• Question QTG01: What is The Intentional Living Collective?
• Answer QTG01: TILC is a non-profit organization based in Ann Arbor, MI and we make it our business to provide tools and programs that deliver hope, inspiration, resources, and a sense of real community to people during times of change and especially during major life transitions. We believe that strong, authentic communities are the product of an intentional and sustained effort by members of a group to come together and to stay connected for the better of everyone involved.
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• Question QTG02: Is The Intentional Living Collective a federally recognized non-profit organization?
• Answer QTG02: Yes, TILC has been a licensed 501c3 charitable organization since October of 2016, EIN 81-4138693.
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• Question QTG03: Who runs The Intentional Living Collective?
• Answer QTG03: TILC is run by their Leadership Team and their Board of Directors. You can get information about them at the About TILC page on Eos here.
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• Question QTG04: How does The Intentional Living Collective define community?
• Answer QTG04: TILC defines community as a group of people and/or organizations that a.) have something important in common, b.) make a sustained investment of time and energy to remain connected together in some way, and c.) have a genuine concern for the well-being of other members of their community.
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• Question QTG05: What does The Intentional Living Collective offer to the community?
• Answer ATG05: TILC believes that now is the perfect time for us to come together in authentic community to rise up and support each other even as we find our own paths to health, happiness, and a sense of peace. TILC offers programs and resources that offer hope, inspiration, access to resources, and a sense of authentic community to its members.
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• Question QTG06: Why does The Intentional Living Collective focus on supporting people through major life transitions?
• Answer ATG06: TILC recognizes that all people encounter major life transitions from time to time, that most people don’t learn how to navigate these big challenges until they’re faced with them, that they often occur in bunches and can be overwhelming, that resources for navigating them effectively can be hard to find, that navigating them alone can feel very isolating, that these major life transitions can be catalysts for meaningful personal growth, and that finding others that can truly understand and provide support during critical times can lead to feelings of isolation and despair into connection and hope. They also recognize that people with shared life experiences are more like to understand each other and are more likely to feel like they belong to a community of people that “get” them.
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• Question QTF01: How is the Intentional Living Collective funded?
• Answer ATF01: From its inception in 2010 to 2022 TILC has primarily been funded by operating loans and donations from a small group of supporters, with some additional funding coming from individual program sponsors and donors. The Covid-19 crisis had a significant impact on funding availability and as a result TILC has begun working more closely with community donors and sponsors through their Grassroots Heroes campaign and is currently seeking social impact investors and patrons.

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• Question QTF02: Why would social impact investors and patrons want to support TILC and what would they get from doing so?
• Answer ATF02: Both social impact investors and patrons often want to invest their resources into aligned and impactful organizations, programs, or people that are doing meaningful things to make the world – or at least our community – a better place. TILC is an established non-profit that is working to redefine what community means for the better and deliver that both online and in person, and our programs have been giving community members hope, inspiration, access to resources, and a sense of belonging since 2013. We now seek financial support from aligned impact investors and patrons to build necessary infrastructure and hire a solid team based in SE Michigan / NW Ohio, and we are able to offer reasonable financial returns on investment if required.

• Question QTF03: Is the Eos Community Connections Portal a source of income for the Intentional Living Collective?
• Answer ATF03: Yes, TILC will receive some income from the operation of Eos, but as a non-profit organization the priority is to build and serve community rather than to just generate income.

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• Question QTF04: How will The Intentional Living Collective use the income from Eos?
• Answer ATF04: TILC will use Eos income to build infrastructure to deliver on the promise of better community, including hiring a team of well-qualified people manage the online and in-person community and to develop and deliver future versions of Eos that add more and better features to build and serve our community.

