Terms of Use

BASIC GUIDELINES

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Welcome to The Sterling Set website. This is a social media website designed to meet the needs of those over the age of 55 by providing a secure online presence to learn, interact, meet and mingle. Visitors and members are able to enjoy entertaining and informative posts.  Members may join in discussions, post subject matter to begin discussions, join groups based upon their interests, organize and join events within their prospective groups, access informative literature and access links to important resources designed to provide insight to this wonderful generation over the age of 55.

 

Safety

First and foremost, The Sterling Set values the safety of its patrons. To help insure the safety of members and visitors to our site, we ask all participants to follow the following guidelines:

Do not provide your personal information to anyone. The website is designed so that you may protect personally identifying information.  Do not disclose your name, email address, phone number, address, or social security number, or any account number to anyone, unless you trust them 200%. Do not post the content of any personal email sent to you without the sender’s prior express permission. The Social Set bears no responsibility for any damages incurred by a user of this site based on the sharing of this information.  The Social Set does not share or sell this information.  Please see our Privacy Policy for complete information on how we treat your personal information.

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Guidelines for Social Interaction

This website may not be used to promote organizational, commercial or business purposes. There is a specific area on this website for promoting businesses and organizations. Please email requests for commercial activities to our advertising department at www.thesocialset@gmail.com">www.thesocialset@gmail.com Do not post any message intended to promote a business or commercial product or service; or post a message that is intended to encourage others to vote in a contest.

1.  All User activities must be open to all members of the group. 

If you want to plan a closed activity, contact individuals directly by messaging them.

Everyone Must Abide by the Following Rules of the Social Set at group activities:

1. Be Courteous to All.  Do not negatively characterize the participants or messages they may post

2. Users must refrain from Offensive language

3. Users must be Respectful to All.  The Sterling Set does not permit or endorse any expression that is disrespectful of any individuals, groups, beliefs, opinions or ideas. Do not post or link to any slanderous, defamatory, abusive, baiting, harassing (including personal attacks and “name calling”), obscene, profane, vulgar, sexually explicit, threatening or illegal material, This, and all other rules applies to material in any format (e.g., text, graphic, symbol, photo, video).

4. Users must be Inclusive of All

5. Users must not discriminate against anyone.  Do not post or link to any material containing expressions of bigotry, racism, ageism, or hatred in any form whatsoever.  This, and all other rules applies to material in any format (e.g., text, graphic, symbol, photo, video).

6. Users may not post any message that is politically partisan or seeks to influence the outcome of an election to political office or pending legislation.

7. Users may not post or transmit any material that violates or infringes the intellectual property rights of others, (such as copyrights, patents, or trademarks)

8. Users may not post or transmit any material that is unlawful or encourages unlawful activity including any material that violates any federal, state, or local law or regulation is prohibited.

9. Users may not “Spam” by posting the same message on one or more pages that are not related to the topic of the post.

10. Users may not post hyperlinks to any webpage or site unless relevant to the comment or the subject of the comment, and in conformance with these rules.

 

Health and Information Disclaimer

The material provided on The Sterling Set website by its editors, contributors or participants is offered with the understanding that neither The Sterling Set nor other contributors are engaged in rendering financial, legal, medical, or other professional services on The Sterling Set website. If expert assistance is required, users should seek the services of a competent professional in the corresponding service area.

The Information You Give Us

We collect from you only the personal information that you provide us when you sign up for The Sterling Set website, or other means of communication such as notifications, emails and newsletters. Currently, we use this information solely for the purpose of sending you the information that you request. We may also use your email address to inform you about The Sterling Set events, services and news. In the future, we reserve the right to share your information with trusted third parties with whom we share our mission. However, we will never sell individual personal information without your advance permission or unless ordered by a court of law. If you have any questions about your account and personal information or have concerns about your privacy, please contact TheSterlingSet@gmail.com.

User Generated Content

The Sterling Set has no obligation to prescreen user information contributed to the Sterling Set website, however The Sterling Set does have the right to edit, refuse to publish or remove any content that in its discretion is considered abusive, defamatory, unlawful, or in some other way unacceptable. Such unacceptable content may be determined based upon our Rules of Conduct section or upon other appropriate grounds.

By uploading or otherwise submitting user content to The Sterling Set, you grant The Sterling Set a royalty-free, non-exclusive, perpetual license to use, modify, , store, transmit, distribute, publish, copy, publicly display, publicly perform, and create derivative works from any user-provided information in any format or medium now known or later developed, with or without attribution. You also grant The Sterling Set a license to use your username in connection with such user information. You represent and warrant to The Sterling Set that you have the right to upload or otherwise submit such user information to us and to grant The Sterling Set the licenses granted in this section.

