Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Do I have to be a young person to be here?

A: No, you do not. Besides, the term "young" is relative, and largely a state of mind. HopeScope Forums were initially conceived to focus on teens' and young people's issues, but it was soon determined that the best course would be to make the site and forums non-exclusive in terms of age, and otherwise. All - kids, parents, caregivers, interested adults - are welcome. It's quite a tapestry we've all woven together since June 30th, 2004. We're much more like a family than a peer-support forum.

Q2. I am not feeling very hopeful. Is it still ok to be here?

A: Yes, it is. In fact, this is when you need to be here the most. Never be afraid to come here, even if you are at your very worst. We will not judge you, abandon you, reject you, or punish you. But we'll do all we can to help you. And if we can't help you ourselves, we'll go all out to help you find someone who can.

Q3. Does HopeScope Family Online/HopeScope Forums, or its administrators/moderators, have any religious or political agenda?

A: No. HopeScope Family Online/HopeScope Forums is non-exclusive and non-discriminatory on the basis of race, gender, age, or creed. As a group, we do not seek to endorse or condemn religious beliefs or practices. As individuals, each of us is free to follow the path we deem best for ourselves. What we do seek to promote, though, are the philosophical and practical ideals of Hope, Love, Personal and Interpersonal Peace, Respect, and Safety. Collectively, it's safe to say we believe that no one, neither child nor adult, should have to struggle alone with the pain of abuse, neglect, loneliness, illness, or anything that would impede their chance at life. Our "agenda" - if you will - is to reclaim lost and stolen lives, one at a time. It's to restore and foster Hope where we can. We are not beyond finding ways to put a musical instrument in the hands of a needy child, or helping a young person in foster care try to get into a child advocacy program when their social services mechanism fails them. Hope and Love are not the exclusive provinces of religion.

Similarly, persons of a broad range of political views and national allegiance inhabit this place. Hope and Love, as with religion, do not require political platforms in order to effect change in people's lives.

Q4. Why do you care?

A: This question is pregnant with possibility. It screams for a lengthy diatribe. But I'll spare you. I care because it's the right thing to do. I care because I want to give to those who might benefit from something I can say, or do. I care because I know I can make a difference in the quality of someone's life. I care because I was trained to do it, and because I believe I was - on some level - meant to do this, and because I believe that there's no more meaningful calling on earth than helping someone who wants do die... to want to really live.

Q5. With the internet being what it is, do you see the multi-nationality of your effort as an insurmountable challenge? There is so much hurt in the world. How can you reach everyone?

A: That's a great question, and in fact, you sort of answered it yourself. The internet itself is, in large part, more of a solution than a problem.

Sadly, we can't reach everyone. But we can reach most of the people who find us. And though they, themselves, will constitute droplets in the total bucket of need in terms of numbers, those individual droplets are priceless to us. Indispensable. And every droplet whom we reach will be enabled to reach another... and that one, another. You see? Hope and Love are exponential... like pyramids. And they're even more timeless.

The internet enables us to celebrate our multi-nationality in tiny, and huge, ways. We can help a child with his homework from across the sea. We can find a substance abuse treatment facility for a gal in another state or municipality. We can read books together and discuss them afterward. Or we can sit up in the middle of the night and chat live with someone who wants to hurt themselves... still their hand... soothe their pain.

So, the challenge is there, certainly. But it's hardly insurmountable. Just ask anyone who has come to HopeScope and stayed, because they know that they are loved here.

Lastly, we are real people... not merely words on a monitor. In September 2005, two of us met in person for the first time. It's even more real for us now, real for everyone here. And that meeting assured the others that anything is possible.

Q6. Some of the people who frequent HopeScope Family Online and its forums have terrific challenges. Do any of the site administrators, moderators, or members have human services qualifications or experience that equip them to address these challenges?

A: Yes. I, as the founder and administrator of HopeScope Family Online and its forums, possess a Bachelor of Arts degree in General Psychology, and a Master of Science degree in Counseling Psychology from Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland, as well as several years of experience in family and individual therapy, particularly in the realm of substance abuse and addictions treatment. Presently, one other adult on the forum possesses a Counseling Certificate. Most of the other adults and young people, however, have life experience that uniquely qualifies them to hear their peers empathically, and respond to their needs reflectively and appropriately. At HopeScope, it is not uncommon to see children supporting other children. The adults observe and guide, but we believe that this supportive interaction among the children promotes the development of a moral compass which has stewardship at its core.

In short, Love alone is not always enough. But Love, along with empathic, skillful, practical mentor and peer caring, often works wonders.

Registration & Related Matters

Q7. If I register, will you know my name and location?

A: I will know your country of residence, as this is one of several required fields in the registration form. Although you must enter a name into the First and Last Name fields, you need NOT use your real name. Even if you elect to register with your real name, it will not be made public. Your "User Name", seperately, is of your choosing, and you may wish to use that if you ever wish to identify yourself, such as when you make a literary conttribution, etc. You may also contribute content anonymously. HopeScope Family Online maintains this information only to operate the site, and to provide you with its services.

Q8. Do I have to give an e-mail address?

A: If you wish to register, you must give some valid e-mail address. Free e-mail addresses such as Hotmail and Yahoo ARE acceptable. Requiring registrants to give an e-mail address discourages spamming, personal misrepresentation, and illegal activity. It also provides me with a means of contacting registrants in an emergency, such as making notifications of forum downtime, etc. On rare occasions, I may contact registrants about special site-related matters. Your e-mail address will not be made public, barring your use of this site as a platform for illegal activity, in which case I reserve the right to act in accordance with applicable laws.

Q9. I noticed that the HopeScope Family Online website occupies its own domain (hopescopefamilyonline.com), while the HopeScope Forums reside elsewhere. Also, the site and the forum require separate registration accounts. Why?

A: Well, there are several reasons for this. The first is that the HopeScope Forums pre-existed the HopeScope Family Online website by nearly one year. The website was a follow-on to the forums, and is being built to extend the reach, attractiveness, and usibility of the HopeScope "enterprise" as a whole. Also, an unfortunate security breach of the HopeScope Forum's host resulted in a significant disruption of service to our members, as a consequence of which contact with several members was nearly lost. In spite of that, it was decided that because of the newly enhanced security and usibility features of the Forums, as well as the fact that the members were comfortable there, we would remain and build a complimentary "front end" website, HopeScope Family Online. There are plans for many new and exciting features, some of which are interactive, including a backup forum. But at present, we at least have an increasingly inviting "front door", and a place for members to remain in contact with me in an emergency.

As to registration accounts, they'll remain separate as long as the two HopeScope components are on different servers; however, registration for merely browsing the front-end site is not required... it's only needed for the use of forthcoming interactive features.

Technical (Usability) Issues

Q10. Will my ability to experience and enjoy the HopeScope Family Online website be dependent upon my browser?

A: Probably not. The site's functionality is tested in recent and current versions of Internet Explorer, Netscape, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera. To date, no major issues have presented themselves. As long as you have a recent or current version of one of the aforementioned browsers, you should be fine.

It bears mentioning that, because of its functionality and security enhancements, Mozilla Firefox seems to be the browser of choice. It's probably fair to say that HSFO will be best enjoyed with it.