• Question QTF05: Are donations to TILC – financial and otherwise – tax deductible?
• Answer ATF05: In many cases, yes. We’re a federally recognized 501c3 non-profit organization and donations are normally tax deductions as long as they comply with federal tax laws. If in question please consult a tax accountant or attorney.
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• Question QTF06: Who can I speak with at TILC about providing some form of financial support for TILC – potentially as a donor, sponsor, patron, or investor?
• Answer ATF06: You can send an email to [email protected] and we’ll get back with you as quickly as possible. You can also make financial donations directly online at eosportal.org.
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• Question QTPA01: Which major life transitions does the Intentional Living Collective provide support for?
• Answer ATPA01: As of July 2022, TILC explicitly supports seventeen major life transitions, and they can currently be explored at The Life Transition Zone. Once launched, the Eos community connections portal will replace the Life Transition Zone.
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• Question QTPA02: What is the TILC Life Transition (LT) Ambassador Program and how do TILC Life Transition Ambassadors help community members?
• Answer QTPA02: LT Ambassadors are everyday people that have been deeply affected by one or more of the life transitions that TILC supports and they have a deep passion for helping others experiencing those same transitions. They volunteer to help because they care, and you may feel that they get you because they’ve been there too. They listen and understand people during times of need, and they help direct them to the resources and organizations that can help them. TILC’s Ambassador Program offers these volunteers training, access to LTZ resource banks, and the support of the whole team. Local Ambassador teams are led by “Lead Ambassadors” who coordinate the efforts of volunteers on their teams.  Get more info about the program and a link to apply to become a TILC Ambassador here. NOTE: TILC will launch the Ambassador program after Eos launches in 2023 and they’re in the process of recruiting ambassadors from their community. It may take some time for us to fill out the team, but we’ll always do our best to connect you to someone that can help. 
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• Question QTPA03: How many Life Transition (LT) Ambassadors will there be?
• Answer QTPA03: There will be teams of Ambassadors that will support communities of individuals and organizations for each major life transition we support (see question QTPA01) and the number of ambassadors on each team will vary. Our intention is to have at least one “Lead” LT Ambassador for each transition category and as many Ambassadors working with them as are qualified and interested. The Lead Ambassadors will make sure their teams are qualified, trained, and connected to provide the best possible service to their communities.

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• Question QTPA04: Are TILC Life Transition Ambassadors compensated?
• Answer QTPA04: At this time all ambassadors are volunteers so there is no financial compensation. TILC intends to compensate Lead Ambassadors in each category when funding is secured.

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• Question QTPA05:What geographic areas does The Intentional Living Collective currently support?
• Answer ATPA04: TILC’s home community is the Southeast Michigan / Northwest Ohio region and their initial efforts are focused there, and their intention is to expand region to region until they support the entire United States and Canada. Through the Eos Community Connections Portal TILC will effectively support people all around the world.

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• Question QTPE01: What is the Eos Early Adopter Program?
• Answer ATPE01: Eos early adopters are the online community trailblazers that want to jump in to help us find bugs, make improvements, and test new features before they’re available to the general public. Eos really IS pretty amazing, but it’s far from perfect. We’re a very small, grassroots organization and we need help to make Eos into all that it can be, so we’re running this program to involve the community to help us make it better. We’re already planning new features and future releases, but we just can’t do it alone and in true grassroots fashion we’re inviting the community in to help us.

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• Question QTPE02: What do Eos Early Adopters do?
• Answer ATPE02: Here’s how they help us make Eos all that it can be: 1. Explore Eos and test as many of the features as they can, 2. Identify and report bugs for us to fix, 3. Give feedback about what they like and don’t like in Eos, 4. Participate in early adopter groups and discussion forums, 5. Be an advocate for Eos and The Intentional Living Collective when it feels right to do so, and 6. Invite friends, family, and aligned organizations to join the Eos community when it feels right to do so.

• Question QTPE03: What do Eos Early Adopters get for being in the program?

Answer ATPE03: We really appreciate the help from Early Adopters and will give them the following things to show for it: 1. Early access to new Eos features, 2. Priority access to technical support resources , private Early Adopter online groups, and private discussion forums, 3. 50% off your first year Eos Premier account fees, 4. The satisfaction and fun of helping to build something amazing and impactful, and 4. Cool and fun Eos logo gear, including a Free Eos Early Adopter ball cap, a free black Eos logo tank top or TILC logo T-shirt, and a free Eos logo water bottle or Eos re-usable straw.

