Community Guidelines

The one big rule

Be kind. That covers ninety-nine per cent of everything. Be kind to people who write differently from you, who come from different places, who hold different beliefs, who are new to letter writing, or who are going through something you cannot see.

The rest of this page is really just working out what that means in practice.

What to expect from other members

Sharing addresses

Addresses are exchanged between members privately, when and if they feel comfortable. A few principles apply:

• Never share your address — or anyone else’s — in a public post, activity feed, or group.
• Never pressure another member for their address, even in a private message. A “not yet” or “no thank you” is always a complete answer.
• If someone shares their address with you, treat it as a trust. Don’t pass it on to anyone else.
• If you see another member sharing an address in public by mistake, let us know so we can help them remove it.

Please read our safe address exchange guide before your first swap. It’s short and genuinely useful.

Money and gifts

The Postal Club is not a gifting or charity site. We ask all members to follow these rules:

• Do not ask other members for money, under any circumstances — including donations, loans, crowdfunding, emergency help, or travel funds.
• Do not ask for gifts, cards, stamps, or items of value.
• Do not offer to send money in the expectation of receiving something in return.
• It is of course fine, in time, for two pen pals to choose to send each other a thoughtful card or small token — but it must be unprompted and freely given, never requested.

If another member asks you for money, please report them. This is one of the most common ways community sites are abused, and we take it very seriously.

Content on the site

Please keep what you post on the site — your profile, activity posts, group messages, and so on — suitable for a general audience. No explicit sexual content, no graphic violence, no content promoting self-harm, no illegal content.

Private messages between two consenting adults are a more private space, but even there the rules against harassment, pressure, scams and illegal content still apply.

Respecting each other

Disagreement is part of any community. We welcome it when it is done with care. What we do not welcome:

• Personal attacks, insults, or name-calling.
• Content that demeans people based on race, religion, gender, sexuality, disability, nationality, or age.
• Persistent arguments that spill into public spaces.
• Dogpiling or coordinated harassment.

If a conversation is getting difficult, step away from the screen and write a letter instead. It often helps.

Accounts and honesty

• One account per person. Please don’t create multiple accounts.
• Don’t impersonate anyone else, real or fictional.
• You must be 16 or older to use The Postal Club.
• Keep your login details to yourself.

Reporting a problem

If something on the site makes you uncomfortable, please tell us. You can report a problem by:

• Using the report link on a member’s profile or a specific message, if available.
• Emailing communitymanager@businessgamechanger.biz.

We read every report. We aim to reply within three working days. If we need to act, we will. Possible outcomes include a quiet conversation, a warning, a temporary suspension, or in serious cases, a permanent ban.

We don’t reveal who reported whom, unless we are legally required to.

What happens if someone breaks the rules

We take a proportionate approach. For a first, minor issue, we’ll usually start with a friendly note. For repeated issues, or anything serious, we may:

• Remove content.
• Restrict the account’s ability to message or post.
• Suspend the account for a period.
• Permanently close the account.

For behaviour that is clearly harmful — harassment, scams, threats, illegal activity — we act immediately, without warning.

Terms of use

By creating an account on The Postal Club, you agree to follow these guidelines. You also agree that:

• The site is provided “as is”, and we cannot guarantee uninterrupted service.
• We may change these guidelines from time to time. If we make meaningful changes, we’ll let you know.
• We may close accounts that break these rules.
• You are responsible for your own correspondence — the words you write, the arrangements you make, and the decisions you take. The Postal Club is a platform for connection, not a party to the letters you exchange.
• Our liability is limited to the amount you have paid for any premium membership, if any.
• These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

Questions

If anything here is unclear, or you’d like to suggest an improvement, please write to communitymanager@businessgamechanger.biz. We genuinely welcome the letter.