Terms and Conditions

DIVINE CONNECTIONS SITE POLICIES
Policy 1 – Acceptable and Unacceptable Content and Language
Divine Connections undertakes to monitor the information users display publicly on our Site.  We will edit or delete information which are outside our standards as listed below and we may take further action with users who offend in this way.  The following guidelines describe our standards

What is Acceptable Content and Practices for ‘God’s Touch’, ‘Praying People’, ‘Natter Chambers’ and Other Areas on our Site Open to the Public?

We would rather emphasize the positive nature of the material and content we would like users to adopt when using our Site which should reflect the good purposes for which the Site was constructed. 

• Make your prayer, message or story positive, faith giving and life bringing to all who may read it  - our policy is to promote positive prayers and messages which exalt and raise up the prospects of others, and which can bring glory to God.
• Include scripture references where possible
• Be impartial and non-judgmental in what you write
• Honour and respect each other, and God
• Respect confidentiality, private details and avoid using names which could embarrass people being referred to.  Obtain the permission of others where you would like to mention them by name before posting the material on the Site.

What is Unacceptable Content and Practices for ‘God’s Touch’, ‘Praying People’, ‘Natter Chambers’ and Other Areas on our Site Open to the Public?

We need to define the unacceptable content to guide you further.

The following is unacceptable:-

• Writing which is classed as blasphemy or irreverence to God as understood in the established Christian Church.
• Material from faiths other than that acceptably within the established Christ centered Church (as a guideline, the Westminster Catechism needs to be adhered to – but we reserve the right to ask users or church organisations for an explanation of their Christian beliefs if this needs clarification). 
• Material which incites religious hatred with respect to other religions or their followers or minority ethnic groups.
• Material which is discriminatory of sex, age, religion or race.
• Material which is overtly political in its nature, or which tries to exalt a particular political view or party.  (This is a Site to extol God rather than get involved in party politics, especially which could result in divisiveness and engendering disagreement.)
• Naming individuals in such a way as to betray confidentiality or trust or anonymity.
• Content which includes bad language, swear words and material which is unacceptably crude.
• Material which is judgemental and opinionated against others.
• Material which is potentially offensive to others.
• Divine Connections reserves the right to edit (or reject ) material or stories or prayers which it independently judges to be inappropriate for display on this site.
• Forms of prayer that curse, criticise, condemn or that are otherwise negative towards others – Content or material which is of a sexual, immoral, ungodly or indecent nature.
• Dialogue (or arguments) between users which become heated, unduly aggressive or divisive.
• Dialogue which is intentionally provocative and confrontational, which could lead to bad feelings.
• Divine Connections will advise the originating user if their input or story has been rejected.
• Divine Connections will inform you if your prayer has been rejected.
• As stated in the User Agreement, Divine Connections reserve the right to restrict Site use, or ban users if they do not adhere to this policy.

Policy 2 - Our Policy on Duration of Posting and Items for The Exchange
This policy applies to the posting of information, prayers, blessing messages, items for The Exchange.

• Stories, prayers and other messages will be displayed on the Site for as long as Divine Connections thinks is appropriate and reasonable.
• If you would like Divine Connections to withdraw your submission please contact us with your instructions.  We will need to check you are the originator.
• Divine Connections expects that users will only advertise quality items for sale or exchange. 
• Divine Connections reserves the right to review and, if necessary in their judgement, exclude items from sale or exchange which are below a value level or quality level which will otherwise be impractical or uneconomic or unsuitable for transactions on the Site.
• Divine Connections will review the time for which items for exchange or sale and for Home Swap, have continuously been posted on the Site. 
• Divine Connections will monitor the continuing benefits and validity of postings which have been displayed for over one month, and may choose to take them off the Site if it judges this will be in the best overall interest of the Site and Users.
• If postings are removed then, the user concerned will be advised and can if desired, apply to repost the item.

Policy 3  - Property Transactions and House Swaps
There are a large number of possibilities covered under this contract agreement:-

 Home sale and purchase.
 Home rental for limited period.
 Rooms to rent (eg family rooms, granny flat, outbuildings) for a limited period.
 House Swap for holiday purposes.
 Commercial property rental and leasing.
 Caravan rental.

Our policy is to permit only users who are residents of the UK to offer such transactions. Properties in non-UK locations may be advertised in this section provided the owner is resident in the UK and undertakes the transaction contract to the Laws and Courts of England.

