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GUIDELINES, RULES OF CONDUCT & POSTING POLICIES FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE HRP MAMAS MESSAGE BOARDS

Copyright ©The Hudson River Park Mothers Group 2004-2020. All Rights Reserved.

 


RULES OF CONDUCT FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE HRP MAMA MESSAGE BOARDS
 
The mission of HRP Mamas is to provide information, resources and to foster community amongst the mothers of Lower Manhattan. Our message boards are among the ways in which we promote our mission. In order to maintain a safe and enjoyable environment on our message boards, we expect members of our online community to observe the following rules of conduct. We reserve the right to moderate, suspend, or terminate participation in our online message boards and HRP Mamas, due to violations of these policies. We reserve the right to change our policies at any time.

- Treat all members of our online community with kindness, humanity and respect, both on our message boards and when contacting them offline.

- In your posts and emails, refrain from being rude or insulting, or from attacking or harshly criticizing anyone on a personal or direct level. Your posts should be civil, reasonable and compassionate. Attacking, aggressive posts are not acceptable.

- Post as if you were speaking to people in person and within the spirit of community, in a kind and respectful way. HRP Mamas, by design, is not an anonymous group.

- If you feel that you cannot be courteous and kind, you should not post.

- Differences of opinions are expected as we are a diverse group and healthy debate enriches our community. However, differences of opinion should be expressed respectfully and politely and should take issue with ideas, not individuals.

- Do not forward messages posted on the message boards to third parties or reproduce them in any other way.

- Do not include private emails from others in your posts to the message boards and be mindful of not violating the privacy of others.

- Be mindful of the diversity of race, age, ethnicity, income and sexual orientation reflected in our group. Be respectful of those who are different from you.

- Recommendations and reviews should be based on first-hand experience and have no personal or business conflict of interest.

- Familiarize yourself with our posting guidelines  (see below)

- Comply with the HRP Mama Terms of Service (see below)

This document is not intended to be an all-inclusive description of the expectations of HRP Mamas community members; Members of our online community are expected to exercise good judgment and respect for the mission of HRP Mamas when utilizing the message boards.

Failure to adhere to the rules of conduct (in the sole determination of the Board of Directors of HRP Mamas),may result in (a) any applicable posts being subject to deletion from the message boards and/or (b) some or all of the applicable online community membership benefits (including, without limitation, full or partial access to the message boards) being subject to suspension or termination, or moderation, in any such case of the foregoing (a) or (b), in the sole discretion of the board of directors of the Hudson River Park Mothers Group.

The rules of conduct described herein are subject to change by the Board of Directors of The Hudson River Park Mothers Group and participants of our message boards are expected to adhere to the rules of conduct in effect at all times.
 

GUIDELINES FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE HRP MAMAS MESSAGE BOARDS:


Our message boards are a place through which HRP Mamas fosters community. On our message boards mothers may share information and extend support to one another. The HRP Mamas online community is intended as a place for resources, support, information, and solidarity. We do not allow commercial posts on any of our message boards.

Discussions on our Main Message board range in topic but generally center around themes related to motherhood, parenting, family life,  child development & health, life in our neighborhood, and related  family topics. We welcome discussions about news articles, current  events, neighborhood issues, school issues, and anything else that  affects our lives as mothers or that happens to be on our minds.

HRP Mamas asks members of our online community to interact politely and respectfully towards  each other. We are a diverse group and because we do not allow anonymity we ask that participants use the board as if they were speaking  face to face with someone. Please be respectful towards differences in  parenting and mothering styles. If you find yourself in disagreement  with something someone has posted, and feel the need to reply, please  do so respectfully. Please familiarize yourself with our rules of conduct above.

It is important for each member of our online community to understand that they are solely  responsible for the content of their messages. Please be considerate of not violating others privacy. Do not pass on rumors that may alarm people. Please try and post mainly about first hand experiences. Do not forward emails posted to our message board on to third parties without  permission from the author (unless the email is obviously intended as  something to pass around ie: available nanny, classified type post,  etc.) .

When replying to posts on our message boards please consider whether  you want to reply to the whole group or privately to that person  before clicking the "send" button.  By default our group is set up to  reply to the whole group. Everything posted to our message boards is  seen by the entire group. If you only want your message seen by a few  people, e-mail them instead of using the message board. To email a  poster privately just click on the "TO" drop down menu above the  actual post.


