Forum Rules

Registration to this forum is free! We do insist that you abide by the rules and policies detailed below. If you agree to the terms, please check the 'I agree' checkbox and press the 'Register' button below. If you would like to cancel the registration, click here to return to the forums index.

MarylandMommy.com strives to make a safe and fun environment for EVERY member of our community. To that effect, please read the following guidelines and keep them in mind as you post and participate in activities. Should you not follow these guidelines, privileges on the site will be suspended based on the severity of the issue. Privileges may include the chat box, ability to post to the calendar or forums or access to the site itself. Suspensions may be short term or permanent. When there is an issue of concern, your account may be temporarily suspended while we investigate, but we will not make snap decisions and will allow you to explain yourself.

1. Please follow the golden rule. Treat others the way that you would like to be treated. If you are in a bad mood or upset about something, read your post OUT LOUD before you hit submit. If it sounds like it might be upsetting to someone else, please revise your word choice. Remember that just because you do not intend for something to be offensive, that does not mean that your word choice may not be offensive. Please keep this in mind.
   
   
2. We are a diverse group of women with a wide range of backgrounds spanning multiple religions, backgrounds, parenting styles, family situations, political affiliations and economic circumstances. Please keep this in mind when you post… if you have to preface a comment with “no offense intended but…” it’s probably worth reworking your post to state your point differently.
   
   
3. Disrespect of any member can not be tolerated. This site is designed to be fun for all members and while we come from many different positions and viewpoints, we can peacefully co-exist as long as everyone agrees that every other member has the right to their own opinion (even if it differs from yours). Name calling, attacks, persistently snide comments directed towards a member or group of members, and swearing at other members will not be tolerated. This rule applies throughout this website: on public forum posts, private messages, wall messages, social groups, and private forums. If you feel that you are not being treated with respect please report the post or message to a member of the management team by clicking on the red/yellow "card" in the upper right of the post in question. Please DO not publicly engage the poster by posting that you feel something was "uncalled for" or similar wording. Members who "egg" on situations by giving positive reputation for inflammatory comments or "way to go" cheers in posts will be considered equally guilty of inflaming a situation as the original poster and will be sanctioned accordingly.
   
   
4. Opinions and discussions are welcome, provided they are kept responsive and reasonable. You don’t have to agree with every one here, but you do need to respect that everyone has the right to their opinion. Name calling and blatant disrespect to another member can’t be tolerated. Trolling (posting deliberately inflammatory messages in order to provoke a vehement response from other users), Flaming (posting deliberately hostile messages) and Bashing (excessive or unwarranted criticism on a subject, group or individual) are absolutely not acceptable and users engaged in this behavior will have a one warning before actions are taken. A third offense will lead to a permanent ban.
   
   
5. Please be aware of the area of the forum in which you are posting or responding to a post. Some discussions and topics that are acceptable or appropriate in certain areas of the site are less appropriate in other areas.
   
   
6. Vulgar or explicit conversations are not permitted anywhere within the site. Please keep all conversations on a level that you would use when in polite company. There are ways to phrase things that convey what you may wish to say, without being vulgar, rude or explicit. This site is a place where EVERYONE should feel comfortable and many members are not comfortable with vulgarity.
   
   
7. Sharing Passwords or accounts is strictly prohibited. Any member caught doing this will be permanently banned. You are responsible for your own password, so if you have a password that other people know or can easily guess, please don’t use it for our site. MarylandMommy.com is an open Moms group, meaning that any Mom within Maryland or a reasonable distance across our borders may join so there is no need for sharing of accounts since others are welcome to create their own account. This is a safety issue for our children that we feel passionate about. The locations of our activities, and therefore the whereabouts of our children at specific times, are posted on our group calendar so for their safety we must insist that only the registered user of an account access our site through that account. The ONLY exception to this rule would be in the case of an emergency where a family member may log in to alert the group to the situation (such as a member is ill or in labor or had a crisis or is late or lost and needs a phone number).The family member must clearly identify themselves as a guest using the password and should not browse the forums, calendar or member list without a specific intention (such as posting a message on the calendar that the family member is running late, etc.).
   
