iParenting Community Guide
Welcome to the iParenting Community Guide. Please review the following
information before using the boards and e-mail lists.
Introduction to Using iParenting Boards and Lists
The Golden Rules of Internet Communities
Welcome to our supportive, friendly community! We're glad you've decided to
interact with other members. But where should you start? Let us guide
you.
iParenting has four types of community-centered areas, all accessible
through the "Interact" section of each of our sites.
MomsTalk Boards
These unique boards allow you to view all posts on one page. Instead of
seeing only topic headers, you can read each message in its entirety without
having to click on the post. This board is general in nature and members
post about many different topics.
Discussion Boards
Discussion boards are categorized by topic and members are encouraged to
focus on that topic. This is a great place to get in touch with people who
are interested in the topic and who can offer support or information. The
posts are organized by "threads" and can be easily navigated based on the
subject line or header of the post.
E-mail Lists
By subscribing to an e-mail list, you are joining a community that
communicates solely by e-mail. Messages are sent by a subscriber to the main
list address, and that message is then distributed to everyone subscribed to
the list. Subscribers can receive messages one by one or in digest form
(where all messages are compiled into one or two large messages sent out
each day).
Chat Areas
A chat room is a place where you can type messages back and forth with other
members who are also in the chat room when you are. Unlike discussion boards
or e-mail lists, exchange of ideas and opinions happen in real-time.
Now that you know more about our community areas, we encourage you to
explore the boards, lists and chat areas. Feel free to join as many
communities as you wish!
If you've subscribed to an e-mail list, you will receive a welcoming message
with information about where to send your messages, how to get digest
messages and how to unsubscribe. Keep this message in your files for future
reference. You can also read that information and our list FAQ
here.
If you're new to a discussion, e-mail or chat group, you may feel more
comfortable just "lurking" or listening to the conversations that take
place. You may also find the information you were looking for by browsing
old posts. It's perfectly acceptable to "feel out" the group before getting
your feet wet.
Once you've decided to join in the conversation, it's a good idea to post an
introduction of sorts. You don't need to write an autobiography, but do give
other members an idea of why you're posting. This helps others get to know
you a little and helps you find people who have common circumstances or
interests.
The Golden Rules of Internet Communities
Here are some general guidelines that are common throughout all Internet
communities.
- Be courteous and helpful. The best way to make new friends in the
community is to treat others courteously and offer your support or help when
you can. You'll find the Golden Rule applies in cyberspace, too!
- Don't give out private information. Always remember that anyone
can subscribe to an e-mail list or join a board or chat room under a false
identity. Think very carefully before giving out your phone number, address,
last name, and other details that you wouldn't normally announce to a group
of strangers.
- Don't spam (post commercial content). Solicitations for
commercial purposes are not appropriate in these types of forums. Even if
you are selling something that our members would probably be interested in,
don't "advertise" on iParenting's boards or lists or you will face the
penalty (see below). To legitimately advertise on iParenting, contact us at
advertising@iparenting.com.
- Label cross-postings. Many of our members subscribe to multiple
e-mail lists and visit more than one board each day. If you are posting a
question to multiple lists or boards, label it as a cross-post in the
subject line. This helps other members sort through messages more
efficiently.
- Refrain from posting chain mail, virus warnings, and other
"pass-along" messages. Experienced users are generally annoyed by these
types of messages because the vast majority are hoaxes.
- Don't post copyrighted material. Anything that has been published
(posted) on the Internet or elsewhere is copyrighted and should not be
re-posted by you without the expressed permission of the author. This
includes other posts on boards, letters, articles within iParenting or from
other sources, etc.
- Post family-friendly content. Do not post any material that is
considered vulgar, obscene or profane. Please remember that younger viewers
may be reading your posts. Keep your content clean.
- Keep your typing clean. Using ALL CAPS is considered a form of
shouting and shouldn't be used. Also please try to keep symbols (like "baby
dust" and "positive vibes") to a minimum.
iParenting.com has developed these rules as a way to keep our communities
friendly and safe for all users. To report a problem, e-mail
webmaster@iparenting.com.
When you enter into a discussion with another person or group of people,
opinions unlike your own may be expressed. Everyone has a right to his/her
own opinion, and people are more likely to listen when it's expressed
respectfully. Remember to voice your thoughts and ideas in a
non-confrontational manner and to respond to other opinions with respect.
When a disagreement breaks out, tempers can get hot. When this happens,
imagine how you would react if the person you disagree with were standing in
front of you. Treat others with respect. If you can't agree, don't rehash
everything hoping to convince everyone that you're right. Either take the
disagreement to a private area (over private e-mail, for example) or agree to
disagree and move on.
A "flame war" is characterized by intentional personal attacks.
Harassing, vulgar, abusive, obscene, and hurtful or hateful attacks –
especially if they are aimed at a sexual orientation, race, religion, gender
or disability – will not be tolerated. If you are participating in a
flame war, you will be subjected to the penalties listed below. If you are
the victim of a flame war, and you have ignored the attacker and contacted
iParenting, we will assist you in any way we can. In the meantime, do not
respond to the attacker and do not speak about the attacker with other
members.
Sometimes, a person will enter into a board, chat room or e-mail list with
the sole intention of "stirring things up." This type of person can appear
in any community and can cause a lot of hurt feelings and misuse of the
community area. Generally, the person will post anonymously, but sometimes
they will assume another's identity or use multiple identities. When you
witness or are a victim of attacks from this type of poster, the best course
of action is to contact iParenting and
ignore the poster. We cannot
stress this enough. If everyone stays united in ignoring the poster, they
will find no enjoyment in harassing people and they will probably leave.
Users who abuse community members and do not follow the guidelines and rules
stated above will be subjected to the following penalties:
- A warning will be given, unless the attack warrants immediate and
permanent banning.
- If the warning is ignored, the user will be unsubscribed from the e-mail
list or banned from the discussion board.
- If an e-mail list is having repeated problems with a subscriber who
comes back with a different e-mail address, the list will become secured and
all new subscribers will have to be approved by the listmom/dad.
- Password protected boards may be approved and created for certain
groups who are being subjected to an unusually high amount of abuse.
A flame war or random abuser affects everyone in the community area. It can
be difficult to bounce back into the happy, supportive atmosphere you once
had. We recommend trying to move on from the incident as quickly as possible
by starting up new topics or posting fun polls or ideas. As always, if there
is anything iParenting can do to help, just let us know.
Thanks for being part of our community!
The information published on this site is believed to be accurate, but is
not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Statements
and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of iParenting, LLC.
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