Frequently Asked Questions
Questions
- What is Your Mail?
- Who runs Your Mail?
- How can be sure I am safe while using this site?
- What will happen to my personal information?
- How do I stop receiving newsletters by email?
- What should I do if I see a post or picture which I think is inappropriate or offensive?
- What is inappropriate content?
- What does libel/slander/defamation mean?
- What can I do if someone is pretending to be me?
- Why can’t I post a reply?
- Can I change my Your Patch areas?
- How do I upload a picture?
- Why has my post/picture been deleted?
- What will happen to my posts after I have submitted them?
- Competition Rules
- Definitions of some commonly used terms
Answers
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What is Your Mail?
Your Mail is a website created to enable local people in Hull and the East Riding to communicate and interact with each other on subjects of their choice. It is intended to become "the place for community conversation in Hull and the East Riding".
Your Mail is a forum for local people to express their views and discuss an unlimited range of issues with other users. Members of the public set the agenda. Your Mail provides the platform for their debates. Your Mail staff encourage people to get involved and ensure that the site is used responsibly.
There are a range of functions and levels of interactivity. You can talk with the whole community or choose specific areas. If you have a particular interest you can create, share and manage your own online groups with like-minded members of Your Mail. You can also create your own Your Family area.
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Who runs Your Mail?
Your Mail is owned and operated by Mail News & Media Ltd, the leading media company serving Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire. The company address is Mail News & Media Ltd., Blundell’s Corner, Beverley Road, Hull HU3 1XS.
Mail News & Media publishes the Hull Daily Mail, East Riding Mail, the Advertiser series of weekly newspapers and The Journal magazine. On the Internet, Mail News & Media has a range of digital platforms, including www.thisishull.co.uk, www.thisiseastriding.co.uk and www.sporthull.co.uk
Mail News & Media Ltd is a subsidiary company of Northcliffe Media.
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How can be sure I am safe while using this site?
While we aim to provide a service which is safe and easy to use, we cannot offer any guarantees to that effect. Please follow these simple tips in order to protect yourself and your family while accessing this and other websites:
Do not reveal your full name, address, telephone number or email address to anyone unless you are absolutely sure who they are. Remember that other users may be able to see what you have posted.
You should also be wary of revealing any other personal information such as your age or where you work, socialise, or where your children go to school.
Parents and guardians should be particularly careful about children’s internet usage, with teenagers as well as younger children. We recommend that you monitor their use of the internet and email, and where possible have your internet connection in a public room of the house where you can keep an eye on what is going on. Adjust your web browser’s security and other settings accordingly.
Ensure that you have effective anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and that these are up-to-date and switched on whenever you access the internet or email.
Exercise caution when opening emails or email attachments from unknown sources. If in doubt, DELETE IT.
The same applies when clicking links from one website to another. If in doubt, DON’T.
If you find a suspicious link posted on our website, please contact us via yourmail@mailnewsmedia.co.uk and we will investigate.
Links to internet safety advice www.personalsafetyadvice.co.uk/OnlineSafetyCategory.html & www.getsafeonline.org lots of advice for all internet users
www.thinkuknow.co.uk especially for children and parents/guardians/carers of children or other vulnerable people
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What will happen to my personal information?
We respect your privacy and value your trust. We will not pass your details on to any other organisation for any reason, except if we feel it may be relevant to a police investigation or if ordered to by a court of law. We may use your details for our own market research purposes, in order to assess and improve the services we offer.
For more information, view our privacy policy www.thisisyourmail.co.uk/pages/privacy
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How do I stop receiving newsletters by email?
First, log in to your user account.
In the light blue box at the top left of the screen, click ‘Your Profile’
Near the middle of the page, click ‘Edit Your Profile’
Scroll to the bottom of the form. There is a tick-box to indicate whether or not you wish to receive email notifications. Leave this box empty / un-ticked to stop receiving emails.
Click the ‘Save Changes to Profile’ button to confirm your amended account settings
You should see the message ‘Profile updated’ appear in a light green box near the top of the screen
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What should I do if I see a post or picture which I think is inappropriate or offensive?
Use the ‘report this post’ function to alert the website moderators, and explain why you think the content is inappropriate. The moderators will examine the content and decide what course of action to take. This may result in the removal of the relevant content, and the user who submitted it being banned from the site, or issued a warning. If we feel that a user has acted illegally we may pass the matter on to the police or other authorities.
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What is inappropriate content?
Inappropriate content includes but is not limited to libel, slander, or defamation, comments or images that promote hatred or ridicule of specific groups or individuals on the grounds of ethnic or religious orientation, gender or sexual orientation, disability, age etc. or posts and images containing nudity or sexually explicit content, or encouraging or depicting illegal or dubious activities.
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What does libel/slander/defamation mean?
Libel: a. A false publication, as in writing, print, signs, or pictures that damages a person’s reputation. b. The act of presenting such material to the public.
