language

We do not allow any racist, sexist, or otherwise derogatory or defamatory language on this site. Sexually explicit language is forbidden in public entries. If you are going to post sexually explicit language, please limit it to friends-only or private entries. Defining what is explicit is difficult - but please remember that anything you post publicly can show up on the front page of the site, where it can be read by thousands of people of all ages. If you are concerned that your language is too explicit for public consumption, please post it as a friends-only or private entry.

Rule 3 - Personally Identifying Information

We do not recommend that you post personally identifying information (full name, phone number, etc.) in your diary, but we do not forbid you from doing so. If you want to post such information in your diary, you may. However, you may not post such information about anybody other than yourself - posting personal details about another member or person is strictly forbidden.

Rule 4 - Use of Images

Linking to images or web pages outside of The Open Diary by use of HTML tags is allowed, but under certain restrictions. All pictures and links are subject to our content guidelines, and must be of a PG-rated nature or better. Posting obscene or offensive pictures or links to offensive sites in your diary may result in removal of your diary by our staff.

Also, you must have permission to link to images on other servers before doing so. Many other sites do not want to have their images accessed from outside sites (like OD), so please be sure that such linking is allowed.

Rule 5 - Copyrighted Materials

You must abide by all applicable copyright laws when posting text or images in your diary that were not created by you. If you are reposting text written by another diarist, you must obtain their permission first. Do not post copyrighted materials (words or images) without explicit permission from the author or artist.

Rule 6 - Spam

Spamming other members' diaries with notes promoting products or services, or promoting the note author's own diary, is not allowed. Also, diaries that are created solely for the purpose of promoting products or services, or for advertising other websites, products, or services are prohibited.

To report a Rules violation by an OD member : please go to the diary page on which the Rules violation appears. Then, click "help" in the menu bar at the top of the page. Follow the instructions to report the violation to our Admin Staff.

We appreciate everybody's help in keeping Open Diary a community where everyone can feel welcome.