This is an ongoing project. Please PM any TeenHelp-specific or forum-specific terms that you'd like to be included in this glossary to an administrator. Below is a compilation of definitions of specific terms you may encounter while on TeenHelp.

FCRD / FD - Facilitated Chat Room Discussion / Facilitated Discussion.
Glomp - The combination of a tackle and a hug. A large sign of affection.
HL - HelpLINK.
LH - Live Help.
OP - Original Poster.
PM - Private Messaging. Please view this tutorial for details of how to use this system.
Pwnage (n.), To pwn (vb.), pwnd (p.p.), pwning (pr.p.); Variants: Ownage, To own, owned, owning - Usually used as an insult or interjection. A literal translation might include "To defeat" or "To win". Most commonly used in a chat room environment.
Sig. - Signature.
Spam - Spam is generally any unproductive/unecessary content on the forums. This includes, random characters or words out of context, a lot of smileys, violations of the no advertising rule, topics that aren't really worth discussing, replies that aren't related to the topic they're to, and numerous other things.
Spoiler - Particularly in the Sports and Entertainment forum, you may see boxes of hidden texts marked with "Spoiler". This simply means that the text under the box (which can be uncovered with the "Click here" link) gives away part of the plot or other important piece of information about the movie, TV show, or book.
TH - TeenHelp.
Trashing - Trashing is a word you may hear spoken by staff. The origins of this word lie in the forum Trash Bin. This is a forum only visible by staff members, and is where all the bad topics on the forum are moved to. Trashing (vb.), therefore, is the act of moving a thread to the Trash Bin.
Triggering - Some threads will contain a "triggering" prefix either marked as such by the original poster or by a moderator. A triggering thread is one that may cause users to want to partake in unhealthy behavior. Examples of triggering material may include weight figures to someone struggling with an eating disorder or descriptions of self harm to someone attempting to recover from self harm.
Troll - A troll is someone who joins TeenHelp solely with the intent to cause trouble. They usually spam the forums or chat room with insults or distasteful images.
VM - Visitor Messaging. Please view this tutorial for details of how to use this system.

Infractions are given when you break the Terms of Service that you agreed to when you signed up for the site. These add infraction points to your account.

Below you can see the different types of infractions that can be given and how long each one will remain on your user account. An infraction is one that adds points to your account, while a warning is issued to alert you of bad behaviour without adding points to your account. Warnings are usually given when the staff feel you don't know any better (e.g. if you're a new member), though most of the time these will not be used.

As indicated by the screenshot, thirty points or more (from any combination of infractions) will result in a permanent ban from TeenHelp. When you receive an infraction you are notified by Private Message, which should contain a more detailed reason as to why the staff member felt it was necessary to warn you for your behaviour.

Most members of TeenHelp will never receive an infraction or warning so let's hope you stay on the right side of the Terms of Service.

The following guidelines should be used when deciding whether or not to apply a triggering prefix to a thread:

• Only apply a triggering prefix if the content is likely to be triggering to a relatively large number of people to an extent markedly above the normal risk in that forum.

• Only apply specific prefixes in a forum where material of that nature would be unexpected. For example, you might apply the "Triggering (Substances):" prefix to a thread in the Mental Health forum if it were relevant, but not to a thread in the Substance Use forum.

Useful links: What are the TeenHelp committees? | What is the TeenHelp Staff Application process?

The following is a list of all available TeenHelp staff positions and what each position does.

• Project Coordinators - Coordinators, who select and maintain the TeenHelp staff members, are responsible for the upkeep of the site as a whole.

• Project Advisors - PAs monitor the site as a whole for inappropriate content, and provide support to the Coordinators in running the site.

• Disputes Committee - The Disputes Committee is concerned primarily with monitoring the appropriateness of moderator actions and the reasons for those actions.

• Performance Committee - The Performance Committee monitors the activity and behavior of other staff members.

• Talent Committee - The Talent Committee is responsible for spotting TeenHelp users that may be suitable for a staff position and helps the administration to determine the suitability of potential staff members.

• Volunteering Officer - The Volunteering Officer is responsible for the development and support of our volunteering programme.

• Newsletter Officer - The Newsletter Officer is responsible for our monthly Newsletter.

• Articles Officer - The Articles Officer is responsible for our Articles section.

• Videos Officer - The Videos Officer is responsible for our Videos page.

• Social Networking Officer - The Social Networking Officer is responsible for our Social Networking pages (namely, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr).

• Forum Moderators - Forum Moderators monitor one or several forums for inappropriate content.

• Chat Moderators - Chat Moderators monitor the Chat Room for inappropriate content.

• HelpLINK Moderators - HelpLINK Moderators keep the HelpLINK system organised by closing requests when appropriate.

• Blogs Moderators - Blogs Moderators monitor the Blogs for inappropriate content.

• Social Groups Moderators - Social Groups Moderators monitor the Social Groups for inappropriate content.

