Removed thread

[MissyJ]

Hi all,

I wanted to drop by and take a moment to explain that we have removed a thread promoting a Facebook group. While I do understand that this can be another fun way for people to connect, the thread is considered a violation of our Community Guidelines as quoted below. In addition to being a drain on participation on your board here, we also consider the safety / privacy aspect involved for our members. While 98+% of those you meet online, (on public or private sites), are who they represent themselves to be, unfortunately at times we have learned that tiny minority can create havoc... something that we try to minimize as much as possible onsite -- particularly as we know the very real and wonderful families involved. We encourage all of our members to practice General Internet Safety and remain protective of anyone's personal contact information... including your own.

Please know that we do respect and appreciate that Facebook is a very popular medium and that it does have value and use. Ultimately though, we do ask that members continue to abide by the Community Guidelines we have in place:

We request that our members refrain from posting on the boards specific events that are alternatives to the normal routine at Pregnancy.org. Some inappropriate examples would include telling members to go elsewhere to meet off-site or purposefully using our site to promote another community/group without permission such as a public or private Facebook group.

Because our community is so open, this behavior affects the site as a whole and can be extremely disruptive. We ask that you respect your community and the other members using it. If we find that a member is purposely attempting to move our members off-site, (whether publicly or privately), it will be dealt with accordingly, including disablement of the account.

Thanks in advance for your understanding and cooperation! I'll look forward to sharing your journey throughout your pregnancy and beyond! Please feel free to contact me at any time!

~Missy (missyj@pregnancy.org)

[StarShine65712]

Well that sucks but I understand.

[La123]

Personally I think it is quite harsh to ban a member for starting a facebook group. She obviously didn't know she was breaking any rules. Don't you think an explanation, and a warning would suffice? Are you also going to ban all the members who joined the group? What about all the other pregnancy.org members who now keep in touch on facebook? Should they be banned too? Or would that eliminate every long term member you have? I think an apology is in order here.

[**Tiffany**]

Cait got banned!?! Forever? That's very harsh! I honestly thought it wasn't a big deal to have a fb page since pg.org is on fb as well, I was aware of the policy but I guess I didn't read that fb was a deal breaker. Cait had no idea either. She was an active and valued member of this BB! I am assuming there is no going back now and reinstating her membership but I really hope I am wrong and that she can come back. I really think a warning would have been more appropriate.

[regdahl]

I *think* they do a temporary ban but am not 100%. I know member on my other BB on pg.org who got banned for something a couple years ago and it was temporary. I hope that's the case anyway!

[ambie719]

I also hope Cait's ban is only temporary. I would be very upset and not terribly likely to keep checking in if one of our most active members is banned permanently for an honestly innocent mistake.

[Gabsma03]

I understand the rules, but banning is a little harsh. I agree a warning would have been better. I have no idea of the fb rule.......I hope all gets resolved so she can come back ! She is an important member here !!!

[MissyJ]

Hi all!

Sorry for not responding until now. Typically, we do not publicly discuss any action that has been taken with members unless it is a "need to know" type of situation such as a troll that has preyed on members. Our intention for temporary bans is set to serve a specific purpose... not serve as a form of embarrassment or to draw any negative attention to the member. For this situation, since Cait chose to share, I can say that the ban was specifically listed as a *temporary* ban, simply to point out to the member the Community Guidelines involved, and, in turn, get their agreement to abide by those going forward. Why the temporary ban vs. the warning? Unfortunately, with a warning some members in the past removed that option with poor reactions... creating even larger issues to disrupt the community. While I did not believe that would be the case in this instance, we do have to deal with those in the same manner. Again -- this was merely to serve as a reminder for our Community Guidelines and then, (hopefully), to allow everyone to move forward with enjoying the site!

Cait has been awesome and -- I wholeheartedly agree that she is an asset not only to this board but our entire community! As I shared with her in our various communications, I am looking forward to continuing to share in her (and all of your!) pregnancy journey and welcome a new addition to her family!

If you have further questions or concerns, please do feel free to drop me a note either via pm or email at missyj@pregnancy.org.

Take care!
~Missy

[**Tiffany**]

So glad to hear Cait will be allowed back!

[lemonlemon]

Im back!!!! You guys are all so sweet Makes me feel so welcome here!!