OCS Terms of Use
This Terms of Use statement covers all Our Community Salutes website properties ("OCS Websites") at ocsusa.org, www.ourcommunitysalutes.org, www.ocsconnect.com, and any other associated Our Community Salutes website or online property.
Our Community Salutes and OCS Connect User Guidelines
Our Community Salutes -Connect (“OCS Connect”) has been established for the purpose of providing education and early planning tools and guidance on topics focused on higher education and personal finance. These are designed to help new enlistees, parents, guardians and other interested parties navigate their military journey including helping them understand how to design an effective pathway to and through higher education along with information and tools to avoid financial difficulties.
The Our Community Salutes and OCS Connect Website, information and interactive communities are being provided to you by OCS.
Welcome and we are glad you have decided to become a registered user of OCS Connect. We want all users, sponsors and other contributors, to feel welcome and respected when using the OCS Connect Site . These user guidelines have been developed describing what actions and behaviors are and are not acceptable on the site. In addition, they describe your rights and responsibilities in your use of the site and services and by clicking “I accept” you are agreeing to these guidelines, so please take a moment to read them.
Each user is limited to one account per, and you should not share your account password with anyone else (even a family member sharing your home) or allow someone else to use your account. Users are responsible for adhering to the these guidelines
As you register for OCS Connect you must use your real name. It is not acceptable to submit inaccurate user information.
OCS Connect expects users will use the site for the intended purpose and reserves the right to refuse registration to any person or to suspend, delete or deactivate your account or limit your privileges, without liability to you.
The site will have moderators to monitor activity, help with questions and respond to any inappropriate postings or interactions that violate these guidelines. Violating these User Guidelines may include removal of content, suspension of posting privileges, or even a permanent ban from OCS Connect.
Our Community Salutes–Connect was created to be a resource for new armed forces enlistees and parents or guardians. We hope our users will be positive contributors and have a productive experience while they use the resources and share experiences. The guidelines prohibit posts and replies that discriminate against, attack, or disparage OCS Connect users, moderators or sponsors.
This is a site that allows users to interact, ask questions and obtain information about topics designed for military enlistees and their parents. It is not for users to push a political agenda and personal views on controversial issues. We rely on our users to report those who are over-posting, campaigning, and posting or ranting about controversial matters.
Use your true identity
The site is an education resource and an interactive community for the registered users. To that end, using your true identity and honestly representing yourself are key parts of being an OCS Connect User .
Disagreements and conflict
We encourage users to have conversations about the issues or questions that matter to them in a way that is helpful, constructive, civil, and builds the OCS- Connect community.
Don’t attack, berate, bully, belittle, insult, harass, threaten, troll, or swear at others or their views even if you disagree with them. This includes communication within a group or via private message.
If you have concerns about community moderation, for example, about why your content was reported or removed, do not post about it in the main thread, rather please use the mechanism that allows you to email OCS Connect representatives.
Public shaming
OCS Connect will not tolerate publicly shaming of users, sponsors, members or veterans of the US Armed Forces. If you see users doing something that concerns you, please report it to OCS Connect representatives. Please don’t go back at the person nor post about it.
Discrimination and hate speech
OCS Connect wants users and sponsors to feel welcome, safe, and respected. Hate speech is not permitted.
Do not make posts or comments that discriminate against, threaten, or insult users or sponsors because of military affiliation, race, color, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, political affiliation, age, veteran status or disability.
Note that you may be asked to edit your remarks to remove language that OCS deems offensive or in violation of guidelines. Failure to respond my results in the removal of such posts.
OCS Connect is not a soapbox
OCS Connect is an information and education platform for high school senior military enlistees and parents, and other users that allows them to provide and obtain information and education. However, issues that are pushed too hard, political ranting, and personal views on controversial, non-related issues will rub users the wrong way and may results in the removals of posts and the user’s privileges. Users are asked to report those who are over-posting, campaigning, repeatedly posting, or ranting about controversial, non-related issues.
Ranting
OCS Connect is designed to be resource for education and informative interaction. You are encouraged to use the site to discuss the topics for which the site was created. But please don’t rant at others when using the site. Remember, users are looking for assistance and information, sponsors of the site are doing a good thing by providing informative content and OCS Connect staff are volunteers. No one deserves to be ranted at.
How can you tell something may a rant? It is a message that makes users feel shouted at and usually includes a combination of the following: ALL CAPS, excessive punctuation, provocative language, judgmental accusations, or repetitive explanations.
Dominating or hijacking conversations
Research has shown that teams work best when conversations are not dominated by one or just a few voices. Regularly dominating conversations, shouting down others, or hijacking conversations to return to your matter is not acceptable behavior on OCS Connect.
Politics, Religion and controversial issues
OCS Connect is not a site for the discussion and interaction about politics or religion.
As a reminder, the young men and women in their “Oath of Enlistment” make a conscious decision to “defend the Constitution of United States”. They do so regardless of which political parties control the Executive and Legislative Branches of Government. OCS Connect recognizes that political decisions may impact these young men and women and their families. However, it is important for the user community to refrain from taking sides or ranting about such decisions and respectfully requests that users keep their political beliefs to themselves and not post on such topics as disagreements about politics have the potential to become divisive.
Users are also requested to refrain from posting on topics and issues related to faith and religion for the same reasons as outlined in the OCS Connect position on political posts.
Other
Keep all content civil and legal, and adhere to the guidelines.
Selling, soliciting, or offering of any goods or services is prohibited.
Do not post private information without permission.
Requesting personal information from other users is prohibited.
Do not use profanity. Cursing is not necessary.
Threatening someone’s physical safety is prohibited. If you believe that your physical safety or the safety of another person is at risk, please call 911 or contact the relevant local authorities.