Site Guidelines and FAQ's

Welcome to Cincy MomsLikeMe.com.com! We are glad to have you. Please visit How to use the site to learn more about our staff and basic features of our site.

If you need a quick answer to something not addressed here, feel free to email us at Cincinnati@MomsLikeMe.com, or post your question in the discussion forum called Our Site (Cincy). There are members logged into MomsLikeMe.com at almost any time of the day or night, and if they see your question and can help you, they will post a response. (Our members are great that way!)

Index

Abbreviations - What is the meaning of DH, DD, etc?

Advertising rates and marketing partnerships with MomsLikeMe.com

Advertising in the discussion forums - What's allowed

• Advertising child care services
• Advertising your home-based business
• Advertising your used items for sale

Email/Private messages

• Setting your email preferences
• Sending and receiving private messages from other members
• Receiving email notice when there's activity in a forum or group

Forums

• Starting and replying to discussions
• Behavior guidelines
• Reporting abuse
• cincyMOMS posts - Where to find them in the new forums

Staff

Photos

Groups

• How to use groups
• How to create or join one
• How to invite friends into a group

Profiles

Technical questions

Usernames

Content Sharing

Abbreviations

Q: What is the meaning of the abbreviations I see in the discussions?
A: DH means "dear husband," DD means "dear daughter," etc. These acronyms are widely used on online discussion boards. For more information, click on How to use the site, which includes a list of abbreviations used on the site.

Advertising

Q: What are my options for paid advertising?
A: We love our advertisers! Please contact our advertising director, Jamie Asquith, at 513-768-8432 or jasquith@enquirer.com for information on display ads, sponsorship of groups or forums, brand blogs and more.

To discuss a marketing and advertising partnership with MomsLikeMe.com, please contact Reagan Zugelter at 513-768-8015 or rzugelter@enquirer.com.

Q: Can I advertise my business in the discussions on your site?
A: We do not allow advertisements in threads. Instead, we have a Marketplace area for such posts. To view and post messages in this area, click on the Marketplace tab in our navigation bar. Please explore the Marketplace area and read the guidelines posted at the top of forums there.

Guidelines for ads in Mom's Marketplace:
You may promote your business only if you provide child care in your home, are self-employed from your home or sell products such as Avon or Tastefully Simple on a direct market basis.

In order to make advertising-like posts, you must be a genuine participant in other discussions on MomsLikeMe.com. This means your posts about other subjects must outnumber those you make about your business. You may not start more than two posts a month to advertise your business.

Q: How can I buy or sell a used item on MomsLikeMe.com.com?
A: You may post your used items for sale by clicking on Buy & Sell in the navigation bar. You may post items you want to buy or sell in the appropriate topic. Please do not post items for sale in the Shopping section of our discussion forums. Those are for discussions about shopping, brands, stores, etc.

Email and Private Messages

Important: Please do not post your email address on MomsLikeMe.com
We strongly advise against this, as computers crawl the Internet looking for addresses to add to spam lists. Instead, simply invite people to send you a private message through the site. Thanks!
Setting your email preferences
One of the first things you should do on our site is go to your personal settings and decide what kinds of emails and private messages you'd like to receive.
Log in, then click on "My Stuff" in our navigation bar at the top of the site.
Click on "Edit Settings" at the far right
Click on "Email Preferences" at the far right of the orange "Edit Settings" title
You'll see a number of options. You can choose to receive emails - immediately, daily, weekly or never - when someone sends you a private message through the site or replies to one of your posts. You can also elect to receive an email when there's any activity in a group you've joined, or any new posts in a discussion you've participated in. (You won't see some of these options until you actually join a group or post in a discussion.)

Q: How do I send and receive private messages through the site?
A: To send a private message, you can:
Click on any member's username, in the forums or groups, to reach their profile. On the left side of their profile, click on the small link that says, "Send pm." Type your message in the box provided, and click "send." These messages are sent and received through the site, not your email, so the person receiving your message will never see your email address.In discussion topics, you can click "private message" under a member’s username in order to send that poster a PM.
In discussion topics, either in groups or mom-to-mom, you can click "private message" under any post in order to send that poster a PM.
To check the private messages you have received:
Log in and click on "My Stuff" in the navigation bar at the top of the site.
Click on "My Messages" in the bar under the "My Stuff" title.
Click "inbox" to see your messages.If you have a message, there will be a number where it usually says (0) next to the envelope under your name at the top right.