• Question QTPE04: Who is eligible to be in the Eos Early Adopter program?

Answer ATPE04: We welcome all individuals and organizations in North America that want to help us, as long as you meet the following criteria: 1. You’re computer literate and you speak fluent English, 2. You have a genuine interest in helping us redefine online community for the better, 3. You have a laptop or desktop computer or a tablet that runs either Safari or Chrome browsers, 4. You’re willing and able to commit at least a couple hours a week on average to explore Eos, and 5. You enjoy working as part of a team and will participate in Early Adopter groups and discussion forums.

• Question QTPE05: How do I sign up to be in the Eos Early Adopter program?
• Answer ATPE05: You can sign up online using the form located at this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdj3DYNkv8BNYiO8FdLF-17iK_p8tBVG6I9kSW5oL3vk-fcRg/viewform
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• Question QTPR01: What is the Rising Phoenix Awards program and where can I get more information about it?
• Answer ATPR01: This annual program recognizes and celebrates people in our community that have emerged from life’s challenges stronger than before and used their experience to help the community. In 2023 we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Rising Phoenix Awards and we’re really excited about it! If we can do so safely we’ll gather in person and invite the Rising Phoenixes from the past three years – and we have big plans. Come celebrate the spirit of the Rising Phoenix in all of us! You can get information about the program at EosPortal.org -> programs -> Rising Phoenix Awards.

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• Question QTPR02: Can I volunteer to help with the annual Rising Phoenix Awards?
• Answer ATPR02: We welcome community support for our programs! You can sign up as a volunteer using the volunteer form at EosPortal.org -> community support -> get involved.

• Question QTPC01: What is the Conscious Rites program and where can I get more information about it?
• Answer ATPC01: Conscious Rites is a program through which we help you use ceremony and ritual to find deeper awareness in life, create deeper connections with yourself and those around you, and support you in your own conscious growth and evolution. As ordained ceremonialists we work with you to create custom wedding/union, coming of age, and life celebration ceremonies. You can get information about the program at EosPortal.org -> programs -> Conscious Rites.

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• Question QTPC02: Can I volunteer to help with Conscious Rites or events associated with it?
• Answer ATPC02: We welcome community support for our programs! You can sign up as a volunteer using the volunteer form at EosPortal.org -> community support -> get involved or you can send us an email at [email protected].

• Question QTC01:What is TILC’s Good Human Code of Conduct, why is it needed, and is it enforced?
• Answer QTC01: It’s a basic set of behavioral guidelines that all participants in programs or events of the Intentional Living Collective (TILC) agree to gently and firmly hold themselves and each other accountable to. Simply put, we agree to behave as good humans toward each other. By asking participants to behave as “good humans” towards each other, TILC creates safe, brave spaces for people to show up authentically.  It applies to both physical or virtual space, and it may be enforced by TIC’s leadership team and TILC’s member appeals team as needed.

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• Question QTC02:What community-shared values is the Good Human Code of Conduct based on?
• Answer QTC02:
• 1. Community: We value all member voices and strive for productive and healthy collaborations between all.
• 2. Safety: We behave toward all members in ways that help them feel safe, in all situations.
• 3. Integrity: We let our actions reflect our values and strive to meet all commitments. If a commitment can’t be met we will correct our actions in a timely and effective manner.
• 4. Respectful: We treat all members with respect at all times and use language that reflects appreciation of their wisdom and perspective.
• 5. Fairness: We are inclusive, fair, and equitable in all our transactions and interactions with all members.
• 6. Supportive and inspiring: We use words and actions with all members that encourage and uplift them on their individual and collective journeys, encouraging them to be their best, authentic selves.
• 7. Constructive: We address disagreements constructively, giving others the benefit of the doubt and attacking problems in collaborative ways rather than attacking the people.