Slander: a. Oral communication of false statements injurious to a person’s reputation. b. A false and malicious statement or report about someone.
Defamation: a. A false accusation of an offence or a malicious misrepresentation of someone’s words or actions b. An abusive attack on a person’s character or good name
Definitions taken from www.thefreedictionary.com. More detailed explanations can be found at www.bookrags.com/wiki/Slander_and_libel
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What can I do if someone is pretending to be me?
If you believe another user is using your account, or impersonating your identity, contact us: yourmail@mailnewsmedia.co.uk and we will investigate the matter within a reasonable time.
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Why can’t I post a reply?
You can post a reply on any topic or start your own in the Your Say section of the website. The Your Patch section is intended for debates specific to geographical areas. While you may view content in any of these areas, you may only contribute to the areas you have chosen during the registration process.
Similarly, in the All Yours section, users may start up other groups with particular interests (a book club, a neighbourhood watch group, a pub quiz team etc). The user starting the group retains control over who is allowed to join. Only invited or approved group members will be able to post content in these areas, but the content will still be viewable by all users.
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Can I change my Your Patch areas?
If you move home, or simply decide you are more interested in another area, you can change your preferences by logging in to your account, and clicking “your profile” at the top of the left column. In the profile window, scroll down and click “edit profile”. You can then change your chosen areas.
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How do I upload a picture?
You can add a jpeg or gif picture to illustrate any post. Click the ‘browse’ button while you are writing your post to look through your computer’s hard drive and find the picture you want. The website will display pictures in a square format, so you may notice that there is some missing from the sides of a wide picture, or from the top and bottom of a tall picture. If you click on the small square, the complete image will be displayed.
You are reminded that the rules regarding inappropriate, offensive or illegal content apply to images as well as text.
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Why has my post/picture been deleted?
We will delete any post or picture that we feel is inappropriate, offensive or illegal. In some cases we will notify the user responsible for that content, but this may not be possible in all instances.
In addition, we will delete topics which have not generated any responses for some time in order to keep the site up-to-date and easy to navigate.
We may also delete anything which we believe constitutes an unfair commercial advantage or free advertising, and anything we deem to be ‘spam’ (see definitions at the end of this FAQ).
We do not allow multiple posts of the same or similar content. Such actions undermine the site and make it difficult to navigate. We reserve the right to delete all such postings (including the original post). Repeat offences may result in that user being banned. Don’t worry if you accidentally publish a post twice, we will exercise common sense in any such judgments.
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What will happen to my posts after I have submitted them?
As explained in the terms of service which all users are required to agree to upon registration, your rights as the author or owner of posts or images submitted to the site are protected. By publishing it on the website, you expressly allow us to re-use this material, for example by republishing your posts or pictures in our printed or online products. If you wish to publish copyrighted content that you have the authorisation to use, it is your responsibility to alert other users to and to enforce the restricted nature of the material. If you publish copyrighted material that you do not have permission to use, you will be liable for any penalties incurred. For further details, consult the terms of service.
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Competition Rules
Competition Rules
1. No employees of Mail News & Media Ltd or any company associated with a particular competition or promotion, or any member of their family, is eligible to enter or win any competition
2. Prizes are as stated and no alternatives, cash or otherwise, will be offered. In the case of cash prizes, winners will be contacted to submit a postal address and will receive a cheque for the prize amount.
3. All entries must be received by the published closing date and time of the competition or promotion. Any entries received after this time will be declared void.
4. Mail News & Media Ltd accepts no liability for any loss, damage or injury caused by any prizes won. Any such enquiries or complaints should be directed to the manufacturer or retailer.
5. The determination and decision of the Editor on all matters will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. The Editor reserves the right in absolute discretion to disqualify any entry, competitor or nominee, and to add to, or waive, any of the rules, or to cancel the whole or part of any competition or promotion at any stage without prior notification.
6. Where we offer prizes on behalf an associated company these prizes are provided in their entirety by these associated companies. Mail News & Media Ltd cannot be held responsible for any failure to provide prizes as specified and all enquiries in reference to such prizes will be referred to the associated companies.
7. Additional rules and restrictions may apply for different types of competitions and promotions. These will be clearly stated wherever the competition or promotions is described.
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Definitions of some commonly used terms
Post (noun) An electronic message or article on an internet forum or newsgroup
Post (verb) To submit or publish a post (see above)
Blog (noun) An online diary or periodically updated post, usually the work of one person or group. Short for web log
Blog (verb) To create or add to a blog (see above)
Thread (noun) A series of posts on a specific subject, often in the form of a conversation
Spam (noun) An unsolicited email or irrelevant post, usually designed for commercial purposes
Spam (verb) To create or distribute spam (see above)
I.P. Short for Internet Protocol address: a unique number that is used to identify computers or other devices connected to the internet, which can be used to track internet usage from a specific terminal.
R.S.S. Short for Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication: RSS subscribers will receive alerts when their chosen pages or subjects are updated