Last Updated: October 15, 2007

We created the CafeMom Group Guidelines to help all group owners, administrators, and members understand how groups are run and regulated on CafeMom.

About CafeMom Groups

• Groups can be created by anyone who is a member of CafeMom.
• Groups are run by Group Owners and Administrators, not the CafeMom Team.

Group Owners are responsible for the following:

• Enforcing the mandatory CafeMom Group Guidelines.
• Creating their own Group Guidelines for the group, as desired.
• Removing any posts, comments, and members from their group that violate the Guidelines.
• Deciding whether the group should be public or private.
• Flagging the group as "adult" if it contains conversation that is not appropriate for anyone under the age of 18.
• Following the Group Owner and Administrator Conduct (below).
• Contacting the CafeMom Team if assistance is needed with any situation in a group.

Group Members are responsible for the following:

• Familiarizing yourself with the CafeMom Group Guidelines and the Guidelines for the individual group prior to joining the group. If you aren't comfortable with what is discussed in the group, you should not join the group.
• Using the Report Abuse link within the group to report any potential violations of the guidelines to the Group Owner.

Mandatory CafeMom Group Guidelines

The following guidelines are mandatory for ALL GROUPS. They are in addition to any group guidelines created by the group owner:

• Slurs, stereotyping, and hate speech are not tolerated.
• Don't annoy others by posting the same thing again and again within the same group or across multiple groups.
• No "ganging up on" or "calling out" other members or other groups on CafeMom. This includes identifying and negatively bashing another CafeMom member or group.
• No nudity, except for breastfeeding and birthing pictures.
• Photographs or images of abortion are not permitted.
• If you suspect that someone on the site is an imposter or not legitimate, do not post about it. Report the problem to CafeMom Team and we will deal with it.
• Don't threaten anyone else.
• Discussion of CafeMom's policies is only allowed in the CafeMom Discussion Group.

If the CafeMom Team is notified of any group where these guidelines are being broken, we will step in and deal with these situations. Again, these Group Guidelines apply to all groups, both public and private.

Individual Group Guidelines

• Advertising
• Personal attacks or disrespect on other members of the group
• Cursing

If a group owner decides to allow advertising, personal attacks or disrespect, or excessive cursing, she MUST list those in the group guidelines for that group.

In addition, group owners can include other Guidelines that they would like followed in their group. For example, some groups will allow advertisements, but only for certain products. Other groups want only specific topics discussed. Some groups want members to have a "thick skin" and other groups want everyone to "feel welcome and supported."

Group Owner and Administrator Conduct

• Check-in on your group regularly.
• Apply the rules of your group fairly and without bias.
• Respond to member inquiries, including abuse reports and applications.
• Elevate any serious issues to the CafeMom Team.
• Assign administrators to help with the running of the group.
• Do not discriminate entry to the group, or ability to participate in the group, based on religion, sexual orientation, race, national origin or disability.
• If you are no longer accepting new members to your group, post this clearly in the description of your group.
• Make sure to post any updates to your group guidelines so that new and existing members are aware of what they are.

If you are unable to follow these responsibilities, please assign a new owner or contact the CafeMom Team and we will assist you.

Losing Group Ownership

The CafeMom Team will step in and replace a group owner if the following activity is confirmed:

• If the group owner hasn't shown up in a while.
• If we believe that the group owner is using her position to scam or agitate members.
• If we feel that the group is spiraling out of control.

Please do not hesitate to contact the CafeMom Team with any questions or suggestions — we are always here to assist you!

Enjoy your group and have fun!