• Albums Moderators - Albums Moderators monitor the Albums for inappropriate content.

• Newsletter Editors - Newsletter Editors are responsible for the publication of TeenHelp's monthly Newsletter.

• Article Editors - Article Editors are responsible for the publication of TeenHelp's articles.

• HelpLINK Mentors - HelpLINK Mentors respond to requests for advice sent to the HelpLINK Email Support System.

• Live Help Operators - Live Help Operators speak to users one-on-one through the Live Help System.

• Buddies - Buddies greet and help new members to the site, and make users feel welcome and comfortable on the Forums and in the Chat Room.

What are the TeenHelp committees?

Currently TeenHelp has four Staff committees working continuously to maintain and improve different areas of the site. They are the Disputes Committee, the Operations and Procedures Committee, the Performance Committee, and the Talent Committee. A list of committee members can be found here. Feel free to message any of them at any time.

What is the Disputes Committee?

The Disputes Committee is concerned primarily with monitoring the appropriateness of moderator actions and the reasons behind those actions. This committee also works to resolve any disputes between users on TeenHelp, making sure that discipline of users is as unbiased as possible. When a conflict occurs (e.g. over whether or not to ban a user) the majority vote of this committee will have the final say as to what actions are taken.

When should you contact the Disputes Committee?

• If you disagree with something being closed or removed.
• If you disagree with an infraction or ban that has been issued.
• If you have any other disagreement with a user or Staff member that can't be resolved by simply contacting a Moderator.

To submit a dispute, use this form. All complaints will be taken seriously and will be discussed carefully by members of the committee before decisions are made. Users will not be punished in any way for anything submitted through this form.

In cases when a member or a number of members of the Disputes Committee are considered to be biased (e.g. the complaint is about them), they will be asked to abstain from the decision, and where this prevents a majority vote from occurring, an independent member of the Administration will be asked to take part in the vote instead.

What is the Performance Committee?

The Performance Committee monitors the activity and behaviour of TeenHelp Staff members. After information has been gathered, the committee is able to discuss how well each Staff member is performing their duties and provide the Administration with feedback as to what action might be appropriate (e.g. promotion, no action, discipline, or removal).

When should you contact the Performance Committee?

• If you witness a Staff member breaking the rules or acting inappropriately.
• If you have any comments or concerns regarding a Staff member or their overall performance and suitability as a member of TeenHelp's Staff.
• If you have had a positive experience with a Staff member and would like to tell us about it.

To submit feedback about a Staff member, use this form. All complaints will be taken seriously and will be discussed carefully by members of the committee before decisions are made. Users will not be punished in any way for anything submitted through this form.

What is the Talent Committee?

The Talent Committee is responsible for scouting out TeenHelp users that might be suitable for a Staff position. The Talent Committee also assists the Administration in determining the suitability of potential Staff members by reviewing Staff applications.

When should you contact the Talent Committee?

• If you have questions about the Staff application process.
• If you find a user that you think would make a suitable Staff member.

To contact the Talent Committee, send a PM to one of its members.

Useful links: What are the TeenHelp Staff positions?

To apply to join the TeenHelp volunteer Staff you must (1) register an account, (2) meet the minimum volunteer requirements, (3) submit a successful application form.

(1) Register

You must be fully registered on TeenHelp before you can join the TeenHelp staff; guests can not apply. To register, click here: http://www.teenhelp.org/register.

(2) Requirements

Before you can submit a Staff Application form you must meet the minimum requirements for both registration duration and post count. The current requirements are that you must have been registered for at least one month and have posted at least twenty-five times in the Support Forums (it is not necessary that all of these are in advice-related forums). We have these requirements so that we know that you are reasonably dedicated to the site and are likely to stick around. We also use your posts to help to determine your suitability for a Staff position in addition to the answers you give on your application form.

(3) The Staff Application

Once you have met our requirements you can submit an application for one of our primary Staff positions. The primary positions available are: HelpLINK Mentor, Live Help Operator, Article Editor and Buddy. Applications may not always be open for all of these positions depending on our current needs. You may for as many of these positions as you like, but you will normally only be initially offered one position. All other positions can only be applied for internally by current members of Staff, and some of the positions are given out on merit and do not have any applications at all.

To view details of available positions or to submit an application, visit our Staff Application system here: http://www.teenhelp.org/apply. Once you are happy with your responses click submit to complete your application. Your application will then be reviewed by a number of Staff members, and you will then be sent a Private Message with the outcome of your application. This may take several weeks depending on the availability of those reviewing your application. If your application is successful you will be granted all the necessary permissions to do your duties; if you are not you will have to wait one month before you can submit a new application.

You can change your username through your User CP by clicking here. You can only change your username once every six months.

If you are having trouble changing your username it might be because: a) your username contains forbidden special characters (a list of such characters is given on the error page if you receive one), b) the username is already in use, or c) the username has recently been in use and is not yet free to be re-issued - usernames are locked for one year after a user gives it up.