YAP Space has been created as a pilot program and will initially focus on young adults 16 to 25 years, who have first hand experience with kidney disease or the kidney community.  YAP Space hopes to provide you with a safe place where young adults from Australia and globally can meet, talk, and share information and support one another.  We hope this may alleviate some of the isolation felt when living with a chronic condition. 

• YAP Forum is now open - click link to go straight to this area - no logon required
  
  
• YAP Chat is open for social chat for registered Yappers 24 hours a day - spread the word
  
  
• Thank you to those who logged on to our first YAP Chat social session with KHA Health Team.  We will schedule another special session soon.  Keep watching YAP Space.

YAP Space is a pilot program and will be developed further in time - your feedback is valued.

• All content will be regularly moderated by our Health Team.
• If you are NOT registered - get into it now, but first read the important Terms of Reference and Rules of Conduct below, to know how to register and your responsibilities.
• When registering for the first time, you will be asked to provide a user name - prefix your tag with YAP (e.g. YAPKat, YAPKitten, YAPBlurb, YAPBug, etc).  You will later receive an email confirming registration. Approval may take a few days. Contact info may be checked - this process is essential to protect you. 

To be part of YAP Space, you must be Registered and approved by our Health Team.  You will be asked to provide personal contact details, and note how you connect to the Australian kidney community.  This information is confidential (see our Privacy Policy).  Also refer to our Terms of Reference and Rules of Conduct below.  If you have any other concerns, you may also ring the Kidney Health Infoline 1800 682 531.

NOTE - Kidney Health Australia will review all material prior to posting on the YAP Forum - personal email or contact information can not be displayed.  We encourage free and creative expression, however, as in any environment where people are given this freedom, conflict may arise.  If an author uses language or materials that offend the material will not be displayed. Do not post any content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive to another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable. Treat other people's privacy as you would your own.

YAP Chat - Ask the Expert

Guest experts will provide discussion papers on this page, which will relate to specific areas of kidney health (see examples of session topics below).  During a monthly one hour session our guest expert will answer questions in an open chat room.  An archive record document of each  session will be  posted on this page for your future reference, and for those that have not been able to log on. In an Ask the Expert Session the following routine will apply:

• The moderator of the session will queue users to ask questions - emailed questions will take priority
• Users should not ask further questions until directed by the moderator
• Unless open discussion is called, do not break into the Yapper one-on-one question time
• The session moderator will be available using the 'whisper' facility - be patient, there is only one
• If your question is complex or personal, you may be referred to our KHIS Infoline for personal support

At this stage we can only accommodate a maximum of 20 guests at one session.  Guest experts will initially address questions sent to chatroom@kidney.org.au.  Please remember to note the topic in your email header.  The montly topic will also be listed in YAP Forum - you may post questions and comments there, and a Health Team member will reply in that area.

All YAP Space areas are regularly monitored by our health staff, who have either nursing and allied health experience. If you have questions but prefer a private reply - email chatroom@kidney.org.au to ask a Health Manager to reply confidentially offline.  You may also ring the Kidney Health Infoline 1800 682 531.

Terms of Reference

The following outlines important policies and rules for YAP Space. 

• All session 'YAP', either social or in Expert sessions will be recorded. 
• The use of YAP Space is agreed by your continued acceptance of and compliance with our Terms of Use and Rules of Conduct. 
• Your continued use of this site will constitute your agreement to any modified Terms of Use and Rules of Conduct.
• YAP Space will allow Registered Users the opportunity to gain emotional support and share experiences. 
  Information provided on  www.kidney.org.au or offered on YAP Space should not be used in place of consultation with, or the advice of, your physician or other healthcare provider
• Kidney Health Australia may change at any time, the Terms of Use and Rules of Conduct.  These changes will appear in these Terms of Use and Rules of Conduct, and available for your perusal.
• The Kidney Health Australia website www.kidney.org.au is provided as a homepage for people living with and/or affected by Kidney disease.

Rules of Conduct

You are expected to observe all Rules of Conduct in any chat session, during both monitored and unmonitored chats and in your postings in YAP Forum. 

• Please use good judgment when you chat.  YAP Space is not intended as a forum for lay medical advice and we caution you strongly to refrain from doing so.  You are expected to observe all guidelines below and your conduct should be guided by common sense, basic etiquette, but especially these Rules of Conduct:
• In any communication or posting always be polite and courteous, introduce yourself upon entering the room.
  Respect the opinions and practices of others in the chat room. We ask that you do not argue or openly debate with anyone.
• The use of rude or abusive language, blatantly insensitive remarks, or purposely annoying comments is not acceptable.
• It is strictly forbidden to advertise or promote cures, treatments, or products.
• Do not offer personal health advice to anyone online, or suggest treatment options with them - this is the role of an expert health professional.
• Do not try to obtain personal information from another Yapper such as phone numbers and email addresses.
  Chat safely: we strongly discourage you to give out your last name, home address, telephone number or email address. If you do decide to exchange this information with another Yapper, we suggest that you use the private message 'whisper' function.
• No shouting: do not use all capital letters when posting messages. The use of all capital letters when posting a message in a in a chat room is considered shouting and very poor manners.
• Do not post web site addresses (URLs) in a chat session. Our moderators cannot check the appropriateness of all web sites posted while they are monitoring the chat room. 

If a Yapper is reported for 'bad behaviour' they may be banned permanently.  Kidney Health Australia moderators reserve the right to remove or ban you from the room for violating any of the above guidelines or for any other behavior that is deemed to be inappropriate for our rooms.

Acronyms and abbreviations

These are often used to speed up typing. You can also use symbols to express emotions - see favorites from the "Smileys" pull-down menu. This list is is a good reference for shorthand used frequently online.

AFK - Away from keyboard
ASL - Age/Sex/Location
BBS - Be back soon/shortly
BRB - Be right back
BTW - By the way
CYA - See ya
FYI - For your information
IMHO - In my humble opinion
LOL - Laughing out loud
LTNS - Long time no see
LTNT - Long time no talk
NBD - No big deal
OIC - Oh I see
ROFL - Rolling on the floor laughing
THX - Thanks
WTG - Way to go