Q: How do I update my email address?
A: Log into the site, and then click on "My Stuff" in the pink bar across the top of the home page. Once you're in "My Stuff" click on the "Edit Settings" tab at the far right. Then click on the "change email" link to the right of "Edit Settings."

Forums

Q: How do I start posting comments?
A: Click on or hold down Discussions in the navigation bar at the top of the site to see our master list of all forums. Click on a topic of interest, and then inside that topic, view the subtopics. Click on the subtopic that best fits your discussion.
Open that topic and click on "start a new discussion" at the upper left. Or, open an existing topic and type your reply in the box labeled "Post a reply" and then hit "Submit" below the box.
You can also reply to any of the discussions you see on our home page or within groups by clicking on those discussions. This will take you directly into that discussion, where you can post a reply following the instructions above.

Q: How do I search the forums to see if my topic has been mentioned before?
A: On any page of our site, enter your search term in the "search" box at the upper right. It's best to enter only one term. The search will look in our groups, member profiles and discussions for any mention of your search term.

Q: How do I find my posts?
A: On the home page under Recent Activity (in orange), you will see a button list that says “I want to see activity from:” Change the button to My Posts. You can also find your posts under "My Stuff" under your username at the top right. Click on "Posts." A list of your most recent posts is also on your profile page.

Q: Can I look up other posts made by a particular user?
A: Yes, click on the person's username anywhere in the forums and look for the list to the bottom left of their profile page. If you need to find a member first, enter their username in the search box at the top right of our home page. You will be taken to her profile.

Q: I want to change something in one of my posts. Can I go back and fix it?
A: Yes. Click on your post to open it. Click "edit" at the top right. Make your changes in the text box or the title field and then click "update" at the bottom left.

Q: Can I delete a post?
A: Open the edit window as above. Under the Update and Cancel buttons there is a small button for Delete. You will get a pop-up window asking if you are sure you want to delete. Click that you do; the post is gone.

Q: I'm looking for a forum I remembered from cincyMOMS.com. Where is that forum and what happened to the posts in it?
A: Almost all of the posts on cincyMOMS have been moved to MomsLikeMe.com. In most cases, you'll find the old posts in a category with the same name as before, or a slightly different name. Search for key words in the search box at the right, above Hi, [Username].

Q: Are the discussion forums moderated?
A: OHmom (Cheryl) is the site moderator. She oversees site moderation and handles administrative issues regarding forum content. This includes reminding people of forum etiquette, moving some posts and deleting others. When a second opinion is needed, Cheryl consults the site guides, who can also answer site-related questions. But we also count on members themselves to help keep conversations on track. We trust our members and know that everyone wants a community we can be proud of. If you see any posts or other content that you feel violates our guidelines, click on the "report abuse" button at the top right of the post.

Q: What are the guidelines for behavior in the forums?
A: Cincy MomsLikeMe.com.com does not allow:

• "Outing" of a poster's identity by posting their real name on the site. There is an expectation of anonymity on our site that must be respected. Even if a poster leaves clues that make it possible to figure out who he or she is, members may not assemble the clues and post his or her identity on the site. Those who do this may be permanently banned from the site. If you have a complaint about another poster, you should email it to Cincinnati@MomsLikeMe.com.
• Arguments from one thread to spill over into others. You cannot bring up comments from other threads in order to continue a fight.
• Hate speech. Comments that condemn or repeat stereotypes about an entire group of people, that call for violence against a particular type of person, etc., will be deleted and the poster blocked from the site.
• Personal attacks on other members. Name-calling, mocking, belittling, baiting, or cursing may result in removal from the site, either on a temporary or permanent basis.
• "Hijacking" of discussions when it leads to side arguments about unrelated subjects, or when the side arguments are distracting to those interested in the original post.
• Gossip about posters or other individuals who are not part of the conversation and thus cannot defend themselves. Gossip creates an uncomfortable atmosphere on the site. People try to guess who is being talked about and often guess wrong. If you have information about a poster that you believe needs to come out, please email your concerns to Cincinnati@MomsLikeMe.com.
• Defamatory statements. You are responsible for what you say on MomsLikeMe.com.com. If you're identifying public individuals by name, you should not present damaging "facts" about them unless you're certain the facts are true and you can prove them.
• Long arguments (flame wars) between the same two or three people who keep repeating their opinions, or are attacking each other instead of the issue at hand. Such threads may be locked to further comment, and/or the posters may be temporarily or permanently banned from the site.
• Gratuitous use of profanity.
• Profane or explicit images in avatars, including the "b word" and exposure of private parts. Men are not allowed to post in Romance & Sex.
• We reserve the right to delete any of the above if we happen to see it on the site. Whenever possible, we will first post a warning in the discussion so that members have the opportunity to change course on their own. If anything is deleted, we will often post a specific explanation.
• We do not monitor the site at all times, so we will not catch every violation of these guidelines. If you see any of the above on the site, please click "report abuse" at the top right of such posts. We rely on members to help us monitor discussions.
• Be advised that we will at times encourage members to work out a conflict among themselves, rather than relying on moderation. Members should also be aware that if they post divisive, controversial or inflammatory statements on the site, they are bound to get some strongly worded responses, and in such cases we may not intervene.

Q: What can I do about obnoxious users or posts I consider objectionable?
A: Click the "report abuse" button you'll find under each post, or send an email to Cincinnati@MomsLikeMe.com. If you send email, you must include a link to the page where the objectionable post can be found.

Staff

Q: Who's on the paid staff of MomsLikeMe.com?
A: Chris Graves is the digital content manager at Cincinnati.com and interim managing editor of Cincy MomsLikeme.com. Chris is currently the only full-time staff member, but the online, marketing and advertising departments of the Cincinnati Enquirer, as well as Gannett Co., are involved with the site.

We also employ one part-time site moderator, Cheryl Ferguson (OHmom), to oversee content issues. Part-time site guides are also able to delete improper ads from the forums, move posts to the correct categories when necessary, delete posts when necessary and send emails or make posts to remind people of forum guidelines. The usernames of those site guides are KimberlyDawn, Lildsmom, Mama211, RaisingKane, and Spunkymama.

Photos

Q: What's an avatar? How do I create one or change the one I have?
A: Avatars are the tiny photos that appear with your username as a representation of you. For your avatar, you can use personal photos on your computer or one of the icons that we provide. The steps: Click on "My Stuff" in the navigation bar at the top of the site.

On the left side of your profile page, click on "Edit my profile."

Scroll to the area that says "My Photo" and click on "Upload." Follow the instructions for uploading and cropping a photo to use as your avatar. You do not have to select a photo of yourself or your family. You can download other images from avatar-sharing Web sites, then upload them from your computer to MomsLikeMe.com.com.

Q: How do I share a photo on MomsLikeMe.com?
A: To submit photos to MomsLikeMe.com, click on "Photos" in the navigation bar at the top of the site. Click on the gallery you wish to submit your photo to, then click "upload a photo" to add yours. You may also share photos on the pages of groups you belong to.

Groups

Q: What are groups for?
A: Groups are a way for moms with similar passions or circumstances to talk, share photos, maintain a group calendar and easily find each other every day. You can start a group and then send invitations to people who are already on the site, or invite people who are not yet members of MomsLikeMe.com.com.

For example, moms who are losing weight together can form a group to post photos, talk about their progress and schedule fitness walks or exercise classes on the group calendar. Another example: If your local playgroup needs a place on the Web, you can create a private group on Cincy MomsLikeMe.com. In all groups, you can start discussions just like we have in the Mom-to-Mom forums.

