StorkNet welcomes you to our online community! Our message boards are different than many others you may have visited on the Internet. Before registering and participating here, it is vital that you read all of our guidelines, below. We uphold these guidelines and are committed to offering a community of support and friendship, therefore, you will find that we monitor our site closely.

If you are looking for a debate board, a place to argue different parenting choices, or a community where gossip and nastiness are the accepted norm, then this community is not for you. Please do not register as a new member. We are a support community for pregnant women, their partners and for parents, new and seasoned. Our intention is to provide a friendly atmosphere where our members can discuss everything related from the moment they decide they want a family until baby goes off to start his/her own family! You are our guest here, the same as if you were a guest in our home. We work hard to create a welcome atmosphere and we ask that you treat our home with respect and courtesy. Longtime members are grateful for our commitment to this mission and have thanked us for providing a safe, enjoyable, and positive place to meet and exchange ideas.

In order to make this service enjoyable for all who visit, it is necessary that you agree to abide by all the rules, whether listed below or posted at various places on StorkNet. Failure to do so could result in terminating your ability to access the Service and the termination of your rights of access will be at StorkNet's sole discretion. Your posting on the StorkNet boards implies that you have read these guidelines/rules and the rules of netiquette, and agree to abide by them.

The following User Agreement ("Agreement") governs the use of the StorkNet Communities (Service) including participation in its message boards/forums or chat rooms. Please read the rules contained in this Agreement carefully. By using these forums, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of this agreement. Continued access of the Service by you will constitute your acceptance of any changes or revisions to the Agreement. StorkNet strives to provide a place where members can meet to exchange ideas, opinions and comments. If you have any questions regarding this Agreement, please feel free to contact us.

1. COMMENTS BY USERS ARE NOT ENDORSED BY STORKNET. StorkNet does not necessarily endorse, support, sanction, encourage, verify, or agree with the comments, opinions, or statements posted on bulletin boards or otherwise contained in the Service. Any information or material placed online, including advice and opinions, are the views and responsibility of those who post the statements, and does not necessarily represent the views of StorkNet.

2. YOU MAY NOT POST OR TRANSMIT ON THE SERVICE any defamatory, inaccurate, harassing, abusive, obscene, profane, vulgar, sexually explicit, threatening, or illegal material, or any material containing blatant expressions of bigotry, racism, or hate. Suicide related notes will be removed from our service. StorkNet and/or our members are not equipped to give appropriate advice to posters who are at such risk. Please contact family members, your local emergency service, health care provider, help lines or support group. StorkNet reserves the right, at our sole discretion (but not obligated), to edit, review or refuse to post any material that is submitted for display on our service. This site is accessible to Internet users of all ages with many members having children reading over their shoulders. Appropriate language is mandatory.

3. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE SERVICE IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE and any information or materials posted on the Service are intended for general informational purposes only, and should not be construed as medical advice, medical opinion, diagnosis or treatment. Any information posted on the Service is not a substitute for medical attention. Note: Please do not attempt to give medical diagnosis, prescribe treatment or medication. Medication may be discussed in general terms by our experts in our Expert Corner, but no such discussion should be accepted as diagnosis, treatment or prescription. See your health-care professional for medical advice and treatment.

4. YOU MUST POST AS YOURSELF: Sharing of usernames/memberships is not allowed. If we discover that you are sharing your username, you will be banned. Please do not assume alternate or hidden identities when posting. Hidden or alternate identities will be banned without refund. Anonymous posting confuses other members, does not instill trust, nor does it add to a sense of community and friendship. If you would like to change your username, please email us from the email address associated with your registration. Tell us your current username, then give us your first and second choice of new usernames.

5. YOU AGREE TO NOT PLACE ANY MATERIAL ON THE SERVICE that is junk mail, advertising, soliciting of a product or Web site, trading, offers to purchase products for another member, or that is invasive of another's privacy or encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or that otherwise violates any local, state, national or international law or regulation. You agree to use the Service only for lawful purposes and you acknowledge that your failure to do so may subject you to civil and criminal liability. Advertisements for or direct links to online businesses, at home businesses or other personal income opportunities are not permitted. This includes text in posted messages and in signatures. You may place a link to your site in your profile (not signature!) only. The ONLY exception is the allowance of one link in your signature to your MarketPlace post. More information on the MarketPlace area is below. Note: StorkNet has worked hard to create an informative, relaxed, supportive community for our members. We ask that you observe our rules regarding soliciting, linking, or mentioning unapproved businesses or services whether personal or otherwise. We are not a playground for free advertising, and we have made a committment to our paid members to keep the boards ad-free. Please do not use our members' email addresses or our private message system for spam of any type. This includes unsolicited invitations to join other communities, purchase products or participate in studies, grants or research. This rule will be strictly enforced. If you wish to post an advertisement or solicitation, it must be confined to our MarketPlace Area which houses our Member to Member Swap & Sell Forum and our Advertising & Solicitations Forum. If you wish to participate in these forums, you must agree to the guidelines specifically created for these forums. Click here to review.

