Welcome to Gaia! ::

Welcome and thankyou for joining this guild! I hope you enjoy it here and make some friends.

If you'd like to make an introduction post for yourself, please do so in the "GPG Introduction Thread! PLEASE MAKE INTRODUCTIONS HERE!" thread:
http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=6194
That is the GPG's official introduction thread. All introduction posts/threads made outside of that thread will be locked and moved to the Recycle Bin on sight.

If you ever need any help, have any questions, or want to make any comments, please feel free to PM the Captain, Vice Captain, or any Crew member anytime you want to. Also, please see the "GUILD SUGGESTIONS" thread to leave your suggestions for this guild: http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=1352448

Please take the time to read through this thread thoroughly. It contains the guild's rules, FAQ, and other info that you will NEED to know!


Thread Navigation

• Post 1 Welcome
  
• Post 2 Updates
  
• Post 3 Rules
  
• Post 4 Punishments and Other Consequences
  
• Post 5 Guild FAQ
  
• Post 6 GPG Staff Listing and Info
  
• Post 7 List of Helpful Terms
  
• Post 8 How to Handle a Conflict in the GPG
  

Please read through ALL rules! All guild rules are enforced! You must also abide by Gaia's ToS. Any violators will be dealt with promptly!

Who Should Join this Guild
Only caretakers of ACTUAL real children (or people who are pregnant and expecting children) and those who are really interested in the idea of this guild and want to constructively contribute, should join this guild.

No Flaming
Flaming is not tolerated. While the GPG Staff may sometimes get a little rough when dealing with troublemakers or a**-hats, flaming is not tolerated among the members of the GPG. Keep a level head, and help us avoid a brawl reminiscent of grade-school playground fight. PM any GPG Staff Member when you feel there may be a problem!!

Cursing/Cussing/Swearing
I allow it. I cuss myself. You may certainly use such words as: damn, hell, s**t, ********, a**, b***h, asstard, asshat, ********, a*****e, bitchtastic, damn-diddly-hell... you get the idea. I will NOT tolerate ANY abusive words however. No derogatory slang or defamatory speech will be tolerated. And the number one thing I absolutely will not tolerate is any form of "hate speech," racial slurs, or any other type of discriminatory speaking. Of course, this all also falls under the "No Flaming" rule cited above.

Negative Talk Directed Towards Children
No talk that is abusive towards children. You will IMMEDIATELY be banned from this guild and have your offensive post/thread deleted/recycled. So don't say s**t like, "Just beat your kid if he acts stupid." If you say things like this, then I hate you. stressed

Post in the Appropriate Place*
Each subforum has a description alerting you to what does and does not belong there. While the GPG Staff does have the ability to move topics between the subforums, habitual posting in the wrong ssubforums by any member will only annoy the staff in result in warnings being given (as this is also a form of spam). With the addition of the new subforums it can get a little tricky, but they're pretty self explanitory. Please use the subforums to keep the clutter down. If you'd like a thread moved, please PM any GPG Staff Member to let us know.

Spamming*
Please do not spam in any part of this guild. This is NOT allowed and will only serve to draw ire from our regulars and Staff. What specifically is "spam" then? It's ANY content that does't relate to the topic at hand. Nonsense posts. Posts with just a bunch of unrelated images, links, or text. Clutter/repeat threads are also considered spam.

Spamvertising*
No advertising links to your non-guild-related threads (ie: your stores, hang outs, other guilds, mini-shop, etc) outside of the Link List thread. I will, however, accept limited advertising in the "Main Chat" thread, but please don't abuse this privledge!

Bumping*
Please do not bump when unecessary. This is a slower-paced guild. It's NOT the Chatterbox, so there is absolutely NO need to bump your topic unless it has fallen from the first page and is still unanswered/being discussed. Excessive bumping will be treated like spam.