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Intellectual Property Rights

The content provided on the Sterling Set website may not be copied, reproduced, republished, displayed, performed, used to create derivative works, uploaded, or posted without the written permission of The Sterling Set. You may download, display and print the content, solely for informational and non-commercial, personal use.

Product and Website Recommendations

The Sterling Set website provides links to other websites for the purpose of offering its users convenient access to additional content. The inclusion of links to websites does not imply sponsorship or endorsement. The Sterling Set also provides content describing products and services.

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Blogger Posts

The Sterling Set supports postings submitted by bloggers on its website. The views and opinions of these bloggers are strictly their own and do not reflect the views and opinions of The Sterling Set.

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Grievance Procedure

The Sterling Set is committed to excellence. If, for any reason, you are not satisfied with your experience, you have the right to discuss your concerns with an administrative officer and have the problem addressed promptly and confidentially.  You may also file a complaint regarding any service, staff member, or other participant by submitting your complaint by email to TheSterlingSet@gmail.com.  You should be contacted within one week of filing your complaint; you should expect a decision within three weeks.  To the extent possible, all information relating to your complaint or grievance will be treated in a confidential manner.

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RULES FOR WEBSITE PARTICIPANTS

Be Honest: Intentions, Affiliations, Transparency

Member profiles are intended to represent real people. Member profiles must be honest and authentic.  Members should be open about who they are, their intentions, and their affiliations. All group and event descriptions should be accurate, so members can make informed decisions about their participation.  Creating fake accounts, malicious accounts, or accounts meant to impersonate another person, is prohibited on The Sterling Set.

Be Respectful

Members must respect the time limitations, personal choices, and personal boundaries of other members. Members must be respectful in their interactions with people and in content posted on the website.  Members may not display content that is irrelevant, impersonal, unsolicited, promotional, or repetitive. This is known as spam.

Do not Tamper with Discussion, Group or Activity Content

Members may not convert or change the content of discussions, groups or activities, so that they no longer align with the original intention and purpose set by the organizer or leadership team. The intentions of the group should remain consistent with member expectations as set in the group description.

Sexual Content and Nudity

Pornography is not allowed within the activities of The Sterling Set. Publicly shared photos must be appropriate for general audiences. Nude or sexual photos are not allowed in public spaces.

Nudity

If nudity or sexuality is part of the identity or lifestyle of a group of website participants, then these participants must keep the group’s discussions and activities private and limit access to this content to only participants having the same identity or lifestyle.

Sex Solicitation and Prostitution

The Sterling Set prohibits groups that, or individuals who, use The Sterling Set to proposition for sex, or to promote or engage in prostitution.

Shocking, Disturbing, and Violent Content

Gratuitously graphic, disgusting, obscene, or violent content is prohibited. The Sterling Set does not allow content designed to upset, shock, or disturb The Sterling Set community or its members.

Child Exploitation

The Sterling Set has a zero-tolerance policy regarding child exploitation of any kind.  The Sterling Set will remove any child nudity, pornography, or anything believed to exploit, sexualize, or fetishize minors. The Sterling Set will ban any uploader of such material and report any child exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Consent- Respect Privacy- Don't Post Other People's Private Information

The Sterling Set defines consent as welcomed communications and actions to engage with a member. Engaging with anyone in a non-consensual way is strictly prohibited. If ever in doubt, ask permission.  Posting private information of other members without their explicit consent is prohibited.  Members and organizers should always be mindful of privacy and use discretion when sharing any private content that belongs to themselves or to other members. For example, phone numbers, social security numbers, addresses, financial information, passwords, and government identification are considered private information.

Be Kind Be Compassionate: Don't Harass, Bully or Shame

Harassment is persistent or non-consensual contact from another member. Bullying is the intentional posting of mean content for the purpose of hurting or embarrassing another.

Bullying, harassment, exploitation, and acts of hate undermine community building in safe spaces where people can trust one another. Building real relationships requires us to be more compassionate and kinder towards one another. The Sterling Set does not allow behavior that is threatening, intentionally malicious, or personally, physically, emotionally, or mentally harmful.  The Sterling Set will honor requests to remove content that publicly shames or degrades a private individual.  Members should first contact the uploader or the organizer to request that content be removed.  The Sterling Set will honor requests to remove nude, lewd or shaming photos if the subject of that content reports it. Content targeting a public figure, organization, or anyone who has gained news attention, is not subject to these policies.

Act with Integrity: Do Not Manipulate or Exploit

Any attempt to use someone's insecurities or vulnerabilities for personal gain is considered manipulation or exploitation and is prohibited.

Hate and Supremacy

Hate speech, supremacy, or behavior that incites hate or violence against individuals or groups of people based on who they are or their beliefs, is prohibited.