1) Home Swap Policy, Homes and flats to Rent and Rooms to Rent

Our general aim is for individuals to connect with others in the broadening Body of Christ and to wisely steward the resources collectively available.  For this reason we prefer to encourage individuals rather than commercial operations to use this part of the site. 

a)Users should check that they have the legal right to offer their home or property for this purpose. Users are advised to seek advice from the following professionals and advisers:-

• Your home mortgage or loan company – you may need to obtain permission.
• Your legal practitioner, solicitor or lawyer, who can advise on the contractual arrangements and safeguards you need to put in place.
• Insurance company for your home and contents.
• If necessary, third party and liability insurance cover.

b) We strongly advise users who are offering their homes for home swap and rental to ensure they have a professionally drawn up contract for the temporary occupant of their home to sign up to.  Provision should be considered for the possibility of damage, fire, theft or other loss.

c) We advise users to ensure that descriptive details and photographs of their home are a true representation and that any details which might cause a problem are made clear before the swap or rental takes place to avoid disappointment (eg distance that the property is from the beach, amenities; proximity of railway or road traffic).

d) We advise users to ensure that issues affecting disabilities, such as awkward staircases, doorsteps and proximity of car parking, should be made clear.

e) We advise users to ensure that all safety requirements are met within the home they have on offer.  These may include, but are not limited to, gas certificate, electrical checks, fire escapes etc , and that professional maintenance is undertaken where necessary on a regular basis.

f) The foregoing applies to rooms to rent within your home (eg family rooms, granny flat or accommodation within outbuildings).

The above is not intended to be a complete and exhaustive checklist, and all users are themselves responsible to ensure they meet and conform to all prevailing requirements.

2) Caravan Rental
You may advertise your caravan rental on The Exchange area of the Site.

Users should note all the points covered in section 1) and in addition should ensure that renters are familiar and willing to conform to any local rules or requirements (eg caravan park site rules).

3) Property Sales and Commercial Property
Sales of property, flats, caravans, commercial property and other property should be featured in the Exchange part of the Site.  Users should undertake their own scrutiny of the item for sale and enter into a transaction if they are sure they meet the appropriate criteria – for example; availability of a mortgage or loan, affordability of the purchase.

4) Disclaimer and Indemnification. 
Divine Connections accepts no liability for loss, damages, costs or charges relating to purchase, sale, hire or other transactions under this category incurred by users using our Site.  These transactions are undertaken at the sole risk of users.  Users should ensure they understand conditions of sale, purchase, rental or other transaction. Users accept sole responsibility for all aspects of transactions and indemnify Divine Connections and their employees and Associates from any such claims which may arise.
5) Legal Disclaimer 
Users accept sole responsibility for the legality of their actions when selling, buying or transferring items, and need to take special note of the appropriate legal requirements prevailing within the geographic area where they are conducting their part of the transaction. 
 

 
Policy 4 – Prohibited Content for General Advertising and Information – placed on the Site
Divine Connections has defined this policy relating to the content of advertising:

• Want ads or exchanges
  Listings advertising a desire to buy or trade items are permitted subject to language and the item.  We do not allow advertising in which the services or items for sale or exchange or wanted are prohibited. (See general agreement for list of prohibited items, and other related policies)
  We will end any postings or listings not conforming to this policy without notice.  Persistent breeches may result in exclusion.
• Prize Competitions, Lotteries and Giveaways
  Promotion of raffles, lotteries, prize competitions or giveaways as an enticement for purchasers or visitors to a third party site are not permitted. These postings or exchanges will be terminated without notice.
• Catalogue Sales
  Postings on the Site advertising third party sites with on line catalogues from which buyers may order further items directly are only permitted  provided the link or posting makes it clear the user is being directed to a non-Divine Connections site, and that Divine Connections are not responsible for the content of the third party site.
•  Key word spamming
  Keyword spamming is the practice of including brand names or other "keywords" for the purpose of gaining attention or diverting users to a listing. Key word spamming is unfair to members who may be searching for a specific item and receive search engine results of listings that are not selling the item. It is also a manipulation of our search engine. Certain uses of brand names may also constitute trademark infringement and could expose sellers to legal liability.
  We will remove postings which contain excessive use of keywords, including (but not limited to) brand names, which are referenced for the purpose of attracting or diverting bidders to a listing, is considered keyword spamming and is not permitted.
• Postage and Packing: Sellers may add a reasonable posting and handling fee to the final price of their item, providing that this fee is disclosed up front in the posting. A posting and handling fee should cover only the seller's reasonable costs for mailing, packaging and handling the item.
• Escrow: Escrow arrangements are permitted, however, buyers and sellers must agree the arrangements between themselves in advance of concluding a sale.
• Different Currencies: Sellers may choose to accept payment in a currency other than sterling. Any costs associated with the currency exchange and which party pays for them, must be disclosed and agreed to in advance of the sale.
• Profanity
  Divine Connections does not allow the use of profanity or patently vulgar language. This includes the use of language that is racist, hateful, sexual, or obscene in nature in a public area. This policy extends to text within postings and other material placed by users on the Site.  This also applies to any third party sites which may be linked from a user posting – in this case we will close the item on our Site which contains the link. 
•  JavaScript - Divine Connections does not permit the use of the following types of JavaScript functions:
  o Scripts used to drop or read a cookie on any Divine Connections page
  o Scripts that redirect the user from Divine Connections to another page (such as the "replace" script) Many people are not aware of the harm these scripts can cause and do not intentionally use these to cause harm; however, these types of JavaScript can be used for malicious purposes. Therefore, in the interest of security, we have eliminated the use of these scripts on our site.

