Southern Marin Mothers’ Club Communication Guidelines

Welcome to the Southern Marin Mothers’ Club (SMMC) Forum, Facebook and WhatsApp Guidelines. Our member-only communication channels provide space for members to share their thoughts, feelings, opinions, ideas and suggestions about a wide array of subjects. These guidelines are in place to create a safe, respectful and polite environment for our organization and its group members.

CONTACTING MODERATORS

Forums: If a post needs moderator attention there is a “Report this Post” button on every thread in the Forum. This will alert a moderator that a message requires attention.

WhatsApp and Facebook: If a post requires attention in a WhatsApp group, please screenshot the message and forward it to a moderator at webmaster@southernmarinmoms.com. Be sure to include what group it is from and any background that may be helpful.

If immediate action is needed, or the situation is not in a specific post, members should contact the moderators at webmaster@southernmarinmoms.com or contact the president at president@southernmarinmoms.com.

POSTING GUIDELINES FOR ALL FORUMS, FACEBOOK AND WHATSAPP GROUPS

-  All posts must comply with the Membership Terms.

-  SMMC may moderate or remove any post at any time at its sole discretion. A member who does not follow these guidelines is subject to their posts being moderated at any time at SMMC’s sole discretion. Additionally, a member may be removed from a group or his/her membership terminated if the member violates the Membership Terms or these posting guidelines.

-  Self Promotion: Represent yourself honestly. Do not pretend to be someone else and do not share your login with others. You may share your business information in response to others posts but you may not create stand alone posts in the General, Anonymous, Classifieds, Caregiver Forums or WhatsApp Groups. We encourage you to reach out about sponsorships and paid advertising if you are interested in a collaborative partnership with SMMC and your business.

-  Contribute appropriate and accurate information. We encourage participation in all discussions as well as posting of new forum topics. SMMC is a supportive and courteous community and it is important to carefully word all posts so that you are respectful of others. Certain topics have proven controversial on the forums and should be approached with extreme sensitivity and caution. Subjects include, but are not limited to: vaccinations, finances, guns and circumcision.

-  Do not post any content that is false or misleading, promotes illegal activities or conduct, or which may be construed as abusive, inflammatory, threatening, obscene, defamatory or libelous.

-  Do not post content that is political or religious in nature.

-  When posting, be aware that these are public forums. Do not post personal information about yourself. If for some reason a member chooses to end their membership, their membership expires or their account is banned, SMMC is not responsible for removing any pictures, posts or other personal information from the forums.

-  Uploading images. By uploading an image, graphic or photo for use as your user avatar or as part of your forum post, you represent that you own the image, graphic or picture or have obtained proper authorization from the owner to use the image, graphic or picture. SMMC reserves the right to remove any images that are offensive or do not comply with our guidelines. All posts are subject to review by SMMC. SMMC reserves the right to remove or edit any posts at our sole discretion. Any posts that are contributing to a negative and threatening atmosphere on the boards will be removed and may result in a suspension or termination of your membership.

-  SMMC shall update these posting guidelines as appropriate. SMMC will post any new version of these guidelines and provide members notice of updated guidelines. You must prospectively comply with the guidelines. Comments and questions about SMMC, its services, website and policies should be sent to the SMMC administration team at president@southernmarinmoms.com.

The most important rule: Keep the forums kind, helpful, and inclusive community. We care about you and all members of SMMC!

GENERAL FORUM

The General Forum is a place for discussion of mom or family-related topics. Advice/opinions on child rearing, a search for recommendations related to family-related topics and connection with other members are all appropriate in the General Forum.

Self Promotion:
-  Unsolicited posts for you or your business are not allowed.

-  Self-promotion of business is not allowed unless in response to a relevant thread if posting in response to a thread.

-  Promotions of businesses in response to a relevant forum post are allowed. Please keep the number of repeated recommendations for the same service or product to a maximum of three (3) posts per month. Be sure to share any affiliation you have with a business/person that you recommend.

-  Unsolicited negative reviews of business, people, charities, events or products are not permitted.

-  Examples of allowed responses:
⇒ XYZ Business is awesome! I worked with them and highly recommend them.
⇒ My spouse works for XYZ Business, and I highly recommend them.

Medical Advice:
-  Any information contained or provided through SMMC is provided on an “as is” basis. The contents of the service are for informational purposes only. Nothing contained on this site is or should be considered, or used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

-  Asking for medical advice is not allowed. This includes anything you should be consulting your own physician or other health professional about. Asking for other members’ experiences is allowed.