Be Safe

All website participants and members should take ownership over their personal safety and should never put themselves or others in danger. The Sterling Set expects all organizers and members to be mindful of local laws when engaging with their groups. Where appropriate, activity organizers should also set guidelines for their activities to ensure their members are participating safely.

No Threats, Violence, or Personal Endangerment

Using The Sterling Set to promote, facilitate, or organize violent, criminal, or non-consensual actions that endanger anyone, physically, mentally, or emotionally, is prohibited. The Sterling Set reserves the right to remove credible explicit and implicit threats of violence or aggression and revoke the membership of the user who made them.

Honor Requests for Distancing, Blocking and Banning

Members must accept and respect any member’s decision to ban, block or refrain from contacting them. Creating new accounts to circumvent block or ban decisions is prohibited.

Harmful Misinformation

The dissemination or promotion of misinformation is prohibited. This includes claims that have been scientifically disproven and that may pose a public or personal health risk.

Self-Injury

The Sterling Set does not allow any content that encourages or glorifies self-injury or encourages others to harm themselves.

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RULES FOR DISCUSSION AND GROUP PARTICIPANTS

Greetings!  Thank you for joining in on The Sterling Set discussions, groups, activities and/or events!  It appears that you have inadvertently provided a post that is intended to sponsor or benefit another group, organization, or business. These types of postings must be presented under our Resources and Advertisements category. We must remove your post from its initial category. However, please feel free to resubmit your post under the resources and advertisements category.  Thank you!

 

Prohibited discussion, group and event practices of The Sterling Set

• Adult content, escort services, or sex solicitation

• Drugs, alcohol, tobacco, drug paraphernalia, or similar items

• Gambling or betting

• Weapons, ammunition, or weaponry accessories

• Multi-level marketing businesses, pyramid or Ponzi schemes

• Unlawful activities or items, or the promotion of unlawful activities or items

Website participants must not promote discussions or activities that could encourage or facilitate illegal or violent activity, such as:

 

•   Buying, selling, or trading firearms, ammunition, or drugs 

•   Pyramid schemes

•   Acts of physical harm against other people

•   Animal abuse

•   Acts of vandalism

Website participants must not promote content or promote activities that could threaten public or personal safety, including:

• Advocating for, inciting, or making aspirational statements or threats to commit violence against any group of people, individual person, or specific location

•    Weapons and explosive-making

•    Militia gatherings or any calls for violence in response to private or public events

•    Exposure of an individual’s personal information

•    Promotion or glorification of self-harm (for example, suicide, eating disorders or substance abuse)

Website participants must not promote discussions or activities that contain content or promote events that incite hate, violence, or harassment against individuals or groups of people based on personal attributes such as race, color, religion, descent, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, age, disability, or a medical or genetic condition.

Website participants must not promote discussions or activities that advance conspiracy theories that promote hatred or violence against individuals or groups based on any of the above personal attributes. Conspiracy theories that diminish or deny the documented suffering of a group of people are not permitted.

Harmful misinformation

Website participants must not promote discussions or activities that contain content or promote events that contain misinformation. This includes medical misinformation such as:

• Assurances of health cures or mental cures

• Unrealistic health, diet, and weight loss claims

• Claims that have been scientifically disproven and that may pose a public or personal health risk

 

Website participants must not promote discussions or activities that contain content or promote events that contain financial guarantees, including:

• Assurances of financial gains

• Promises of specific returns on investment

• Misrepresentation or concealed intentions

• Groups must not contain content or promote events that conceal or misrepresent the primary purpose of the group or its events, including:

• A group created with the purpose of deliberately spreading false or deceptive information.

• A group created with the sole purpose of making a statement or sparking controversy.

• Pick-up artists or seduction techniques

Website participants must not promote discussions or activities that contain content or promote events that involve pick-up or seduction techniques, or wingman tactics.

Sexual exploitation

• Groups must not contain content or promote events that promote or facilitate sex trafficking, prostitution, or any other type of sexual exploitation.

 

Pornography, nudity, or sexual content

• Website participants must not promote discussions or activities that contain pornography or publicly shared nude or sexual photos. If nudity or sexuality is part of the identity or lifestyle of a group of website participants, then these participants must keep the group’s discussions and activities private and limit access to this content to only participants having the same identity or lifestyle. Discussion and event organizers are responsible for monitoring this content for any activity or event.

 

Legal or medical services

• Website participants must not emphasize discussions or plan activities that promote regulated services provided by purported licensed medical or legal professionals. The Sterling Set does not confirm any professional credentials or licenses. However, Website participants may engage in discussions or plan activities wherein such regulated services are the topic. For example, a seminar on plastic surgery is acceptable. A seminar to promote face-lift surgery by Dr. John Doe is not acceptable. A discussion that involves the pitfalls of bankruptcy is acceptable.  A discussion that announces he bankruptcy services of attorney Jane Doe is not acceptable.

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