Policy 5 – Privacy Policy
Divine Connections operates under the provisions of the UK Data Protection Act, and as such will not disclose your details to a third party without your permission.
User privacy is very important to us. Please read this Privacy Policy to learn about the ways in which we use and protect user personal information.
1) Overview: By accepting this Privacy Policy and the User Agreement, you expressly consent to our use and disclosure of your personal information in the manner prescribed in this Privacy Policy. If you object to this use and disclosure please do not register with us.
Please note that your Information will be stored and processed on our computers in the an unspecified location or country.
2) Contents: Our primary goal in collecting personal information is to provide you with a safe, efficient, and personalised experience. We only collect personal information about you that we consider necessary for this purpose.
Once you give us your personal information, you are not anonymous to us. If you choose to use our services, we may require you to provide contact and identity information and other personal information as indicated on the forms throughout the Site. Where possible, we indicate which fields are required and which fields are optional.
If you have opted to donate money to Divine Connections or pay regular contributions, we will collect the necessary information from you.  It may be necessary for us to disclose these records to the Inland Revenue, Customs and Excise or the Charities Commission
We use data collection devices such as "cookies" on certain pages of the Site. "Cookies" are small files placed on your hard drive that assist us in providing customised services and to help promote safer trading. We also offer certain features that are only available through the use of a cookie. We also use cookies to allow you to enter your password less frequently while you are using the Site. Cookies can also help us provide information which we tailor to your interests.  Most cookies are "session cookies", meaning that they are automatically deleted from your hard drive at the end of a session using the Site. You are always free to decline our cookies if your browser permits, although in that case you may not be able to use certain features on the Site and you may be required to re-enter your password more frequently while you are using the Site.
Additionally, you may encounter "cookies" or other similar devices on certain pages of the Site that are placed by third parties. For example, if you view a web page created by a user, there may be a "cookie" placed within that web page. We do not control the use of cookies by third parties.
If you choose to buy or sell undertake other types of transaction on the Site, we may collect information about your activities on the Site. You should also be aware that other users may report incidents of concern to us for investigation which may have involved you and that we will store this information privately.
If you choose to post or ask us to post messages on our blessing boards, natter rooms or other message areas or leave feedback for other users, we will collect that information.
If you send us personal correspondence, such as emails or letters, or if other users or third parties send us correspondence about your activities or postings on the Site, we may collect such information into a file specific to you.
We use information in the files we maintain about you, and other information we obtain from your current and past activities on the Site, to investigate issues, resolve disputes, provide customer support, troubleshoot problems and enforce our User Agreement and Policies. At times, we may look across multiple users to identify problems or resolve disputes, and in particular we may examine your information to identify users using multiple User IDs or aliases.
You agree that we may use personally identifiable information about you to improve our marketing and promotional efforts, to analyze site usage, improve our content and product offerings, and customise the Site's content, layout, and services. These uses improve the Site and enabler us to tailor it to meet your needs.
You agree that we may use your information to contact you and deliver information to you that, in some cases, are targeted to your interests, such, administrative notices, product offerings, and communications relevant to your use of the Site. By accepting the User Agreement and reading this Privacy Policy, you expressly agree to receive this information.
3) Internal Service Providers: We may use third parties that we refer to as internal service providers to facilitate or outsource one or more elements of our services (e.g., search, identity verification, discussion boards, surveys, affiliate and reward programmes) and therefore we may provide some of your personally identifiable information directly to them. These internal service providers' are subject to confidentiality agreements with us and other legal restrictions that prohibit their use of the information we provide them for any other purpose except to facilitate the specific outsourced Divine Connections related operation, unless you have explicitly agreed or given your prior permission to them for additional uses. In some instances, the internal service provider may collect information directly from you (such as the situation where we ask a internal service provider to conduct a survey for us). In these cases, you will be notified of the involvement of the internal service provider, and all information disclosures you make will be strictly optional. If you provide additional information to an internal service provider directly, then their use of your information is governed by their applicable privacy policy.