Learn to Search
Please learn to search! Learning to search will enable us to prevent having multiple threads on one topic, thus helping the board run more smoothly. Continual failure to search by any member will result in warnings. In addition, we do not wish to see disclaimers such as, "I did a search but couldn't find anything like this, so I posted it." Such disclaimers will not help you, nor will they prevent a redundant thread from being closed. In fact, the only purpose such a disclaimer will serve is to annoy the GPG Staff.

Attempt to Use Proper English
We aren't English and Grammar teachers, and we understand that some people aren't native speakers of English while others simply aren't good at punctuation. We don't expect perfection, but we do expect an honest effort. If you are not a good speller, type your posts into a word-processing program and spell-check them before posting them. In addition, no netspeak or leetspeak will be tolerated, nor will various "cute" styles of posting such as aLtErNaTiNg CaPs, bolding or italicizing entire posts (to the point where it hurts to read it), or never-ending strings of emoticons. Compliance with this rule will help you avoid the wrath of the GPG Staff and the disdain of our regularly active members. It will also make life a lot easier for our large non-native-English-speaker population. Not to mention it will help all of us understand what the hell you're trying to say! We can't help you if we can't understand you!

Post With Intelligence
Idiocy and stupidity are frowned upon here. If you show us that you have more than a solitary brain cell dying of isolation, we'll probably like you. If you act like a brain dead moron, we won't. Be prepared for the consequences of that. We don't expect everyone to be rocket-scientists, but we do expect a bit of intelligence. In other words, "Don't be stupid. 'kay?"

Mind Your Dates: Old Topics
We frown upon what we call "dead horse topics", "zombie", or "necro threads" around here. In short, some topics just have a way of rearing their ugly heads over and over. While we're always happy to see that people go back and read older topics, a word of caution is in order. If a topic hasn't been posted to in a month or more, chances are the discussion has run its course. So, if you're considering posting to one of these topics, make very, very sure that you are adding something new and significant to the thread. Especially if the original topic was a request for help or advice and has been completely resolved (e/g: the Original Post creator has said so) or for an event that has happened and long passed (Let's not be wishing people congratulations for having gotten married or had babies over a year ago).

The exceptions to the "one month" rule of thumb are few. We do have a few threads that we call "chat threads" and "common topic threads" these have been open for ages. Most notably, Main chat, the Military Family thread, the Picture thread, The "For the Preggers" thread, and the Location Thread. However, in these threads, which are generally over four pages in length, you need to make sure you are responding to the most recent posts. Posts from the begining of the topic can be a year or more old. The people you are replying to may no longer even be guild members.

As of 04-29-06 the GPG Staff now require that all threads that have been resolved to be marked as such. This means, that whenever you feel your topic has been resolved or answered, simply go back and edit your first post, specifically the subject line. Insert [RESOLVED] or [ANSWERED] to your subject line. This will help to cut down on necroing threads. Also, you may feel free to PM and GPG Staff member and ask them to lock your resolved thread if you'd like. We can also move locked/resolved threads to our Archives Subforum as well.

Check Your Attitude at the Door
From time to time, we have people who come here and instantly begin complaining that we insist on enforcing the rules. We also often hear members try to evade the rules by claiming a problem with authority, a right to free speech, etc. In an ideal world, a guild like this wouldn't attract people who really just want to make trouble. In an ideal world, every new member would read The Rules and follow them without our GPG Staff Members having to remind them. This isn't an ideal world. This means the owner, and the people she has entrusted with it, and the other GPG Staff Members, have every right to set rules and prevent you from participating here if we see fit. You do not have the right to spread hate, you do not have the right to insult the GPG Staff or other members, and you do not have the right to throw hissy-fits and backtalk the GPG Staff if they reprimand you. These behaviors won't impress us and, in most cases, will do nothing but earn you an instant warning. If you don't like these conditions, the solution is simple: direct your browser elsewhere. And people, remember, this is simply an internet forum. It's not the end of the world if you don't agree with something we say. If things get that serious, perhaps it's time you took a break from the internet.

