[crick]

There have been some changes regarding our forum discussion policies. Please review the following so that you're aware of this change.

Links

All links are allowed except for agency, facilitators, strictly adoption fee based services, and inappropriate/non-family friendly sites.

Links to travel agencies that cater to adoption are okay as well as things like gift basket services to international children etc. because they fall more under the retail link usage rather than professional adoption services. This also includes adoption related product sites since this is retail as well. (Buying life books, books, jewelry related to adoption themes)

The key here is asking yourself if the business is a required or optional professional adoption SERVICE related business. If it is, do not post it. For more information on this, see our ADG that is located at the top of every forum.

Retail links – As long as you are not posting to spam your business, (more than 3 is considered Spam) we will allow it. Members joining SOLELY to Spam or post their business will not be allowed.

Newspaper and blog links are okay, provided the subject matter is appropriate.

If you read a blog or any other piece that contains comment sections, do not pull quotes or comments by themselves. Post the link only and if you need to point out something, summarize that so people can view the link as is and read the whole piece in its completion.

Example – if you find an article about Drugs and you are interested in discussing a comment left within the comments on the article, post the link to the article and say something like "I thought the comment saying drugs should be an automatic jail offense". This allows users to see and read the comment in its original form, for discussion.

Links to events or classes are allowed as long as they are not part of an agency or fee based adoption service.

Fundraising

No adoption fundraising allowed. What this means is if you are trying to raise money for an adoption related process it is not allowed. This includes links to ebay actions used to fund an adoption.

Any fundraiser where a member is being asked to donate actual money must be to a true 501c3 non-profit organization. If the money does not go directly to the approved organization, it cannot be posted.

If it's a link to get members to click on another site in order to raise funds, that’s fine since no money is being asked for.

If you would like to do a fundraiser for a church, orphanage, school etc. where you are asking for material items to be donated, that also is allowed. However, please be aware that if you participate in this, you are responsible for researching the validity on your own as well as working with the other member regarding shipping etc. via pm.

Thanks!
Crick - Adoption.com Forums Administrator

[crick]

Search Angel Etiquette

Recently there have been some situations involving search angels taking it upon themselves to search for people without member’s permission.

We’ve also had an incident of a search angel going so far to contact the party being searched after locating them and then informing the member who is searching that contact has been made.

This is NOT okay!

Please make sure you're acting with discretion and in a manner that the searcher would want.

Your first step should be to contact the searcher and ask if they wish for your involvement. If something is posted on here as a general plea for help, a pm to the member should be done.

Furthermore, it’s absolutely necessary to receive permission from the member before making contact with the party being searched for. The member should have the right to make the decision as to when or if contact is made, and who makes the contact. Reunion is a very emotional and overwhelming time as well as a sensitive situation. Please be respectful of this.

[Administrator]

NEW POLICY TO BE EFFECTIVELY IMMEDIATELY:
Adoption Media, LLC has implemented the following new policy.

Due to the occurrence of large numbers of harsh, and potentially slanderous posts about adoption professionals, and the occurrence of large numbers of self-serving advertising disguised as independent posts, all comments and discussions about adoption facilitators, agencies, attorneys, searchers and other adoption professionals, whether positive or negative, MAY NOT BE POSTED ON ADOPTION FORUMS. If individuals desire to provide or exchange this kind of information, it will need to be done privately and by other means, such as through private messaging and emails.

If you are seeking information about a particular adoption professional, it is acceptable to post a message that you are seeking information about the experiences of others with that specific adoption professional, along with a request that others may provide that information to you in a personal message or email sent to your personal account.

It will also be acceptable to post a message that you have experience with a particular adoption professional (WITHOUT GIVING ANY DETAILS) and that you can be contacted on a private basis, at a specific location, for more information.

ANYONE THAT VIOLATES THIS NEW POLICY MAY BE PERMANENTLY BANNED FROM FORUMS WITHOUT NOTICE.

This change has become necessary because there isn’t any way to determine the truthfulness of either positive or negative information that can be posted on forums on an anonymous basis. So it would be equally unfair to erase, or to allow the uncontrolled posting of either. Under the new policy, if an individual is certain that the information to be shared is true, and can be documented, then they will still have the ability to share that information on a private basis.