4) Legal Requests: Divine Connections cooperates with law enforcement inquiries, as well as other third parties, to enforce laws and third party rights, such as intellectual property rights and laws relating to fraud. Therefore, in response to a verified request by law enforcement or other government officials such as a Section 29 (3) Data Protection Act 1998 form relating to a criminal investigation or alleged illegal activity, or other activity that may expose us or you to legal liability, we can (and you authorise us to) disclose personal information such as name, address, telephone number, email address. Further, we can (and you authorise us to) disclose your User ID, name, address, telephone number, email address, and company name as supplied to Divine Connections as we in our sole discretion believe necessary or appropriate in connection with an investigation of fraud, intellectual property infringement or other unlawful activity.
We cannot ensure that all of your communications with Divine Connections and other personally identifiable information will never be disclosed in ways not otherwise described in this Privacy Policy. For example, third parties may unlawfully intercept or access transmissions or private communications, or users may abuse or misuse your information that they collect from the Site. Therefore, although we use industry standard practices to protect your privacy, we do not promise, and you should not expect, that your personally identifiable information or communications with us will always remain private.
6) Password and ID Control: You are responsible for all actions taken with your User ID and password, including those actions that result in agreement to purchase items for sale. Therefore we do not recommend that you disclose your Divine Connections password to any third parties. If you choose to share your User ID and password or your information with third parties to where it is necessary for you to do so for them to provide you additional services, you are responsible for all actions taken with your User ID and password and therefore you should review that third party's privacy policy. If you lose control of your password, you may lose substantial control over your personally identifiable information and may be subject to legally binding actions taken on your behalf. If your password or account has been compromised for any reason, you should immediately contact Divine Connections to change your password as explained on the Site.
7) Deactivating your Registration - Upon your written or Email request, we will deactivate your registration, contact information, and other personal information from our active databases. Such information will be deactivated as soon as reasonably possible in accordance with our deactivation policy and applicable law.
8) Data Retension - We will retain in our files information you have requested to remove in some circumstances, such as to resolve disputes, troubleshoot problems and enforce our User Agreement. Further, such prior information is never completely removed from our databases due to technical and legal constraints, including stored "back up" systems. Therefore, you should not expect that all of your personally identifiable information will be completely removed from our databases in response to your requests.
9) Other Data Collectors:  Except as otherwise expressly included in this Privacy Policy, this document only addresses the use and disclosure of information we collect from you. To the extent that you disclose your information to other parties, whether they are individuals, companies, buyers or sellers or for House Swops on the Site, different rules may apply to their use or disclosure of the information you disclose to them. To the extent that we use third party advertisers, they adhere to their own privacy policies. Since Divine Connections does not control the privacy policies of third parties, you are subject to the privacy policies of that third party. We encourage you to ask questions before you disclose your personal information to others. You should be careful about the personal information you include in all information you place onto the Site or pass to others through the Site.
10) Security:  Divine Connections uses industry standard practices to safeguard the confidentiality of your personal identifiable information, including encryption and "firewalls". Divine Connections treats data as an asset that must be protected against loss and unauthorised access. We employ many different security techniques to protect such data from unauthorised access by users inside and outside the company. However, "perfect security" does not exist on the Internet.
11) Amendments:  We may amend this Privacy Policy from time to time in order that it accurately reflects the regulatory environment and our own data collection and disclosure practices. All amended terms shall automatically be effective 30 days after they are initially posted on the Site.
 
