HSMusic Forum

Hey there! You may have noticed that this forum has a feature for private messaging, much the same as most forums and online spaces. A lot of the same guidelines you follow everywhere online apply here, but because this forum is a very small website with an even smaller crew for moderation, there are some more important details you should be aware of, too.

First and foremost, all community guidelines are worth keeping in mind in private messages, too. All our guidelines exist to try to help the community stay safe and comfortable for everyone. If it's a free-for-all in private messages, just because it's out of sight, then private messaging becomes intimidating and scary and really no good for anyone.

For example…

• You should try not to let anyone pressure you into private messaging, and you should think about if your own messages or comments might feel pushy, too. It's always your choice to respond to a message or not. You also don't have to reach out to anyone privately, and can post just in public spaces, if you prefer. (Taking a break from the forums as a whole is also always acceptable.)
   
• You should always remember it's OK to step away from private messages, and you should not hassle someone if they suddenly stop or take a break from replying to your messages, even if you see them hanging around somewhere else on the forums. (Even if you see each other as friends!)
   
• You should not give away information or answer questions if you don't trust that the person you're sharing with will respect your privacy. And if anyone tells you no, or I'm not able to comment, then don't push them on the subject.

It's also important to know two big limitations that apply for this forum in particular.

1. Your private messages are not encrypted. That means that it is possible, and you should assume "pretty easy!", for administrators and possibly any site moderator to access everything you say in private messages. It is also possible for our hosting provider to access your data, and we can't prevent it from being shared with government/state entities, either.
   
   We don't want to access your PMs, but we are also only human and try to do what's right. You and we might disagree! If you need privacy from any or all of the above, you should consider moving to another platform, especially one with end to end encryption for your messages. (We use Signal.)
    
2. You might not be able to receive much support from moderation. In some ways, this is similar as the rest of the forum. If everyone has good intentions and wants to respect each other, then we hope that the guidelines can help guide interactions and resolve difficulties almost as well as we moderators can. We believe that most difficulties are best worked out by the people involved, without third parties getting involved—especially if those third parties wield special privileges like kicking someone out of an entire community.
   
   However, if anyone is acting in a way that makes you concerned for your own safety or for the community as a whole, you can reach out to us, and we'll do our best to assess the situation and help however we are able. There is a "Contact us" button at the bottom of every forum page, and this is the best way to make sure someone responsible receives and responds to your message as soon as possible.

Thank you very much for giving this all a read! In the end, our biggest guideline is just to trust in your feelings and make decisions for yourself. Please feel free to contact us privately, or ask publicly in Questions about the Forum, if you ever wonder anything or need some input.