Example of questions/responses not allowed:
⇒ What dosage should I take?
⇒ I recommend this dosage for this medicine.

Example of questions allowed:
⇒ I was prescribed this medication. What was your direct experience good or bad?

Real Estate:
-  Local residential or commercial real estate for sale or rent may be posted in the General Forum, except by real estate agent/property agents, etc. as set forth below.

-  Vacation rentals are not allowed in the General Forum, unless in response to a relevant thread. These listings may be placed in the Classifieds.

-  Real estate brokers and property managers may not post listings. You may respond to a relevant post that you are a realtor and can help, but you may not include listings in your response.

-  Examples of allowed responses:
⇒ I am looking for a home to buy -> can respond, "I am currently selling my home," or “My neighbor’s house is for rent.”
⇒ I am looking for a home to buy -> can respond, “I am a realtor and specialize in that area.”
Note: You cannot list any houses you may have for sale.

Example of response not allowed:
⇒ I am looking for a home to buy -> can’t respond, “I am a real estate broker and here are my listings.”

Other:
-  One-time opportunities (casting call, focus group, etc.) are allowed in the General Forum.

-  Job postings may be listed in the General Forum. Please list any affiliation you have with the company/job.

- Housekeeper requests/recommendations may be placed in the General Forum. Recommendations are limited to 3 times per month.

-  Items wanted to borrow and items for free may be placed in the General Forum. Items for sale for trade, or wanted to buy are not permitted and should be listed in the Classifieds.

-  Requests for nannies, babysitting and doulas and daycare services may NOT be posted in the General Forum. These posts should be placed in the Childcare Services Forum.

-  Out-of-town babysitter requests are allowed in the General Forum.

-  Last-minute requests (babysitter/tickets for sale) may be placed in the General Forum no more than 3 days before the event.

-  Preschool and school openings may be posted, affiliation must be noted, and may not be posted more than 3 times per month (post or response).

-  Direct solicitation of funds and links to “giving pages” are not allowed.

-  Local “family-in-need” posts are allowed when asking for items/meals/non-cash donations.

-  Nanny/Caregiver incidents: when reporting incidents, do not describe the caregiver. You may describe children, location, time and date. Do not give details about the incident. You must post your contact information for members to contact you with the specifics.

ANONYMOUS FORUM

The Anonymous Forum is a safe place for discussion of mom or family- related topics in which you want to be anonymous. Please be kind to one another in this vulnerable forum.

-  Anonymous recommendations are allowed in response to a posted question.

- Anonymous questions and recommendations for childcare, daycares, preschools, or providers may only be posted in the Child Care Forum.

-  Do not use anonymous posts to introduce or incite inflammatory debate among members. When done anonymously, simple comments can be construed as threatening or menacing.

-  Keep your anonymous posts anonymous by setting up your Anonymous Forum handle HERE >> 

-  Anonymous post authors may be viewed by forum moderators

Examples of allowed posts:
⇒ Looking for divorce lawyer
⇒ How to deal with the terrible twos more effectively
⇒ How do you lose weight?

-  Please be kind when replying to anonymous posts.

CHILDCARE FORUM

The Childcare Forum is a place where members can inquire about nanny/babysitter availability, inquire about and recommend daycares, post daycare/preschool openings, and seek out doulas and night nurses.

-  Nanny, babysitting, night nurse, doula, and daycare availability/recommendations may be requested or advertised in this forum. These posts are not allowed in the General Discussion Forum.

-  Recommendations are limited to 3 times per month per individual/daycare and must be for recommending caregivers that the member has personally employed.

-  You may not recommend yourself as a caregiver or daycare/preschool that you are employed by.

-  Unsolicited negative reviews are not allowed. You may post a negative review in response to an existing thread, but it must be authored. 

-  Examples of allowed Childcare Forum posts:
⇒ My nanny has extra hours.
⇒ I am looking for a nanny.
⇒ I am a nanny/babysitter looking for more hours.
⇒ Nanny share requests.
⇒ Requests for babysitter recommendations.
⇒ I am looking for a daycare.
⇒ I recommend this daycare.

