As with everything in life, getting involved in an online community - especially when it could lead to a personal meeting - requires a degree of caution and common sense to help you stay safe.
My Neighbourhoods will never disclose your personal information such as your full name and address. Only your username will be displayed, plus your profile information. This shouldn't contain anything that will reveal exactly who you are and where you live. And members can only search by the first part of a postcode. So no one can find out where you live by searching for you by name.
Members can only contact each other or post any messages through the site. This provides an extra level of security and will keep out many people intending to abuse the system.
My Neighbourhoods is constantly monitored to ensure nothing obscene or abusive is posted. We also provide a method for member complaints if someone is behaving in an inappropriate way.
My Neighbourhoods has a recommended minimum age for use of 16 – this is not a site to be used by children. Any people abusing the system will be dealt with accordingly.
Here are some ways in which you can keep safe online:
At the end of the day, you are responsible for your own safety. Use your head and you'll always get the best out of this service.
And My Neighbourhoods can actually improve safety in your neighbourhood. Think of it as an online "Neighbourhood watch". By building up relationships with your neighbours, you form a stronger barrier to crime. When you go away, there are people to keep an eye on your house. If there's an incident at night, there are people around who can help. It's proven that crime is lower in close knit communities.
As well as being able to see details of the people on your street and in your local area, there are many other benefits to registering with My Neighbourhoods. For one, it's free. The list of benefits include:
My neighbours, my local area and my street from My Neighbourhoods.
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