No Backseat Moderating
Backseat moderating is any action by a member that serves only to point out another members failure to follow The Rules. This means the general populace of the GPG should not be seen telling other members not to use netspeak, telling them to get back on topic, telling them they resurrected an old topic, etc. We most definitely do not want to see strings of posts from members telling the offending member to go read The Rules. One well-meaning, helpful suggestion phrased in a kind and respectful manner is usually tolerable. A string of them is not. If you see something like this occuring, please PM any of the GPG Staff Members and let us handle it.

No Attention Whoring or Self-Serving Clap-Trap
If you're whining about how mean your parents, kids in your school, or members of your community are, if you're whining that people treat you differently when you dress as shockingly as possible, if you're posting pictures of yourself every other day on our Members Photos thread, or if you're playing the "depressed and gother-than-thou" card, you're attention whoring and being a self-referential, masturbatory, narcissistic half-wit. We don't like it, and we won't tolerate it. Use some common sense, and whine elsewhere. Rule of thumb: If the thread is all about you, we probably don't care, and you're probably breaking this rule. However, if it's about you seeking genuine support and advice, then post away.

Comitting GPG Fraud
This will get you banned from the guild. This rule goes somewhat hand-in-hand with the previous rule, but I felt it needed some more detailing. It is against the rules of this guild to willfully and uneccessarily decieve other members, or GPG Staff Members in anyway. What this means is, the GPG absolutley respects your right to privacy, and by no means intends to force ANYONE to reveal ANYTHING about themselves or any given situation that they would feel uncomfortable in doing so. HOWEVER, when any member goes out of their way to willfully make up "stories" for the purposes of blatant deception for their own personal gain (even if only for attention), that is wrong. It is in my opinion, that anyone caught doing so, is taking advantage of the GPG's trusting and supportive atmosphere by being intentionally deceptive, and that is a direct violation of trust. So please refrain from posting up any far-fetched, made up things that are to be taken as truth in order to get attention or donations or anything else. There are REALLY some people out there who REALLY do need REAL support, and by others posting up deceptions, it takes away from those who are REALLY in need. In short, should you decide to reveal anything about yourself to the guild, please be honest in doing so, and never post anything you don't feel comfortable posting. This rule WILL be enforced! Actions WILL be taken against anyone who is proven to be willfully deceiving the guild for personal gain (even if it's only for attention) and you will be banned.

Stay On Topic*
Hi-jacking threads and dragging them off-topic for your own purposes is a form of attention-whoring/spam and will not be tolerated. It is natural for discussions to evolve. It is not natural for them to take 90-degree turns on a dime into a completely unrelated direction just because you feel like it.

Links, Images, Posting, Signature, and Avatar Rules
Be smart and follow the Gaia TOS on this one. While you may think a picture of your little boy/girl showing his/her genetalia/private parts is adorable and innocent, it may offend others. I have decided that there will be NO photos allowed that show any kind of frontal nudity, even if it is innocently done. I'm not trying to be a hard-a**, but I believe it'd just be SAFER and less offensive to just nix it completely. And by frontal nudity, I mean obvious genetalia (we're talking penises/testicles and vulvas/vaginas, people). A discrete bare bottom photo isn't a huge deal, but please edit (or just don't post) ANY photos that show ANY frontal nudity. Period. Use common sense in posting. We don't know what kind of perverts are out there, and we won't be held responsible for your lack of thinking when posting pictures. Do not direct/hot-link images.
Be good boys and girls and host the images yourself so you can link to them from your own space. There are a myriad of free hosting sites available, and your friend Google will help you find them. Also, when posting a link, be aware that many people access this site from work/school.
Pornographic and/or overly offensive images are simply not allowed (not allowed by the GPG or Gaia's ToS). Also, please resize images that you wish to post. Screen stretching is a pain and constant headache in other areas of this site. Let's try to minimize it here. Ok? If you cannot minimize the image for whatever reason, then just post a text link to the image instead.
Also, per Gaia's Admins, avatars that are glitched and appear "naked" are not allowed. If I see them, I must report them for re-saving. So please don't let your avatars be nakkie!

