Frequently Asked Questions/Rules
Community Rules
Hudson Valley MomsLikeMe.com is a space that enables moms in Westchester, Rockland, Orange, and Dutchess counties to connect with other local moms. It's a place where moms can share advice and stories about daily life, ask questions, and discuss the subjects that are relevant to them—as moms and as women.
Though both the site manager and discussion leaders regularly monitor the site's content, Hudson Valley MomsLikeMe.com is a community discussion site that is governed by its users. Community members are expected to show respect for one another, and for the opinions and views that others post. It is up to you, the community's members, to ensure that the site discussions are positive, informative, supportive and entertaining.
We expect MomsLikeMe.com community members to abide by the following rules:
- Always be respectful of other MomsLikeMe.com community members.
Discussion and debate are fine, but we expect all community members to be mature in their exchanges with other members.
We ask that you think carefully before you submit posts to forums and groups. In the virtual world—where tone of voice and body language don't translate—it's often hard to determine whether a reply is in earnest, inflammatory, or made in jest. Make sure that your messages are conveyed in the earnest tone and spirit that you intend.
- Attacking or harassing members in any way is not permitted.
Intolerance of any kind—including slurs, hate speech, and stereotyping—is prohibited on MomsLikeMe.com. Members who engage in this kind of behavior will be permanently blocked from all MomsLikeMe.com site locations.
- Graphic speech and photographs are not permitted.
Yes, we're all grownups, but vulgar language is not what MomsLikeMe.com is all about. Keep it PG-13, ladies. Photographs that depict graphic nudity, intolerance of any kind, violence, medical procedures, or other unsuitable subjects are not permitted.
- No soliciting.
Asking other members for money, advertising your business or services, or otherwise using MomsLikeMe.com for personal, commercial, or monetary gain is not permitted.
Person-to-person transactions (meaning, you are an individual who wants to buy, sell or trade items with another individual) are limited to the Marketplace.
Local businesses that want to advertise on MomsLikeMe.com should contact momsales@lohud.com for more information (or telephone 914.696.8597). If you'd like to post event or calendar notices, or have questions about other business or promotional opportunities, contact momslikeme@lohud.com.
Members that do not adhere to these guidelines will be reprimanded and/or blocked, and their posts will be deleted.
Frequently Asked Questions
MY ACCOUNT
Q: I registered for MomsLikeMe.com, but I haven't received my password yet. What should I do?
A: Our automated password emails sometimes get blocked. Contact momslikeme@lohud.com if you're having any technical problems. Be sure to supply your username and email address; an email will be sent to you with a new password. You'll be able to change your password under the "My Stuff" tab.
Q: What do all these abbreviations, such as DH, DS and DD, mean?
A: DH, DS, and DD stand for Dear Husband, Dear Son and Dear Daughter. (When you see a number after "DD" or "DS"—like DD4—it means, "4-year-old daughter.")
Other common abbreviations include:
MIL, FIL, SIL, BIL: In laws (mother-in-law, father-in-law, etc)
BF: Boyfriend (or breastfeeding, depending on context)
SO: Significant Other
LO: Little One(s)
SAHM: Stay-at-home mom
WAHM: Work-at-home mom
TTC: Trying to conceive
EDD: Estimated due date
BRB: Be right back
BBL: Be back later
LOL: Laughing out loud
ROFL: Rolling on the floor, laughing
TIA: Thanks in advance
IMO: In my opinion
IMHO: In my humble opinion
KWIM?: Know what I mean?
EOM: End of message
How do I add a signature to my posts?
A: In your Welcome box (the box at the upper right of your screen where it says, "Hi, Username"), click on your profile picture. This takes you directly to your profile. Click "edit my profile" under your profile picture. The very last option on this screen is to add a signature. When you are done adding your signature (or making any other changes to your profile), click "Update" to save your changes.
Q: I have changed my signature. Why doesn't it show up in my posts?