• Question QTC03: How will the Intentional Living Collective enforce its code of conduct?
• Answer ATC03: In our physical spaces, people that are unwilling to adhere to the Good Human Code of Conduct will be first asked to change their behavior, and then asked to leave if necessary. In our online spaces participants are also expected to hold themselves and each other accountable to behave according to our code of conduct.  If someone posts objectionable content – or if a dispute about content arises between participants there is a defined process to enlist the help of the TILC curations team and escalate if needed. If absolutely necessary the TILC curations team may choose to take down offending content and, in extreme cases, terminate the membership of a member that refuses to honor their agreement.

• Question QEG01: What is the Eos Community Connections Portal?
• Answer AEG01: Eos is an integrated, online community platform and is a multi-sided platform that includes a powerful community support engine, a complete social media platform, a groups community feature, a flexible discussion forum, an event management system, and story sharing tool.

• Question QEG02: What benefits does Eos offer to users?
• Answer AEG02: Eos offers, among other things, hope and inspiration through the power of real, personal life transition stories; access to resources and programs through a resource portal and community support feature; and authentic community connections through discussion forums, community events, and blog posts. Setting itself apart from some other prominent online community platforms, TILC guarantees that users’ data will never be used for financial gain or sold to a third party without the users’ prior knowledge and approval.

• Question QEG03: Why was the Eos Community Connections Portal created at this time?
• Answer AEG03: The current socioeconomic environment – at global, national, regional, and local levels – is challenging for many people and feelings of isolation and disillusionment are rampant. Mental health issues, addictions, and suicide are clearly on the rise. Many people are experiencing one or more major life transitions and that often brings feelings of insecurity and uncertainty. Further, we’re struggling with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and our connections to the people and organizations around us are being changed in ways we really don’t fully understand. For all those reasons, we feel that now is exactly the right time to deliver a community-oriented online Portal that enables safe, authentic connections and gives us the hope, inspiration, resources, and connections to help ourselves and each other heal and grow.

• Question QEG04: Does it cost anything to use Eos?
• Answer AEG04: Yes and no. To use Eos, you must create either a personal or organizational account and accept the Terms of Use – which includes agreeing to adhere to the Good Human Code of Conduct.  There are free accounts that allow you to use most Eos features, and there are also paid accounts that give you access to additional features.

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• Question QEG05: Is Eos a social media platform?
• Answer AEG05: Yes, but it’s very different from today’s mainstream social media platforms. Because only registered users can post content in Eos and they must agree to adhere to our Good Human Code of Conduct, you can think of Eos as a community-oriented social media platform with a heart and a conscience.

• Question QEG06:Why is the Eos Community Connections Portal better or safer that other mainstream social media platforms?
• Answer AEG06: TILC is an established 501c3 non-profit organization that has been building community and offering local programming in Michigan since as early as 2010, and their mission centers around making the world a better place rather than around making money. They envisioned Eos from the beginning as a platform in which users’ private data would never be sold and the Eos privacy policy says that. Further, the TILC board of directors has taken steps to ensure that the privacy policy won’t be change to allow that and that ownership of Eos won’t change without their approval. For more information see EosPortal.org -> About Eos -> Trust factors.

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• Question QEG07: Where does the name Eos come from and what does it mean?
• Answer AEG07: In Greek mythology Eos is the name of the Goddess of the dawn, and the Eos community connections portal ushers in the dawn of a new type of community.

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• Question QEA01: What are the different types and levels of Eos user accounts?
• Answer AEA01: The account types are 1.) individual and 2.) organizational.  The four levels of each type include 1.) provisional (free), 2.) basic (free), 3.) preferred (paid), and 4.) premier (paid).  Each level offer additional benefits for a reasonable annual fee.

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• Question QEA02: How does The Intentional Living Collective ensure inclusivity and that members of underserved communities can access the resource in the Community Connections Portal?
• Answer AEA02: TILC is a non-profit organization built on the belief that all people deserve to be treated fairly and that we should treat all people in ways consistent with the TILC Good Human Code of Conduct. TILC offers free basic accounts to anyone that wants to use the Eos platform and is willing to abide by the community code of conduct spelled out in the Terms of Use agreement – which also explains how TILC will curate content posted by users and enforce the code of conduct to ensure users’ safety.