CLASSIFIED FORUM

The Classifieds allow members, buyers and sellers to connect for the purchase of personal items or services. SMMC makes no representations regarding the quality, quantity or other material characteristics of any item bought, sold or transferred on SMMC’s forum or through SMMC’s classifieds section. The parties engaged in the transaction assume sole responsibility for all aspects of the transaction and agree not to hold SMMC liable for any actions resulting from the transaction.

-  Members may post non-commercial personal items for sale, for trade, or wanted to buy in the Classifieds Forum — they need not be mom or family-related. These posts are not permitted in the General Forum.

-  Items wanted to borrow and items for free can be placed in the General Forum.

-  Promotion of classified listings in the General Forum is not allowed.

-  Examples of allowed Classified Forum posts:
⇒ Baseball tickets
⇒ Lawn mower
⇒ Baby gates

-  Please refrain from posting any that violate federal laws and/or California state law. This may include, but is not limited to: cribs with drop-down side rails, used car seats, open containers of formula or other food products and prescription medication and other illegal or recalled items may not be posted for sale or for free.

COMMUNITY DISCOUNTS & PROMOTIONS FORUM

The Forum allows members to showcase their talents, events, and promote themselves and their businesses and offer discounts to the community. It is also a place where members may let other members know of a mom or family-related event that they know of, or a discount that may be useful to other moms or families.

-  SMMC Members may post the same recommendation once a month and Community Partners may post once a week and up to three times per month.

-  Community events, member recruitment, gauging interest for classes, and discount posts are allowed

-  Preview/free demo classes are allowed.

-  When posting events, members must disclose any affiliation.

-  Discounts to purchase products at a reduced price are allowed.

-  Special offers (e.g. free manicure with paid pedicure) are allowed.

-  Discounts may run indefinitely.

-  Unsolicited recommendations of businesses/charities are allowed.

-  Any affiliation with the business/charity must be posted (owned by a friend, you work for the business, spouse works there, etc.) Any affiliation must be disclosed every time you post a recommendation.

-  Examples of allowed posts:
⇒ Free ice cream at Ben and Jerry's.
⇒ Santa day at Sprout.
⇒ Whole Foods 5% Kiddo fundraiser day.
⇒ Farm Day at Marin Civic Center.
⇒ Yard sale.
⇒ Photographer offering 10% discount to SMMC members.
⇒ 30% off at Gap this week.

WHATSAPP GROUP GUIDELINES

The WhatsApp groups are smaller subsets of the SMMC community that are broken down by child's birthdate, household location or special interests. Each subgroup has a leader or co-leader. These groups are intended to be a safe place to create connection, friendship, and support. The guidelines for the WhatsApp groups follow the Forum guidelines as well.

-  All posts must comply with the Membership Terms and General Posting Guidelines above.

-  All members of WhatsApp groups must be active members or share a physical household with a primary member and referred to as secondary members. Secondary members must have a profile through www.southernmarinmoms.com

-  All WhatsApp names and phone numbers must align with a member listed in the SMMC member directory. Please be sure to include your WhatsApp phone number in your member profile.

-  If your name is not attached to your WhatsApp account and an administrator requests your name, you must provide your name when requested. If your name and phone number are not listed in the SMMC member directory you may be removed from the group.

-  All members of SMMC WhatsApp groups must be active members of SMMC. Expired members will be removed from the groups. If you feel you have been wrongfully removed from a group please contact membership@southernmarinmoms.com. 

-  You may not add non-SMMC members to WhatsApp chats or groups.

-  Members may not create new WhatsApp groups or recruit group members for non-SMMC sanctioned groups. If you would like to create a group contact playgroups@southernmarinmoms.com. We ask that in order to create a group that there be 1-2 leaders and 10 members that have expressed interest in the group. 

-  Members may only post the same message in no more than 3 groups and they must be groups that they are a part of. They may reply to other members' posts with the same post no more than 3 times in a month.

-  Members may not join a group for promotion (this includes but is not limited to: businesses, childcare, real estate, non-SMMC events).

-  Caregivers may be recommended but members may not recommend themselves and members need to have personally employed a caregiver in order to give a recommendation.

-  Questionable instances may be reported but may only post a description of the children involved, location, and the time. You may not describe the situation or the caregiver present.

-  Asking for medical advice is not allowed. This includes anything you should be consulting your own physician or other health professional about. Asking for other members’ experiences is allowed.

-  Group members must be kind, respectful, and helpful to the community. They may not personally attack, insult or intend to harass another member or volunteer.

Find the full list of WhatsApp Group links HERE >>