GUIDELINES & SUGGESTIONS FOR USING MESSAGE BOARDS:

1- Familiarize yourself with our rules of conduct (see above)

2-  Please help us foster community by remembering to sign your posts with your first name. Many members include their children's names and ages too as it's helpful info for those replying with relevant advice.

3- No business, commercial, promotional signatures or display names please!

4- Please respond to posts by thread

5 - Please create a new thread and clear subject lines for a new subject  matter

6 - We do not allow commercial messages on our message boards. We enforce this policy rigorously in order to maintain  the integrity of our message boards. Please be mindful of this. Please  see our posting policy below for clear guidelines on what is  considered a commercial post. No business, commercial, promotional signatures on your posts please!

7- In addition, we trust that members of our message boards will not distribute other members’ email addresses to any third parties or use emails acquired through participation in the group for commercial purposes . Those in violation of these policies will be subject to removal from our message boards ad such other actions as more fully described in our terms of service.

8- Please reply to the individual rather than the whole group if your response is specifically geared towards that person. Personal messages are more appropriate when sent directly and privately.

9- Please do not post chain letters, spam or advertisements

10- Refrain from using ALL CAPS

11- Information posted on the boards or on any of our sites should not be used as a substitute for medical care. If you have questions or concerns regarding your physical or mental health or the health of your child, please seek assistance from a qualified health care  provider.

12- In order to be respectful of copyright laws, when sharing written material posted online (including articles, newsgroup and message   board postings) please do so with a link and a few lines to serve as a description only.

13- Do not use the message boards for political purposes

14-  If you decide to share a negative experience  please do not use negative comments in the subject  heading of your post. Others may reply with their positive experiences and the subject heading may not reflect this. Please write the name of the company and "my experience" in the subject line instead. Please remember that ownership responsibility of content lies with a posts' author. Each message board participant is responsible for the content of her posts.

 
REGARDING SHARING NEGATIVE REVIEWS :


In the spirit of community, we'd like to remind our message board participants that many of our local stores, businesses, and services are provided by our fellow neighborhood parents. Please consider voicing your dissatisfaction directly to the business owner rather than posting on our message boards. Also, please remember that each message board participant is responsible for the content of her posts.

 

 

MESSAGE BOARDS POSTING POLICY:

 

MAIN MESSAGE BOARD:

Please use the Main Message board for: All general discussions and questions -  Frequent topics include but are not limited to: motherhood, children, parenting, community, school issues, news, beauty, health, lifestyle, and pretty much anything else that is on our minds as mothers, women, new yorkers, etc. PLEASE DO NOT POST CLASSIFIED TYPE POSTS ON THE MAIN MESSAGE BOARD. PLEASE READ BELOW TO SEE WHAT IS CONSIDERED A CLASSIFIED POST.


HRP Mamas DOES NOT ALLOW COMMERCIAL POSTS OR SOLICITATIONS OF ANY KIND  ON ANY OF OUR MESSAGE BOARDS. The HRP Mama Message boards are not a  professional or promotional networking tool.

HRP Mamas does not allow commercial posts or solicitations of any kind on our message boards (Main Message board, Classifieds, and sub-group/satellite groups boards). The HRP Mamas message boards are intended as a safe and high-quality online resource for mothers to get honest advice, unbiased first hand opinions, and support from other mothers. Our message boards are a venue for sharing experiences, engaging in active discussions, and exchanging information. The HRP Mamas Message boards are not a professional networking or promotional tool and may not be used to promote businesses, advertise, or otherwise benefit any business whatsoever.


Prohibited commercial posts include, without limitation:

- self-promotion ( If you own a business, website, sell products, or provide services of any kind you may not promote this even in response to a thread)

- requests for subjects or volunteers by journalists, writers, researchers or artists

- promotion or links for books, blogs, websites, new product launches, businesses, or similar events

- market research of any kind

- press releases

- group discounts, freebies, and coupons

- sales of services or products

- giveaways, raffles, and sample sales

- political messaging of any kind

- business or promotional display names or signatures (usually located at the bottom of posts coming directly to the message boards via email)

 

PLEASE NOTE: Participants of our message boards may not recommend their own business, website, blog, social media page, or service, via direct email or on the message board, even in response to a thread.

 

Regarding the use of HRP Mamas  community member posts and personal information:

-Do not use email addresses acquired through our message boards for commercial, marketing, or self-promotional purposes.

-Do not email other members directly for commercial, marketing, self-promotional purposes.

-Do not use our message boards as lead generators, listing services, or to generate traffic for another website.