6. YOU AGREE NOT TO POST ANY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL TO THE SERVICE. You may quote one sentence from a news article, then link to the original article in your note if the article is appropriate for our site. If you choose to link to an article that may be upsetting to our members, they have requested that you post a warning in the subject line.

7. YOU AGREE NOT TO USE IN ANY WAY ANY MATERIAL THAT THE SERVICE CONTAINS except as permitted by law. You may not rebroadcast, retransmit, or redistribute any material of the Service without permission of the Service.

8. YOU AGREE THAT YOU USE THIS SERVICE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

9. YOU AGREE THAT POSTINGS ARE NOT PRIVATE. Therefore, you agree that any postings that you make may be reproduced in any manner by the Service including on our content pages. These postings may be edited or changed at the discretion of the Service.

10. YOU AGREE TO INDEMNIFY THE SERVICE PROVIDER and its affiliates, employees, agents, and representatives, and to hold them harmless, from any and all claims and liabilities (including attorneys fees) which may arise from your submissions, from your unauthorized use of material obtained through the Service, or from your breach of this Agreement, or from any such acts through your use of the Service.

11. YOU AGREE THAT THE SERVICE HAS THE RIGHT TO TERMINATE YOUR ABILITY TO ACCESS THE SERVICE for any reason, without notice or explanation. Please note: We are a staff of one with a limited number of volunteers. We are unable to accommodate members who disrupt our community and cost us extra work, energy or time. Our goal is to provide a smooth, healthy, relaxed, informative atmosphere for ourselves and our members. If for any reason a member does create a negative, unnecessary workload, that member's registration may be disabled or banned. All bans are final. Please take this very seriously. Warnings are not necessary and should not be expected, but if you do receive one from the community producer, take it seriously as the next one will be a ban from either the forum or the entire board. Do not register for our service if you have been previously banned at any time (from 1996 to the present, from either storknet.org, storknet.com and storknotes.com). Refunds will not be made.

RULES OF NETIQUETTE Please remember the following Internet Rules of Netiquette when participating on StorkNet's message boards and chat.

ALL CAPS: People new to the Internet may think that typing in ALL CAPS will show that they are making a point. Netiquette says that using all capitals is SHOUTING. Please refrain from using all capital letters unless it is part of a quote or title that should be capitalized.

Images: StorkNet requests that members please refrain from posting images on the boards. While images can be fun and adorable, the posting of images increases load time for many members who use slower connections. Also, our volunteers do not have the time to review notes for images, to see which are appropriate and which are not. Thank you for helping us out. Save your images and send them through email or use our gallery to post your photos.

Spamming (volume posting) is the practice of reposting the same note or similar notes on many forums. We request that our members refrain from such postings. StorkNet may occasionally post announcements or site related material on all topics or forums.

Flaming: Flaming is the practice of attacking people on a personal level. Name calling, assuming character flaws, poking fun, posting inside jokes and nasty comments are all considered flaming and are not tolerated on StorkNet.

Never forget that the person reading your post or chat comment is, indeed, a person, with feelings that can be hurt. On the other side of the coin, remember not to post "flame-bait." Be patient, apologize and move forward. Remember, we were all new to the Internet at one time.

A site like ours involves many points of view, different cultures and personal circumstances. We are non-partisan, conservative, liberal, religious, non-religious, gay, straight, bisexual, married, unmarried, divorced, with or without partners and more. We all have something to contribute. We appreciate the dialogue and the opportunity to learn from each other, and want to encourage everyone to share their views in a manner that is respectful of the entire community. If you have posted a question/comment asking for points of view, opinions, ideas, support or feedback, please be prepared to read something with which you may not agree. Do not reply with a flame on either side. It is very easy to ignore what you don't agree with, or begin a healthy discussion involving different points of view. Again, please give suggestions with kind consideration in mind. Choice of words is important. Remember the many people reading your notes who may be affected by your views or choice of words. Our moderators will reply with a different viewpoint or official statement if they feel that poor or unsafe advice has been given. In some cases, notes or discussions may be removed if they are viewed as unsafe or hurtful in any way.

We are not a debate board: It is fine to disagree but we ask that you take care in how you post your replies. Take on the topic, not each other! Share what works for you and celebrate it, but do not bash those who do not make the same choices as you. If something is posted that you feel may be unsafe, please contact one of our volunteer moderators. Do not attack the poster.

Post as yourself: As stated above, Sharing of usernames/memberships is not allowed. If we discover that you are sharing your username, you will be banned. Please do not assume alternate or hidden identities when posting. Hidden or alternate identities will be banned without refund. Anonymous posting confuses other members, does not instill trust, nor does it add to a sense of community and friendship. If you would like to change your username, please email us. Tell us your current username, then give us your first and second choice of new usernames.

Keep your email address updated: This is imperative. If you have forgotten your password we, personally, have no way of looking it up for you. By keeping your email address current in our database, you will always be able to have your password auto-sent to you through our software. We also need to be able to email you at any time. You may choose to use one of the online email services so that your message board-associated email address is not your personal or family email address. This a very good idea when using public boards. Failure to keep your email address updated may result in the deletion of your username.