• Question QEA03: How does The Intentional Living Collective ensure that Eos users’ private information is secure and safe?
• Answer AEA03: While it is impossible to guarantee that data is secure and private, TILC has taken extraordinary steps in this area and will continue to do so. The Eos platform was architected to allow users to decide which of their private information would be accessible by other users of their choice. Eos is hosted on a highly secure hosting platform with many security features enabled to protect users’ data. Further, any efforts by users to misuse any other users’ private information will lead to suspension and possibly cancellation of their account.

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• Question QEA04: Why is it required to accept TILC’s code of conduct as part of the Eos Terms of Use?
• Answer AEA04: Because TILC is a safe community in which members can choose to show up authentically and share personal information if they choose to – and for members to feel safe it’s important for them to know they can trust other members to treat them in predictably positive ways.

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• Question QEA05: Will TILC proactively monitor users’ content for potentially offensive material or wait for another user to flag content before acting upon it?
• AnswerAEA05: In addition to helping address content that’s flagged by an Eos user, TILC reserves the right to periodically check content stored in a user’s account to ensure that private folders and groups aren’t being used to store and/or share content that would be harmful to other users if shared. TILC will not ever sell a user’s private information, nor will they expose it without due process.

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• Question QEA06: If a user loses their account because of violations of the TILC code of conduct, will that user receive a refund of their membership fees?
• Answer AEA06: The Terms of Use agreement makes it clear that refunds will not be offered if a user violates the terms of their agreement and as a result their account is suspended or canceled. There is a fair and transparent content flagging and moderation process that will be used before any account is terminated, and it is possible to appeal decisions to a team of Eos members. The user may appeal to have the account taken out of suspended status or create a new account after the initial term has expired.

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• Question QEC01: How do the content moderation policies, tools and processes in Eos strike a balance between the freedoms of expression and speech and the goal of providing users with a safe online space that’s free of the harsh content found in many other places?
• Answer AEC01: We start by providing a platform where everyone can view the public information in the system, but making it so that only registered account holders can actually post information. Requiring all account holders to read and accept our Terms of Use Agreement, Acceptable Use Policy, Good Human Code of Conduct, and Privacy Policy means that everyone that can post content have at least agreed to behave in alignment with our shared community values. All account holders can flag any content they believe violates our values, and we have a commitment to actively help manage flagged content in fair and transparent ways that begin and end with decisions by actual community members rather than by us.

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• Question QEC02: Where can I get information about the process that will be used to moderate content in Eos and determine what is and isn’t acceptable on the platform?
• Answer AEC02: It’s all spelled out in the Terms of Use agreement, acceptable use policy, good human code of conduct, and privacy policy – which are available when you create an account and also in the “About Eos” section on the Eos navigational bar. There’ll also be quite a bit of discussion about them in the public discussion forums on Eos.

• Question QEC03: Are the providers of Eos making unilateral decisions about what I can and can’t say on the platform?
• Answer AEC03: We’re providing the container, clear guidelines on what is and isn’t acceptable, and a set of fair and transparent processes to navigate disagreements. Our moderation processes begin and end with actual community members that are in position to make the ultimate decisions – and then we facilitate the process to enforce their decisions. In the event that community members are unable to reach a conclusion, or reach a conclusion that we consider to be against the safety and wellbeing of the community, we may intervene.

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• Question QEC04: Most people don’t want to be told how to behave, and the combination of your Terms of Use, Acceptable Uses, and content moderation processes won’t sit well with a lot of people. Will you change them when they start applying pressure?
• Answer AEC04: We fully understand and accept that the online community culture we’re offering isn’t everyone’s “cup of tea”, and that’s okay. Our Good Human Code of Conduct isn’t intended to tell people how they have to BE, it’s intended to guide people about how they should behave towards each other in our community space. If that isn’t acceptable to someone, they should not be part of this community.