- Content on this group is not to be copied, reproduced or linked to without expressed permission of the author
 

Commercial posts that are sent to our message boards will be deleted or rejected from our archive and the authors will be notified privately of this action. We reserve the right to moderate, suspend, or terminate participation in the online message board, and HRP Mamas, due to violations of these policies. We reserve the right to change our policies at any time.



THE CLASSIFIEDS MESSAGE BOARD:

The Classifieds message board was created  as a forum for  off topic classified  type messages. Please use the Classifieds board for the following:

TRANSACTIONS: Buying/selling/trading new and used items (if it's a transaction, it belongs on the classifieds)

EMPLOYMENT: looking for/referring household services (household help, childcare, in search of nannies, recommendations for nannies, sitters, etc.)

REAL ESTATE: looking for apartments & houses or selling/renting/subletting your own real estate (Not to be used by brokers)

GIVE AWAYS: Giving away items or similar offers


NO COMMERCIAL POSTS ARE ALLOWED ON THE CLASSIFIEDS BOARD OR ANY OTHER MESSAGE BOARD ADMINISTERED BY HRP Mamas.

 

FAQ REGARDING THE HRP MAMAS COMMERCIAL POST POLICY:

1- Why do you have a policy regarding commercial posts?

We strongly believe, and it's our experience in almost 10 years of managing and moderating these wonderful message boards, that our online community thrives in an environment that is free of commercial motivations and conflicts. Keeping our message boards free of commercial interests helps us stay true to our mission. Participants of our message boards are seeking unbiased information, first hand recommendations, and heartfelt advice through our message boards. We have found that business owners recommending their own services in a thread stunts dialogue. It's the online equivalent of an awkward silence and prevents an open discussion of the pros/cons of the various options available.

2- Has HRP Mamas always had a policy regarding commercial posts?

Since the HRP Mama message boards began in 2004, we've had a strict non-commercial post policy. This is in keeping with what other similar online parenting groups such as ours also do.

3 - I have received an email from a local business and I don't understand how I got on that businesses email list. Does HRP Mamas share my contact information with other businesses?

No, HRP Mamas will NEVER share your email address or other contact info with third parties. We do not sell our mailing list. It is strictly against HRP Mamas policy for participants of our platform to use email addresses acquired through participation in our message boards for commercial purposes.  We reserve the right to moderate, suspend, or terminate participation in our online message boards and HRP Mamas, due to violations of these policies. If you feel you have received unwanted spam please inform us so that we may look into the matter.

4- Can I post about a community event or fundraiser that is taking place in the neighborhood?

Yes! Please feel free to send us info about local community related non-profit events (loft tours, public school fundraisers, Taste of Tribeca, park days and park fundraisers, religious events, farmers markets, charity, museum events, etc). We are always happy to help our fellow community groups and organizations promote their events through our dedicated email blasts, please email community_events@hrpmamas.org . Creating and reinforcing community is what we are all about, please let us know about the events and fundraisers you care about. If you are unsure if your event qualifies as a community non profit one, please email us to discuss further. Furthermore, we would love to hear from you if you have a philanthropic or educational cause you care deeply about. We are happy to co-sponsor select charity events, drives, and awareness campaigns. We are thrilled to be currently helping several public schools, museums, the community board, and charities create awareness about their work and events.

5- Can I pass along info about a sale, a discount coupon, or group discount to the message boards?

No, this qualifies as a commercial post.

6- I own a business, provide a service, sell a product that I think would be helpful to mamas, can i post about this on the message boards? Can I email members of the message boards individually about it?

No, you may not use the message boards to advertise your own business, service, blog, website, product and you may not use emails acquired through participation in our platform to email people privately to advertise your business, service, or product. This includes businesses owned by your  partners, spouses, and families.

7- Can I recommend my own business, service, blog, website, or product in response to another message board member's post or query?

No, you may not recommend your own business, even in response to a thread and you may not use emails acquired through participation in our platform to email people privately to advertise your business, service, product..

8 - If I read a post  on the message boards that contains a comment or an opinion about my business , service, product, website or blog, can I reply to that post?

No. We want message board participants to feel free to share their experiences and opinions. Our message board is not the place to promote, discuss, or defend your business.

9- I own a practice, sell a product, offer a service, how can I advertise this on the HRP Mamas message boards?

Please email us at ads@hudsonriverparkmothersgroup.com .

Please note: HRP Mamas does not offer advertising to: web-based platforms such as apps, online media, blogs, subscription based services, sites that require sign-up to be viewed, social media, social networks, professional networks, sites that serve as a gateway for or feature 3rd party advertising or providers, event based companies, marketing and PR companies or businesses that serve as an agency for 3rd party providers.


