To help you gain the most from our Discussion Forums, please familiarize yourself with the following:

• Behaviours 
  
• Guidelines
  
• Moderators
  
• Compliance and Sanctions
  

These  items are designed to help give a better understanding of what behavior is expected and make your experience more enjoyable and ensure a safe space for everyone.

Behaviours

1. Discussion of illegal activity or violence (ie. suicide, self-harm, or physical harm) are prohibited. Discussion of medical marijuana or 'alternative' treatments are allowed as long as said discussions have a therapeutic or medical focus. These forums are not designed to distribute professional medical advice.
   
2. Explicit, racist, obscene or vulgar language, images or messages are prohibited. We will maintain a positive and inclusive community at all times.
   
3. Posts that attack, insult, flame, defame, or abuse others will be sanctioned. This sanction also applies to overtly political or religious discussions. Decisions regarding treatments and other members' opinions about health and well-being are highly personal choices. We should respect all points of view. Abuse will not be tolerated.
   
4. Please post any advertisements -- for the benefit of our membership -- in the Marketplace section. We would ask that you please do some fact-checking before posting anything that may seem like "SPAM" to others. Most SPAM is large-scale commercial advertising, often for dubious products, get-rich-quick schemes, or quasi-legal services.
   
5. Please obtain forum administrator approval before posting research studies, surveys, or clinical trials. Likewise, please reach out before posting copyrighted material or lengthy articles to ensure compliance.
   
6. Personal contact information (i.e. your home address, phone numbers) should not be posted on the public forums. Please do not ask for personal information from others. This is to protect the security and identity of all involved.

Guidelines

1. Check for  existing or open topics. Before posting a new topic, please check to see if there is already a topic open on the subject. Moderators may move your message thread to the appropriate location at any time.
   
2. Ignore bothersome members. If there is someone on the forum that bothers you, ignore that person and reach out to the forum administrators. Do not engage or 'feed' the Forum Trolls!
   
3. Report posts that violate the behaviours and guidelines we have set out.
   
4. Use good judgement. NEVER rely on scant information or opinions exchanged to replace necessary, personal consultation(s) with qualified health or medical professionals to meet your individual health or medical needs. Remember that "what's right" or has worked for one person may not be "what's right" for you!
   
5. Lend a helping hand. A bit of compassion can go a long way toward helping people with life's challenges and reaching out can help alleviate feelings of loneliness.
   
6. Don't be afraid to share. If you're feeling alone or hurting, don't be afraid to share your fears and tears. If you're rejoicing about the results of a recent medical test or treatment, share that too. Embrace inclusivism and foster a true sense of community!
   
7. Welcome new members. Help new folks "learn the ropes" about how to find information and resources, save time, and how to get involved.
   
8. Use descriptive titles for new posts. Avoid "generic" post subjects like "Help" or "Question". You will receive a better response to your posts by making your title more descriptive about the content of your post.
9. Stay on topic. Posts which are not relevant to the forum topic may be deleted or moved.
   
10. Be Respectful. Keep posts professional and family-friendly. If it shouldn’t be viewed by minors, then perhaps it shouldn’t be posted to the forums.
    

Know Your Moderators 

While they may not have answers to all your questions, moderators are here to help in any way they can. You can spot a moderator because their profile indicates that they are moderators. We are always looking for new moderators to help out.

Moderators have the right to edit or remove posts without prior notice at their discretion. If you have a question for a moderator on a decision, you can email them and discuss it privately. They may not see things the same way you do, but they are open and approachable.

Please Remember

Members that do not abide by these behaviours and guidelines may be subject to having their posts edited (or deleted) and their member account sanctioned.

Rules and guidelines may change at any time so please review them for changes regularly.

Best,

MTWPAM