Our websites aim, amongst other things, to facilitate conversations about our work and the issues we’re interested in. We want your comments to drive these conversations, but, of course, we also expect your comments to be courteous, constructive, and related to our core mission (which is seeking to overcome the effects of criminal records).
To help make the conversations as productive as possible, we’ve adopted the policy below.
Please note:
- This policy applies to all Unlock’s sites, as well as our social media accounts.
- Our online forum has its own rules.
- This policy is separate to providing feedback, which is sent directly (and privately) to us.
The purpose of “comments”
Unlike many sites, we have “turned on” the comments function of our site; this is so that you can react to the news and posts on our site. We believe this is importance in capturing your thoughts, views and experiences. Perhaps you’ve got an experience that supports the issue, or have experienced something different.
They’re not designed to provide advice and support to others that have commented – that’s what our online forum is for.
How to leave comments
You can comment on:
- Any of the news posts on our main site
- Updates to our information site, and specific information pages
- New posts to our online magazine, theRecord
You can also comment by interacting with us through social media.
Our comments function is powered by Disqus; this is where the comments are hosted.
Topics
Our sites are moderated, and should only contain comments that relate to our work.
Where comments appear to be developing into a conversation between those commenting, we may suggest that the discussion moves onto our online forum, which is designed for this purpose.
We have a set of house roles as part of our approach to social media.
Moderation
All comments are subject to approval from Unlock. The time it takes for us to approve comments may vary.
Approval by Unlock does not imply endorsement. We do not provide reasons why comments have not been approved.
For those comments that are approved, they will appear directly under the post you are commenting on.
Disqus enables users to “flag” for moderation comments they believe violate this policy or contain personally identifiable information. Our site will also automatically flag words commonly associated with spam and strings of numbers that resemble phone numbers. Any comments that are automatically flagged will be reviewed.
Organisational endorsement
Please remember, reader comments and preferences reflect the views of the comment authors and do not reflect the official views of Unlock.
Privacy
Please remember that any information you provide will be available to the general public. You should be aware that a Disqus account can link to comments you’ve made elsewhere, which others can also see linked to you. It might also be possible to personally identify you if your Disqus profile links with other social media tools.
Unlock will not collect any personally identifiable information from comments. Should any personal information be included in a comment, Unlock will not sell it, nor will Unlock share it except as permitted by law.
To protect your privacy and the privacy of others, do not include phone numbers, email addresses, or other personal information in the body of your comment. We will always seek to remove any personal information from comments, but cannot guarantee to do so, and we are unable to edit your Disqus profile and how it links to other social media – this is beyond our control.
For complete information, please read our privacy policy.
Unlock comments
From time to time, Unlock staff will write comments, and we will always clearly identify ourselves when doing so. This does not mean we agree or disagree with another commenter.
The goal of the Unlock staff comments is to answer specific questions or to make sure the conversation stays productive and on topic.
We may also suggest an alternative way of commenting, depending on the situation. For example, if you ask us a question on Twitter, we may suggest you send us a Direct Message so that your question, and our reply, remains private.
If you are looking for advice from Unlock on your criminal record, you can contact our helpline.
