We created Midwife Connection as a place for midwives and women’s health advocates to connect, share resources, and engage in discussions. These guidelines are intended to ensure a positive experience for as many blog readers as possible.
When thinking about what is appropriate in Midwife Connection comments, imagine that you are entering a social gathering made up of your professional colleagues. As hosts of this social gathering, we (the ACNM Communications Department) will invite and refuse guests according to their etiquette.
Please keep the following social etiquette in mind when commenting on Midwife Connection. Click on any rule for more details.
Above all else, be respectful to the bloggers and readers you interact with on Midwife Connection. If we do this, our blog will be a rewarding place to exchange information and enjoy the company of other midwives and women’s health advocates.
DISCLAIMER: BECAUSE THIS BLOG IS POSTED FOR PRACTICING MIDWIVES AS WELL AS THE CLIENTS THEY SERVE, IT MAY CONTAIN CONTENT AND IMAGES OF BREASTFEEDING, CHILDBIRTH, FEMALE ANATOMY, ETC. WE RECOGNIZE THAT EVERYONE HAS DIFFERENT COMFORT LEVELS REGARDING NUDITY. PARENTS, PLEASE TAKE THIS INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN VIEWING THE BLOG WITH CHILDREN.
1. Be respectful of others, especially when disagreeing with them.
Be courteous to every blogger and reader, even those whose beliefs you think are false. Debate is great, but express your opinion about a person's ideas, not about them personally. Personal remarks about bloggers and readers, including negative remarks about their age, disability, gender, ethnicity, race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, intelligence, character, appearance, health, mental health, education, or any other personal characteristic are not appropriate. Posts and discussions intended to criticize or ridicule other people are not allowed. 2. Do not post obscene, vulgar, or otherwise offensive content.
Do not display words, information, or images that are vulgar, obscene, graphically violent, graphically sexual, harm minors in any way, exploit images of children, or are otherwise objectionable. This includes URLs of sites that display such words, images, or information. Permission for exceptions to this rule must be obtained from the ACNM Communications Department. 3. Don't clutter the ACNM blog with spam.
Do not use the ACNM blog to advertise or solicit on behalf of commercial, religious, charitable, or other organizations, causes, products, or services. For information about ACNM advertising opportunities, visit www.midwife.org/advertising.cfm. 4. Be yourself. Imposters are not welcome.
Do not pretend to be anyone other than yourself, and do not use a fake account to post comments. 5. Don't post the same thing over and over again.
You wouldn't repeat the same thing over and over again at a social gathering of professional colleagues. Do not annoy members by repeating substantially the same text in more than one location on the ACNM blog. 6. Be careful about sharing personal information with others online.
Don't give out your personal information to anyone else unless you're sure it's safe, and don't give out personal information about anyone else. We urge you to learn and follow best practices for staying safe online. 7. Do not engage in any criminal or illegal activity on the ACNM blog or encourage others to do so.
Midwife Connection is not the place to advocate illegal violence against or harassment of groups or individuals, even if religiously motivated. Do not solicit or promote the use of an illegal substance, promote illegal activity, or discuss illegal activities with the intent to commit them. 8. Please report any problems you encounter on the blog, including broken links or violation of the Community Code of Conduct, to info@acnm.org. If you see something that bothers you on the ACNM blog, tell us about it. We will do our best to investigate all complaints and will take action if appropriate.
As managers of Midwife Connection, the ACNM Communications Department may remove comments, lock postings, warn readers, and block accounts to maintain the integrity of our blog.
Remember that these guidelines are intended to make our blog safe and rewarding for all readers. These guidelines are a work in progress, so please check back often for revisions.