Please do not bring problems from one forum to another. Copying or directing members to problem/disruptive threads on another forum does not help our staff move forward in a positive direction. Imagine how you would feel if you found your notes or comments discussed elsewhere on our message board. Threads discussing other members' participation negatively will be locked or removed.

Personal Problems: If you are experiencing personal problems with a friend, relative, spouse or partner and you are both members of our community, we ask that you refrain from bringing those problems to our boards. Related notes may be removed immediately.

Research and Surveys: StorkNet may remove notes inviting our members to participate in outside research or surveys. We do not have time to follow up on each of these independent projects for safety and privacy factors.

Other Sites/Links: No linking to inflammatory or inappropriate sites, catch phrases, or images. If you would like to share a link to a news article or commentary, please open the thread with a viewpoint, appropriate comment or interesting discussion starter. Links posted simply to invoke a reaction are inappropriate and may be removed. StorkNet may also remove notes which include links to Web sites which conflict with StorkNet's values or endorsements. We welcome posts from members who contribute positively to the StorkNet environment through support and conversation, but we cannot allow links or instructions on how to access other sites or other message boards. Links to personal sites that have baby photos are generally okay, but each link will be handled individually. If your baby pictures are on your personal site which happens to be a business site, please use a page that does not include advertisements. Links to baby-photo contests are considered solicitations and are not allowed. Some approved links may be posted by our staff. StorkNet requests that members please refrain from posting images on the boards.

Gift Exchanges and Member Collections: StorkNet does not participate in or endorse gift exchanges other than our own contests, Heart of the Home projects. and periodically, an "official" StorkNet Charity Drive. From past experience, we have learned that well-intentioned gift exchanges often result in lost or unsent gifts, lost names, hurt feelings or forgotten "thank yous." If any group of members would like to participate in a gift exchange, they must take all related discussion to email. All other references to (other than a link in the organizer's signature inviting members to email her to participate in) such exchanges will be removed from the board.

We also do not promote or endorse any projects which collect articles or money for another member. This is for everyone's protection. While we may feel certain that we know each other quite well, we can never be sure who is really behind usernames on any Internet message board. Please take all such projects to rmail.

News: When posting links to news stories that may contain potentially upsetting content, we ask that you kindly post a warning in the subject heading of your post. We recommend using a phrase such as Warning: Disturbing And/Or Upsetting News Story.

Signatures: As a courtesy to other members, we request that you limit your signature to only 4-6 lines.

We are a family-friendly site! When participating in our interactive areas, please remember that this site is accessible to Internet users of all ages. We consider ourselves "family-friendly." Our members read our boards with children on their laps, by their sides, peering over their shoulders and walking into the room. We offer our members a place where they should never need to cover their monitor screens. Notes that contain attempts to bypass our censor such as symbols to replace letters will be removed or you will be asked to edit out the words. StorkNet reserves the right to delete any note or entire string of notes that contain postings which do not abide by our Internet Rules of Netiquette, but is not obligated to do so.

Avatars: Avatars may be 80 by 80 pixels or smaller at this time. No animated avatars are allowed at this time. Pages with several animated avatars can be distracting and frustrating to view all at once. We prefer, after listening to discussions on our boards and hearing member opinions, to keep message board pages more quiet, peaceful and easy to look at. Thank you for understanding.

Avatars must be appropriate for members of all ages. Please see the paragraph above about our family-friendly site expectations. Copyrighted, trademarked, nude, sexual, violent, scary, morbid or questionable images will not be allowed. Images that are questionable for any reason will be deleted and the member will be asked to choose another. If the problem persists, the member's avatar ability will be turned off. Please help us keep the atmosphere on our message board exactly as we intended in our original vision.

Breastfeeding photos are fine if the breasts are covered. Breastfeeding is a beautiful and natural act that we strongly, strongly support on StorkNet. Understand that this decision is for your protection. We are aware of many situations on the Internet where breastfeeding photos are stolen, then used elsewhere on the Web for very hurtful and disgusting purposes. We do not want those types of members registering on our site, using our bandwidth, simply to steal our members' treasured, personal pictures. When you understand our reasoning, we know you will agree. For this reason, we strongly discourage nude belly shots as well.

Avatars must be uploaded to our site using the options in your control panel. If you have any trouble, please post a note for help in the Community Support forum and we'll try to help.

Please Support Your Moderator

StorkNet is committed to the goals of supporting, educating, and providing an on-line community for women and mothers/parents. The volunteer board moderators are responsible for facilitating the discussion boards and guiding their smooth operation in a way that is consistent with these goals. Members of StorkNet are welcomed and encouraged to direct questions to the moderator regarding the day-to-day activities on the board. Please keep in mind that the job of moderating a forum is not an easy one. There are times when she may be required to make a decision between StorkNet and her friends. This is a tough situation for her. You can help her out most by making her job easy and respecting the decisions she is obligated to make. If there are any difficulties, problems, or other issues resulting from these questions, it is the responsibility of both the moderator and the member to work together to resolve them.

All questions about note removals, staff decisions or moderator actions should be handled via email or private message. You are welcome to email or PM the moderators of that forum or the community producer. Notes posted inquiring about a removed thread or note will be deleted.