   
8. Your profile information must contain truthful and accurate information.
   
   
9. As mentioned above safety of our members and children is of paramount importance. We recommend meeting a new mom for the first time at one of our public location events or in a public place (i.e., don’t share your home address with someone you haven't met personally). We have plenty of group activities in public spaces to get to know each other (just check out the calendar!). Hosts of events in their home have the right to not share their home address with people they don't personally know for the safety of their family. Please do NOT be offended if you are not given this information... just make it a point to get to know the mom at our public events before attending a private one. This is for the safety of BOTH moms. Phone numbers and home addresses should only be exchanged in private messaging, email or in person (never posted on the boards or in your profile or on someone's visitor board), and should never be shared without permission from their owner. Always check with the host before you bring another member to an event. A host is graciously opening up her home to host, but does need to keep the safety of her family in mind. Members with infractions should not expect to attend private home events.
   
   
10. Safety of our members and guests are of the utmost importance to us, but the site and the site owners do not have control over real world situations, so attend and participate in all playdates and events at your own risk. We as a site or as an individual organizer are not responsible or liable in any way for any injuries that may occur during or in transit to or from a playdate or event.
    
    
11. All events discussed in public spaces are open to ALL members. All events discussed in the chatbox should be added to the calendar so that members not present in the chatbox have an opportunity to participate if they choose. The only exception to this is an impromptu, immediate event which may be discussed in the chatbox, but they should be open to anyone who can make the last minute event (i.e., "anyone want to meet at the park today?" posts in the chat are acceptable).
    
    
12. Events held in members’ homes may have restrictions on the age of children invited (generally because of the selection of toys or general safety of the home) or the number of moms (due to space restrictions).
    
    
13. Under no circumstances may you use information learned on our site, including names, addresses, email addresses or phone numbers to harass or solicit any other member on the site, nor should this information EVER be shared without the owners permission.
    
    
14. Please try and make sure that your posts are readable – all caps is “shouting” and difficult to read so use sparingly to emphasize certain words but not whole sentences or posts. Capital letters, periods or line breaks at the end of a thought also make your post more readable and thus more likely to be responded to. Netspeak is difficult for many people to read and is strongly discouraged. We do offer a spell checker as a downloadable option.
    
    
15. Promoting other groups is permitted provided the other group also allows a mention of our group on their site. We are happy to host joint activities if both groups agree. However, our member list is not open to solicitation by private message. If you have a group or event to discuss, please do it publicly on the forum boards or in person. If you are unsure about this, please contact the site admin before posting.
    
    
16. If you join one of our private support groups, the information that you learn is PRIVATE and is not to be discussed at events, or with other people outside of the support group or ever used against the person in any way.
    
    
17. Our private support groups are designed to give you a place to discuss your fears, feelings, stresses and situations in a friendly environment. This site is not run by licensed professionals acting in official capacity and no private forum should ever be used in lieu of getting professional help as necessary.
    
    
18. Please do NOT discuss or advocate any illegal activities (past, present or future) on our site. This includes discussions in private messaging, public forums and private support groups.
    
    
19. Advertising may be done in your signature and the Marketplace areas only. You may mention your business if it is relevant to the conversation in other areas of the site, but may not start threads simply to promote it outside of the Marketplace. You must be an active member in good standing to promote your business. DO NOT advertise your business on our site if you do not have the intention of actively participating on our site. Posts will be removed without warning or explanation if this policy is violated.
    
    
20. By member decision, Maryland Mommy is just for women. We love the Dads in our lives, and would be happy to consider creating a Parenting group for both Moms and Dads to participate in, or to create a Dads only group should there be enough interest. Dads should only attend events held in public places (like the mall or a playground) or an event CLEARLY listed as family. Events in private homes should not include adult males (dads/husbands/boyfriends/brothers etc) unless the host clearly indicates that the "family" is welcome and expected on the original event listing. We ask that members do not request to bring adult males to events that are not originally advertised as family events because it is impossible to anticipate whether others will see the request and/or be comfortable with such an exception. Likewise, please clearly indicate if an adult male is expected to be home during a playdate at your home.
    
    
21. Let’s make this a great site for everyone!!

It is impossible to anticipate every situation that may come up, so the administrators and moderators of MarylandMommy.com reserve the right to apply the rules to new situations and to amend these rules without notice as needed. Your continued use of the MarylandMommy.com forum indicates your continued acceptance and agreement to abide by these rules.