Guidelines before you post on BrevardCountyMoms.com

BrevardCountyMoms.com was created as an information resource for local moms. It's a place where moms can connect, ask questions, share advice and discuss the topics that are relevant to their lives as moms and as women.

The site is moderated by managers, Sharon Kindred and Alice Garwood. While we regularly monitor the site's content, BrevardCountyMoms.com is a community discussion site that is governed by its users. Community members are expected to show respect for one another and the opinions/views posted. It is up to the community members to ensure that the site discussions are positive, informative, supportive and entertaining.

Discussions on BrevardCountyMoms.com are wide-ranging and include child-rearing, religion, entertainment, sex and other topics that feature a variety of viewpoints. Not every discussion on the site will fall in line with the values/morals/lifestyles of every community member. We suggest you disregard the conversations that are not appropriate for you, and instead focus on the topics you can relate to.

Before you start a discussion, we encourage you to think about the purpose of your post and what you hope to learn or gain from the responses. When you seek input/opinions from other community members, be prepared to get all types of feedback. Debates can be enlightening, but should remain focused on the topic and not become personal. If a comment isn't something you would say face-to-face to women you just met, then it probably shouldn't be typed in our forum.

BrevardCountyMoms.com is intended for grown-ups, with adult subject matter and language. Vulgar, obscene and/or gratuitous comments will be removed immediately and the posters reprimanded or removed. FCC-accepted cusswords, while not encouraged or condoned, are tolerated. We're moms, and we hope our community members will speak to one another with kindness, respect and appropriate language.

The members of BrevardCountyMoms.com determine the tone and environment on the site. We encourage you to invest positive energy on BrevardCountyMoms.com to make it the supportive, informative and entertaining site it is intended to be.

Q. I register, then try to sign in and am told my username can't be found. But when I try to re-register, I'm told my info is already in use. What's going on? _ You likely didn't complete the registration process. When you sign up, we send you an e-mail to verify that you're using a legitimate address. It may take at least half an hour for the e-mail to arrive. You have to click on the link in that e-mail in order to complete the registration process and begin posting. If you can't find the e-mail in your inbox, check your spam or junk mail folder. Sometimes it lands there.

Q. I try to sign in and am told my password and username don't match. Sounds like you are not typing your username or password correctly. Passwords are case sensitive, so don't type any capitals unless you created a password with capitals in it. If you cannot remember your password, e-mail skindred@floridatoday.com with your username and a new password, randomly generated by us, will be e-mailed to you. When you use it to sign in, make sure you copy and paste it exactly as it appears in the e-mail we sent you. Once you have signed in, you can go to your "About Me" page to change your password to something you can remember.

Q: How do I start a discussion? A: Select the subject that best fits your comment/question from the Mom to Mom pull-down menu at the top of the homepage. Click on the topic in which you want to post your discussion. On the topic page, click on "start a new discussion" at the top of the page. Type your headline and copy, and then be sure to click "submit" at the bottom of the page. You should see your discussion pop up on the homepage.

Tip 1: Please do not post your discussion in all CAPS. It is hard to read and in cyberworld is usually reserved only when you want to emphasize something strongly in a post. Posts submitted in all CAPS will be changed to lowercase lettering.

Tip 2: Please post your discussion under just one heading. Multiple repeats of the same discussion will be deleted.

Q. Can I advertise my business in the discussion forums? A. On a limited basis, and only if you are responding to a thread that is asking directly about a product or service you offer. You must also be a genuine participant in other discussions on BrevardCountyMoms.com in order to post any ads. This means your nonbusiness-related posts must outnumber your ads. This site is not designed as an advertising vehicle for your personal business. Posts that do not meet these requirements will be taken down. If you would like information on display advertising on the site, please contact Kimberly Lyons at klyons@floridatoday.com.

Q: How do I change my password or other information in my profile? A: Click on "About Me" on the homepage. This takes you to your user profile, where you click on "Edit."

Q: What do abbreviations, such as dh, ds and dd, mean? A: They stand for dear husband, dear son and dear daughter. You can learn more about common Internet abbreviations in one of our previous discussions: http://forums.brevardcountymoms.com/viewtopic.php?t=530 .

Q: How safe is the environment on BrevardCountyMoms.com? A: While we do everything in our power to provide a safe environment, you have no way of truly knowing whom you are communicating with on a Web site. Please use caution in sharing any personal information (we strongly discourage the sharing of personal e-mail addresses, phone numbers, home addresses, etc.) with anyone you do not know and have not met. If you plan a playgroup meeting or other gathering, please meet in a public place where other people will be present. We also encourage you to be guarded in the amount of information you share about your children.

Q: What action should I take if I am verbally attacked or threatened, or spammed? A: Immediately contact Sharon at skindred@floridatoday.com and/or Alice at agarwood@floridatoday.com. Personal attacks - in posts or PMs - will not be tolerated. If you think someone is phishing or spamming on the site, please alert the administrators right away.

Q: What happens when a comment is flagged? A: You should flag a comment when it contains offensive language, is a personal attack or is in some other way inappropriate for the site. When you flag a comment, Sharon and Alice receive a notification e-mail. They review the flagged comment and determine whether to unflag it, delete it or leave it flagged. Flagged comments sometimes remain on the site because they have the potential to be offensive to some members, but not to the greater community.

Q: What's the best way to handle a discussion that is becoming heated? A: Walk away. When it becomes obvious that a poster is not willing to be open minded and accepting of others' opinions, it is pointless to continue the discussion. Walking away also gives you time to calm down and get your emotions in check, so that you do not post a comment that you'll later regret.

Q: How can I locate a discussion that was posted awhile back? A: The best way is through the search tool. Enter a key word from the discussion, and you will get a list of discussions containing that word. If you know which topic it was posted in, you also can check the topic directory.

Q: Can I edit a post? A: Yes. If it is a discussion that you started, you can edit it at any time. Go to the discussion and then click "edit" at the bottom of the post.

Q: What is a "PM"? A: On BrevardCountyMoms.com, a PM is a private message. It provides the opportunity to privately e-mail back and forth on the site with other Brevard Moms. The conversations are private - between the two people engaging in the conversation - and the expectation is that the content of the conversations remains private. Posting the content of a PM in the site's discussion threads without the PM sender's permission is unacceptable and can result in the poster receiving a warning from the site's moderators and/or having her account deleted. If you receive a PM that is threatening, abusive, appears to be a scam or is in any other way offensive, you should immediately notify Sharon at skindred@floridatoday.com and/or Alice at agarwood@floridatoday.com.

Q. What can I advertise in the Mom's Marketplace? A: The Mom's Marketplace forum is an easy way for moms to buy and sell maternity and baby items, children's toys, clothes and books. Anything that is not child- or maternity-related will be removed without prior notification. Also, please don't post anything about products sold through a home-based business. Those posts also will be removed. If you are interested in buying or selling something, please send a private message to the poster to ask questions or make arrangements to obtain the item. For those who may not be aware the private message button is the pink envelope on the home page next to your name. You can press this to receive your messages. As with any other service, be very cautious about giving personal information. Always operate with safety in mind and never allow anyone with whom you are uncomfortable to enter your home. If you receive any suspicious inquiries, please report them to us by calling 242-3693 or e-mail us at kindreds@scparent.com.