IMPORTANT: Revised Community Guidelines and Policies!

[Navy for Moms Admins]

Updated 10 July 2009
Message from Rear Admiral Robin Braun


N4M Members,

As I mentioned in my previous message, we have been conducting a very thorough review of the Community Guidelines to ensure we continue to provide our members the most rewarding experience possible while respecting the freedoms our Sailors serve to protect.

As you know, the purpose of NAVYForMoms.com is to bring together Navy parents and the parents of recruiting-age young men and women to discuss the multitude of leadership, training, and career opportunities our Navy offers and the great pride Navy parents have in their children. NAVYForMoms.com exists to allow families an open forum to discuss what life in the Navy is really like.

Today, I am pleased to announce the completion of this review and the adoption of new Community Guidelines for the NAVYForMoms.com website.

The goal of the new Guidelines is to facilitate open discussion without compromising the purpose of the website, namely the exchange of information relating to service in the Navy. As I noted in my previous message, your personal freedoms are extremely important to the Navy and my hope is that these updated Guidelines provide the best possible balance between the defense of those liberties and the integrity of the website.

I encourage everyone to review the revised Community Guidelines and to become familiar with acceptable use on the NAVYForMoms.com website. The new Community Guidelines may be reviewed here.

I would like to draw your attention to the discussion of off-topic posts and the need to keep discourse civil. These rules are intended to ensure that members get the quick and useful answers to their Navy-related questions in the friendly and collegial atmosphere that has come to define NAVYForMoms.com.

Please know that NAVYForMoms members’ suggestions played a critical part in the revision of the Guidelines, and we will continue to rely on your honest feedback as we strive to provide the best possible user experience.

As always, I would like to thank you for your continued support of the Navy family and our men and women who serve our great nation.

Rear Admiral Robin Braun, USN
Commander
Navy Recruiting Command

[Laurie M.]

HE does not even know...yet.

[Sarosa]

For some of us, our faith and politics are easily compartmentalized. We can put them on a shelf, let them collect dust, and occasionally take them down and do something with them.

For others of us, our beliefs are part of who we are ... the lens through which we view life. Please don't say we have to conform to a specific image of a Navy Mom ... that only those who compartmentalize their political/religious viewpoints have the moral high ground here.

And I really appreciate Inga's point - the argument that "the site is not about politics and religion, only Navy issues" is really irrelevant, unless those of you who feel that way are wanting to have all the hobby groups banned.

[Laurie M.]

thanks for the reminder to keep that info private..guess I got told, bye.

[Laurie M.]

I'm here to support my son....my intention was to say that he's excited. And to talk about him and get away from the recent thread, to be honest.

[MRM3]

I am very happy to see this new policy. We are here to support each other and our sailors, no matter what political or religious affiliation and some of the groups were causing hard feelings. I think this update will go a long way in bringing our community closer.

[Laurie M.]

I joined Blue Star Mothers 9 mos ago...wow. Talk about a support group. If you are not in a chapter I urge you too seek out one in your area. Google Blue Star Mothers for more info. I live in CO....a land-locked state, right? You would not believe how many Sailors there are! We have a N4M group...150+ ~!~

[Steve's Mom]

grrrr....don't pick on the dancing hippos lol....lol.....it was the best group name I could come up with after spending 18 hours at the airport with a group of sailors heading out to someplace hot.

[Steve's Mom]

btw, that was a joke for those who are looking for a debate.

Shell
aka stevesmom
aka iambatman
aka Michelle
aka her

[Jackie, Kansas Mom of Don]

Keep up the good work.

[Sarosa]

Wanda,

I can see that Inga is getting wound up here, and perhaps she was all you say ... on those boards. If what you say is true (and I'm not inviting more detail, thank you), still ... she kept it on those boards. (And I guess, if you were so bothered, why were you reading all of them? It sounds like you were spending a lot of time on them to have all those details. I just get stressed and upset at that kind of stuff, and don't subject myself to it deliberately!) And, if she were really bad, perhaps she could have been asked to moderate her comments or leave. I'm with you on that, Wanda, totally! As I've said earlier, l have a hard time with people who are rude and insulting, "board bullies", so to speak. Their intimidating ways stifle reasonable disagreement. I just don't think the answer is to ban discussion all together. And sometimes what we see as rudeness is merely passion and forthrightness.

However, on the boards I check in on that Inga posts on, I have never seen anything but helpful, informative comments. On the GL board recently, someone was wanting to post political comments, and she directed them to keep such things off of the GL board, and find the political boards to suit her needs. She did it very politely. On this board, I am seeing her get passionate, but I don't think I've seen any rudeness.

I was on a message board years ago in which the owner of the board solicited help from members she had gotten to know and trust to be board monitors (I was one of them, and there were several others). "Board bullies" were addressed privately by e-mail, and then, when it was clear that the problems were continuing, they were asked to leave. It rarely happened, and both were allowed down the road to come on to the boards again. One had learned her lesson, and remained, the other had to be banned again. I wish that could be an option here, instead of just ending discussion.

I'm sorry for those who are posting on here in anger without seeming to consider the feelings of those running this site. I think the NFM folk are doing a fabulous job, it's just this one decision that has me concerned. I don't think there is anything wrong with expressing disagreement. Do you never express disagreement about things to people you love and respect?

I thought long and hard before posting on this discussion board, because I really do support those who manage this website. I think my original post communicated that. But I felt strongly that it was important to share my feelings about this issue. Elle deserves respectful response, and for the most part, that's what has been here. But I think she can handle disagreement ... you have to have a tough hide to run any kind of message board. She'd have bolted long ago if she couldn't handle disagreement. I do hope someone is providing her with chocolate as she deals with all of this, but I'm sure she's up to it or there would not not be this option of posting comments.