New Members and Posting
Introduce yourself! There's a sticky for it under the main guild forum. It's not that hard. Something simple telling us who you are and how you found us. Though not required, it is nice to have some information to go with the name. If you're new and you see a thread you might be able to help with, READ IT FIRST. Your advice and/or information may have already been covered.

Posting Articles for Discussion
If you are posting an article for discussion, please post a link to that article rather than the text of the article. If the article requires registration to view, posting the text is permitted only if a link to the article is also posted. This ensures we are not in violation of any copyright laws.

Touchy Subjects
Posts concerning children and sexual issues need to be approved first by the GPG Staff. This includes anything dealing with sexual orientations of children, what children call their own "body parts", and etc. So if you want to post a topic concerning things of this nature, you MUST PM a GPG Staff Member for approval first! If you are approved, then post it. If you are NOT approved, then DO NOT post it. If you post it anyway, your thread will be deleted and you'll recieve a warning. I made this rule to protect other parent's feelings dealing with such sensitive issues. This does not apply to cute little stories concerning what your kids say or do. This rule is directed toward more "inappropriate" comments/questions concerning sexuality of children and parenting concerning that. Again, cute stories or musings are a-ok!

This is NOT a Dating Service
Attempting to pick up "hot mamas" will not be tolerated. If you want to do that, visit a personals site. In addition, harassment of members via PMing will dealt with in a most unpleasant manner. We haven't had to deal with this as of yet, but with as large as this site is, it's a distinct possibility. Please PM a GPG Staff Member immediately, and we will do our best to deal with the problem. If we are unable to handle the problem, we will be happy to help you contact a Gaia Moderator.

Inside Jokes
This is not as much a rule as a general notice. Because our staff logs a lot of hours here at the GPG and because we have many members who have been around awhile and have developed a rapport with the staff and other members, inside jokes do crop up. Please understand they are not meant to ostracize any member. If you encounter an inside joke you do not understand, please feel free to ask the person making the joke to explain it. We will be more than happy to do so. If you feel an inside joke is becoming offensive, please contact a GPG Staff Member.

Giving Bullshit Advice
Given the fact that this guild is obviously populated with PARENTS, one must realize that we also have very new and inexperienced parents in our ranks as well. Given that, it is stupid and just plain mean and irresponsible for anyone to go around giving what I term "bullshit advice". Seriously, if a person comes in here asking for advice, please don't treat their query as a joke and advise something that would be potentially harmful if it were taken literally. Always assume that advice you give will be taken literally! Here is an example of "bullshit advice" : "Give the baby a teething biscuit and if it chokes, it's obviously not ready." Ok, that's bullshit. You may think it's funny, but no one else does. That's tantamount to suggesting child abuse in my book.
In short, if you have no actual REAL, HELPFUL, CONSTRUCTIVE advice to give, I'd highly suggest that you simply not post. People found guilty of purposefully giving "bullshit advice" will be instantly banned from this guild. No questions asked.

Read the FAQ & Info Stickies and Posts
The GPG FAQ and Info Stickies and posts will answer a myriad of questions that may not be covered in the Rules. Read them before you start asking questions. When in doubt, ask. Always feel free to PM ANY GPG Staff Member when you have a question, comment, or problem with the Gaian Parents Guild. We also ask that you also familiarize yourself with the Gaia ToS. Ignorance of Gaia's ToS and the GPG's rules will NOT be tolerated and will NOT excuse you from recieving Warnings and Consequneces.

Bringing Down the Almighty BanHammer
All bannings done in the GPG are a group decision made by the whole (or a majority of) the GPG Staff. No one staff member can make this decision alone. And believe me, we go through a considerable amount of discussion and research BEFORE we ban someone. It is not a lightly made quick decision. If you feel you've been wrongly banned from this guild, please feel free to appeal it. PM me or any of the GPG Staff and make your case. However, I must warn, that ANY PM sent to us where you're ranting, swearing, pissed off, whiney, or having a sassy hissy fit will just be deleted and we will NOT review your case. Any further angry, whiney PM sent will be considered harassment and you will be reported as such to a Gaia Moderator.