A: Signatures cannot be applied retroactively, so your old posts will retain your old signature. However, if you choose to edit an old post, you can actually edit the signature at the same time. All new posts will contain your new signature.
Q: I'd like to add a photo to my signature. How do I do this?
A: To place a photo in your signature, you must have it hosted on a photo-hosting Web site. (In other words, you can't add upload photos for your signature directly from your computer.) Photo hosts include PhotoBucket.com, Flickr.com, DropShots.com, Picasa.com, etc. Find the photo you want to use, right click on it, and select Copy. Important: Be sure you are viewing the SIZE of photo you want to add; if you follow these instructions on a thumbnail rather than the full-size image, it won't work correctly. Then come back to your profile and click on the Edit Profile button. Scroll most of the way down to the signature box. Put the cursor in the box and either select the Paste icon or right click and select paste or press Ctrl + V. (Note: This should work for most photo hosts, but it may not work for all of them. Also, Mac users will need to use the Mac copy-and-paste commands.)
Q: How safe is the environment on the Hudson Valley MomsLikeMe.com site?
A: While we do everything in our power to provide a safe environment, you have no way of truly knowing whom you are communicating with on a Web site. Please use caution in sharing any personal information (we strongly discourage the sharing of personal email addresses, phone numbers, home addresses, etc.) with anyone you do not know and have not met in person. If you plan a playgroup or other gathering, meet in a public place. We also encourage you to be guarded about the amount and kind of information you share about your children.
Q: I'm posting to a thread and other members are not being very nice. What should I do?
A: Stop posting to the thread. When it becomes clear to you that posters on that thread are not being tolerant, there's no point in continuing the discussion. Give yourself and others time to cool off—no one wants to post a comment that they'll later regret.
When you suspect that a community member is posting inflammatory messages with the express goal of getting a rise out of others (this type of poster is called a "troll"), contact the site manager.
Q: What should I do if I am verbally attacked or threatened, or spammed on MomsLikeMe.com?
A: Contact the site manager at immediately via Private Message (PM). Whether they're in private messages or public posts, personal attacks on our community members will not be tolerated.
If you suspect that someone is phishing or spamming on MomsLikeMe.com, contact the site manager right away.
Q: Who are paid staff members of Hudson Valley MomsLikeMe.com?
A: The site manager is the only full-time staff member. We also have a few moms from the local community who serve as freelance paid discussion leaders. Their role is to help monitor the forums and lead discussions.
Q: How can I delete my account?
A: Email momslikeme@lohud.com and let us know that you want to delete your account. We'll take care of it (but we'd prefer it if you'd stay awhile!).
BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY
Q: I want to advertise on MomsLikeMe.com. How can I get more information?
If you a business owner who wants to reach moms in the Hudson Valley, you've come to the right place. Hudson Valley MomsLikeMe.com offers a variety of cost-effective methods to reach local moms. Contact 914.696.8587 or momsales@lohud.com. We look forward to discussing creative and effective ways to reach area household decision makers!
Q: My business or organization wants to sponsor a local MomsLikeMe.com get-together. How can I do that?
My business is interested in offering MomsLikeMe.com community members a special discount or sale, or wants to do a giveaway on your site. How can I make this happen?
We like to hear from area businesses and organizations, and are happy to provide community members with contacts that might be of interest to them. Contact the site manager at momslikeme@lohud.com, and we'll go from there! Please remember that community rules forbid solicitation of MomsLikeMe.com members. These posts will be deleted.
Q: My business or organization is hosting a mom- or kid-friendly event. How can I get the word out on MomsLikeMe.com?
We'll review your request and, if it meets our community guidelines, we will post your information in our Marketplace or in another relevant area of MomsLikeMe.com. Where possible, we require at least two weeks' lead time.
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.
Still have a question?
Drop us a line at momslikeme@lohud.com. We'll get back to you as soon as we can!