This document is not intended to be an all-inclusive description of applicable exclusions. The Hudson River Park Mothers Group reserves the right to change its policies at any time.

10- Can I recommend my friend's business in response to another  post or query?

Yes, you may, but please disclose your connection to the person you are recommending in your response and please only post recommendations if they are truly based on a 1st hand positive experience.

11- How do I let the group know about my friend's business, service, or product? I know a business that wants to offer a discount via HRP Mamas , who can I direct them to?

HRP Mamas offers sponsorship opportunities to qualified local businesses who share a commitment to our mission. Information about our sponsors is sent out through our email blast system and never through our message boards. Sponsorship revenue helps support HRP Mamas. Please ask interested businesses to email ads@hudsonriverparkmothersgroup.com for more info.

12 - I know of a great service provider, business, product and want to pass that info along. Is that an unsolicited commercial post?

Please do share your knowledge and recommendations but do so only in response to actual recent threads and queries. 1st hand unbiased recommendations based on actual experiences are most welcome! Unsolicited recommendations will be deleted or rejected from our message board archive.

13- I am a journalist, writer, artist and I'm looking for people to interview, research, paint, photograph, can I post my query?

Please email your query to : membership@hudsonriverparkmothersgroup.com .

14 - Ok, I understand that commercial posts are not allowed on any of the HRP Mamas message boards, so what kind of posts are OK on the classifieds board? And which ones don't belong on the Main Message board?

We created the classifieds board to separate transaction based and household /childcare referral posts from our main message board. Our Main message board is topic oriented and the place for discussions, questions and interesting threads relevant to our lives as mamas. The Classifieds board is where you post anything that is transaction based as well as referrals or requests for household /childcare help. Specifically, here is what you can post on the classifieds:

TRANSACTIONS: Buying/selling/trading new and used items (if it's a transaction, it belongs on the classifieds)

EMPLOYMENT: looking for/referring any household help, childcare, sitters, tutors,  (household help, childcare, in search of nannies, recommendations for nannies, etc.)

REAL ESTATE: looking for/selling/renting/subletting real estate (no brokers - no posts for friends)

GIVE AWAYS: Giving away items or similar offers

15- I am a journalist. Can I post a post on the message board with a link to a recent article I've written that I think would be useful?

If you are a journalist and have written an article that you feel is relevant to our message board topics please feel free to let us know so that we may review it for possible submission by emailing: newseditor@hudsonriverparkmothersgroup.com .

16- I am thinking of starting a business, or I have a family member, friend or acquaintance who is thinking of doing so, can I poll the group or do market research on the message boards?

No, this falls within the realm of using the message boards for commercial purposes (market research)  and is not permitted on the HRP Mamas platform.

17- Can I organize an event for HRP Mamas community members that includes an outside instructor, etc?

Yes! You may organize a private event on your subgroup and split the cost for an instructor (where there is one). Past examples include: mom & baby yoga class, baby massage classes, language classes and cooking classes. Events similar to these where an instructor is being hired for an educational event are welcome. Please email us at membership@hudsonriverparkmothersgroup.com prior to posting about the event to make sure it meets our criteria for an educational event. Events that center on the sale of products are not welcome and considered commercial events.

18 - I am a consultant for a multi level marketing company, can I organize recruiting or sales events and post about these on the HRP Mamas message boards?

No. Multi level marketing is a commercial enterprise and as such both recruiting and sales based events are not allowed per our commercial post policy.

 
 

Guidelines for Journalists, Bloggers, Researchers, and Artists


Please read the restrictions below on replicating or paraphrasing HRP Mamas posts on blogs, websites and other media, and on appropriate ways HRP Mamas can support you as a journalist, artist, researcher or writer.

HRP Mamas attempts in all ways possible to provide a safe space for its message board participants to discuss relevant and often sensitive issues. As such, we ask that you please follow these basic principles:

- Forwarding or reproducing a post from the message board or follow-up email exchanges, to/on other media, without the expressed approval of the author, violates the HRP  Mamas terms of service, and may result in termination of membership to the HRP Mamas online community.

- As you read the message boards, please keep in mind that mamas are choosing to share their thoughts, questions, and experiences with fellow mamas. They are not posting to provide journalists / bloggers fodder for their articles/blogs. If we allowed the message board to be used in such a way, many mamas would not feel safe posting openly.


Thank you for helping us maintain the integrity of the HRP Mama message boards!