Policy 6  -  Outage and Maintenance Policy
Our highest priority is to enable users to meet and transact on the site. However, Divine Connections occasionally experiences technical difficulties during which activities may be slowed, halted and exceptionally the Site itself may be unavailable.
Under such circumstances we will endeavour to speedily overcome the problems and restore the Site to the full operational standard.  However, we give no guarantees as to how speedily we can do this.
There are other occasions when for operational reasons or maintenance, we need to close the Site service temporarily.  We will advise users of scheduled outages for this purpose.
Since our Service is entirely free accept for organisation advertising, we do not compensate users under any circumstances for the unavailability or slowness of the Site.
During an Outage
Updates will be posted on the Home Page or on a telephone answer message during an outage. Please check there for details about the outage and possible listing extensions.

Policy 7  - Employee and Associates Site Usage
Divine Connections retains Associates who act as unpaid assistance for the operation of aspects for the Site.

Divine Connections employees and Associates must follow strict rules when buying and selling and undertaking other transactions on the Site. The following are the rules that all Divine Connections employees and Associates must follow to use the Site:-

• Any representation to buy, sell, swop or transact items by a Company employee is made solely for the employee's own personal use and not on behalf of Divine Connections.
• Employees of the Divine Connections are held to the highest standards of conduct on our Site.
• Employees are subject to all the terms and conditions contained within the User Agreement.
• Divine Connections employees and Associates must use a personal, non-company email address to conduct business on Divine Connections websites.

Policy 8  - General Good Conduct Rules

1) Site Interference
Divine Connections prohibits members from interfering or attempting to interfere with the Site and/or operations using any software programme, routine or activity.
Disciplinary action may result in the indefinite suspension of a user's account, temporary suspension, or a formal warning.
2) Sending Unsolicited Email (Spam)
Divine Connections does not allow the Site to be used as a means to send unsolicited Emails or Spam.  Users should register a complaint to Divine Connections if they have been the victim of email abuse, which they suspect has emerged from use of the Divine Connections site.  Any misuse or abuse of user privilege in this regard, may result in Divine Connections taking disciplinary action which may range from a formal warning, up to indefinite suspension of a user's account.
3) E mail Threats
Divine Connections will investigate alleged offences in which any form of threats of mental, physical or other harm has been made via email. Divine Connections can only act when there are emailed threats of physical harm. Any misuse or abuse of user privilege in this regard, may result in Divine Connections taking disciplinary action which may range from a formal warning, up to indefinite suspension of a user's account.
4) False User Contact Details
Divine Connections prohibits users from falsifying or omitting name, address, and supplying incorrect telephone numbers (including use of fax machines or disconnected numbers). Cases in which users are found supplying false information will result in Divine Connections taking disciplinary action which may range from a formal warning, up to indefinite suspension of a user's account.
5) Prohibited Postings
Users are required to act responsibly when providing messages and information for inclusion on the Site in sections open for public access and view.  The following types of postings can result in immediate post removal, warning, board sanction and/or suspension from the site. Other inappropriate postings not listed below may also warrant removal and/or suspension from the site Divine Connections reserves the right to remove any post without warning or further notice.
· Posting contact or personal information about another individual.
· Posting material containing profanity, vulgarity, hate speech, or threats of violence.
· Posting material (graphic or text) that is obscene, pornographic or adult in nature.
· Using JavaScript, active or other coding, making repetitive posts, or other actions that interfere with site operations.
· Posting material with the intent to impersonate Divine Connections Staff, Associates employees or another member through the use of similar IDs or any other method or device.
· Encouraging others to violate Divine Connections Policies or the User Agreement.
· Refusing to follow Divine Connections Staff instruction or direction.
· Posting private emails or their content.
· Posting material that in any way violates the Divine Connections User Agreement or Divine Connections Values.
· Posting information in the Blessings/Prayer request and Natter areas which is derogatory or violates any other policy.
· Posting suspected member violations. To report suspected violations, please contact our us.
· Only persons aged 18 or over may post information and pictures. We will check with users if we suspect otherwise.
· Posting copyrighted items without the permission of the copyright owner is nor permitted.
6) Multiple Accounts
Individuals who create multiple accounts for use on the Divine Connections Site for the purpose of disruption or to avoid detection may result in them being permanently excluded in the use of one or more of their associated registrations.
In other respects legitimate and justifiable multiple registrations is permissible eg one for home and one for work.  However, Divine Connections reserves the right to scrutinize incidents of multiple site registrations, and deregister registrations set up by users which have no legitimate purpose, or a negative purpose.
If in doubt consult the Divine Connections Help Desk.

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