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• Question QEC05: Are you serious about taking down content that is deemed offensive and/or outside of your acceptable use policy? Will you really cancel peoples’ accounts for posting such content?
• Answer AEC05: Yes and yes. We’re trying to offer a respectful, positive, supportive online community environment and we do expect that it’ll be necessary to take seemingly extreme actions to preserve it.

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• Question QEC06: Will it be possible to appeal content moderation decisions and/or decisions to suspend or cancel an account?
• Answer AEC06: We strive to be fair and transparent to everyone involved and for users to have a voice, and they can appeal decisions about content moderation or suspending or canceling an account.

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• Question QET01: What kinds of technical support are available in Eos?
• Answer AET01: On the Eos main navigational bar there’s a “Help”option, from which a user can submit a helpdesk ticket, view helpful Tips and Tricks videos, or view our FAQ (frequently asked questions) document. There’s also a green question mark on the middle right side of every page in Eos, which a user can use to ask our answer bots for help. Eos is a powerful and complex combination of a website and multi-sided platform, so we’ve also embedded onboarding features to walk new and returning users through the many features that are available.

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• Question QET02: Is it possible to get immediate support for Eos either by phone or through a live chat session?
• Answer AET02: Unfortunately, not at this time. We’re currently a small, grassroots nonprofit organization with relatively few resources, but when we have the ability to do so we plan to staff up a technical support team that can take immediate requests. If the provided support doesn’t work for you, you can also send an email to [email protected] which is monitored regularly. We recommend submitting helpdesk tickets when possible because those requests are all systematically logged and tracked for resolution.

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• Question QET03: What hardware and software platforms is compatible with?
• Answer AET03: Eos is a multi-sided platform website so it looks best on larger screen products like laptops, PCs, and tablets, but it uses responsive code and so will automatically adjust to display on smaller devices like cell phones (though not optimally). For the initial release of Eos (version 1.0) we performed compatibility/quality assurance testing on the platforms listed below and feel confident you’ll have a good user experience on them. Eos will likely work well on most other platforms as well.

Version 1.0 Test platforms: 1.) MacbookPro/MacOS/Safari, 2. HP Envy notebook/Windows11/Chrome, 3. iPhone13Pro/iOS16.11/Safari, 4. OnePlus8T/Android12/Chrome.

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• Question QET04: Has TILC considered accessibility issues in the design of Eos?
• Answer AET04: Accessibility is very important to us and was a definite factor in the Eos design. As we moved from design to development we needed to make some tradeoffs that may have affected platform accessibility, but we intend to revisit this in a future release to make sure we’ve done all we can in this area.
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• Question QER01: How does Eos make it easy and fast to find organizations, programs, and resources that can help me during challenging times?
• Answer AER01: The Eos Community Resource Portal is a great place to start because the filters make it easy and fast to search for exactly what you need, where you need it. The results returned by the search are actual community members offering programs and resources and you’re getting the information from the profiles and programs that they maintain. You can also look for relevant and helpful programs and resources from other community members – either organizations or individuals – using the “Member to Member” help offers or help requests.

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• Question QER02: When viewing resource search results, how can I tell how trustworthy the organization or individual offering resources is?
• Answer QER02: At a minimum, all Eos account holders have signed our Terms of Use agreement which includes the TILC Good Human Code of Conduct. When viewing search results, you can often see at a glance how another user’s system rating reflects how other users have rated them – our 5-star rating system aggregates and averages all feedback received. You may also see at a glance whether or not they’ve attained any of the aspirational badges (ie. Rising Phoenix, Validated, Trusted) that are or will be available and you can factor those into your assessment. While Eos strives to be a safe online community platform and we’ve gone to great lengths to make that a reality, it is always in your best interest to do due diligence to determine for yourself how safe and trustworthy someone is. TILC and Eos do not accept any responsibility for the actions of anyone on the platform.