Tips for successful Groups

• Before creating a group, check to make sure we don't already have a similar one. Click on Groups in our navigation bar, then click on All Groups on the lefthand side of the page. We will be asking duplicate groups to merge.
• Groups are most successful when members have already formed a loose group on the site, or when a group already exists in the community. For instance, if you and other members of a local PTA are doing your PTA business through email, consider creating a MomsLikeMe.com group, which you can set up to be private. Another example: If you currently use the Mom-to-Mom discussion forums to plan lunches with other moms due in the same month as you, consider creating a group as a convenient way to stay in touch.
• Feel free to post in the Mom-to-Mom forums to get a sense for whether others would be interested in joining a group on a particular topic. Making some contacts ahead of time can help your group take off.

Q: How do I join a group?
A: In the navigation bar at the top of the site, click on "Groups." You'll see a list of "most active" groups, which means the groups with the most activity at any given time. You can see all the groups by clicking on particular categories along the lefthand side of the page. Click on the name of the group you want to join, then click on "join this group" in the lower righthand corner.

Q: How do I create a group?
A: In the navigation bar at the top of the site, pull down on Groups, then click on "create a group.” You can make your group public or private. Public groups are open to anyone to join. They are listed on the site, and all discussions within those groups are public. Private groups are open only to members you invite to join and provide with a password. Private groups are not listed anywhere on the site. Only you and the other group members know about them.

We recommend public groups for sharing among moms of like interests, and private groups for families or friends sharing personal information such as addresses and phone numbers. Every group is assigned a Web address, so you can use that address as a Web page for your group.

Q: How do I invite a friend to join a group?
A: You must join the group first. Then, on the group page, click on "invite friends to join" in the upper right. It's easy to send an invitation to just one person or many people at once.

Profile

Q: How to I create and update my profile?
A: Log in and click on "My Stuff," or click on your username anywhere in our forums or groups. You'll see your profile, which shows the groups you're in, the people you've given "friend" status to, your avatar (tiny photo representing you), your interests, etc.

To build your profile or make changes, click on "edit profile" on the lefthand side of the page. Fill in your information and then click "update" at the bottom left.

Q: How do I keep certain info private on my profile?
A: When you open your profile and click on "edit profile" at the left, you'll see an area at the right that allows you to decide what information will be publicly viewable and what information you'll keep completely private or share only with people on the site whom you've designated as friends.

Technical Questions

Q: I didn't receive the email confirming my account or sending me a new password.
A: Please check in your junk or spam email folders. Sometimes messages sent from our site end up there. For other technical questions, please email us at Cincinnati@MomsLikeMe.com

Usernames

Q: How do I change the username I registered with?
A: We do not encourage changing usernames. However, if there is a good reason (personal safety, having another child when your name is momofseven), contact OHmom with three alternative names (in case your first choice is already taken). Also, you can always start fresh on the site by simply registering again with a new username and a different email address.

Content Sharing

Q: How do I share content I find on MomsLikeMe?
A: You should feel welcome to share content you find on our site with your friends, both on and off the site. Just use the "Share" button located under each content item. Clicking on that button will allow you to:

• "Share with friends" allows you to share content with friends within your MomsLikeMe.com site as well as friends outside of the site. You can enter email addresses, use address books outside of MomsLikeMe.com, select your MomsLikeMe.com friends, as well as send it to the groups you're a member of. Content you share with friends via their email address will get an email from you with a snippet of the content and as well as any message you choose to include. If you share content with friends or groups within the MomsLikeMe.com site, they will get a notification that includes your message as well as a link back to that content.
• "Facebook" allows you to take content you like and either post it to your Facebook profile or send it to your Facebook friends.
• "Post to another group" allows you to take some content and post it into one of the groups you're a member of. So if you see content that you think your group would appreciate, you have the ability to move a copy of it into your group.
• Administrators will also have the ability to "Post to a new category." That capability allows your MomsLikeMe site managers to re-categorize discussions, putting them into places where they might get more activity and visibility.

Q: Where can I find the content that has been shared with me?
A: When someone has shared content with you it will appear in your "Notifications" tab of your "My Stuff" area.

Q: What if someone shares something with me and I am not interested in it?
A: You have two choices: You can either delete it by clicking upon the trashcan icon next to the content item in your notification tab, or you can wait for it to cycle out. MomsLikeMe.com only keeps two weeks of notifications active for you.