* These rules all pertain to different types of spamming. Spam can come in many different forms, but it's all not allowed. Please make sure any content you post is RELEVENT to the topic at hand. All spam will be dealt with and the rules against spam will be enforced!



If you do not understand any of the above information or have any questions about it, please contact any GPG Staff Member. More rules may be added at anytime the GPG Staff sees fit. So please keep yourselves up to date and familiar with all the rules of this guild!! Ignorance is not ever an excuse!

Q: What's the purpose of this guild?
A: This is a place for parents to come and hang out and seek advice from other parents.

Q: Do I have to be a parent to join?
A: Most of my Members are parents, but there are plenty of non-parent Members here as well.

Q: So even if I am not a parent I can still join?
A: As long as you REALLY do have an interest in positively supporting this guild and what it stands for, then absolutely! Come and chat anytime!

Q: I have adopted a child/children in real life. Can I join?
A: Of course! ^_^

Q: I adopted a Gaian here as my "child". Does that mean I'm a parent?
A: No, you must have a real actual child in real life to be a parent.

Q: Is this only a guild for moms, or can dads join too?
A: This is a guild for ANY primary caretaker of a child, be you a mom, dad, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or whatever.

Q: Does that include step-parents?
A: Yep

Q: I'm pregnant, can I join?
A: Absolutley, Your gonna be a mom soon!

Q: I'm pregnant, but may give my child up for adoption. Can I still join?
A: Yes, you may need advice or just someone to talk to who may have been in your shoes.

Q: I'm pregnant (was pregnant) and am going to have an abortion (already had an abortion). Can I join?
A: If you choose to abort your pregnancy, then you are choosing to NOT be a parent, but if you would still like to join this guild and contribute in a positive manner, then you are welcome to.

Q: So, you're against abortions?
A: Good question. I personally do not support abortions. I would never have one and I would politely urge others to not have abortions either. I believe it is a horrible practice, and that too many young girls are coming to rely on it as a form of birth control because they are too stupid to be responsible about sex in the first place. That being said though, I *do* believe that you should have the right to choose what you do. Not because I think it is right, but because if abortions weren't legal, then lots of girls would subject themselves to VERY dangerous "underground" clinics or other potentially dangerous and barbaric homemade abortion methods. I do not believe abortions are a form of birth control. You should be responsible in the first place... on that same token though, having to have a baby is NOT a punishment for your wreckless behavior. I REALLY hate it when someone tells a mother that "You should have had an abortion!" What business is it of anyone else? So to all those liberal pro-abortion idiots out there, I say STFU scream ! Btw, my beliefs aren't up for debate here, so don't bother trying to change my mind about it. If you post in here about my stance on abortion, or PM me, you will be ignored and your post will be deleted. So give up, you cannot change my beliefs by posting on an internet forum.

Q: My girlfriend/wife/fiancee is pregnant, can I join?
A: Yes, you can join!

Q: I have a child (or children), but I am in the military and am currently deployed away from them at this time. Can I join?
A: Absolutley!

Q: My sister/brother/etc has a kid. Can I join?
A: If you take a LARGE role in that child's life and actually partake in raising it or would like to learn more about what you can do to help take care of the child, then yes!

Q: I'm a dead-beat parent who abandoned my child for my own selfish reasons and I purposely have nothing to do with my child. I support my child in no way, shape, or form. Can I join?
A: Hell no! Stop being a loser. People like you should be neutered or spayed stressed .

Q: I'm a parent who gave my child up for adoption for *insert reason here*, but still love and care about them very much. Can I join? ~Don't confuse this type of parent with the type of parent in the previous question!~
A: Yes. You're still a parent and you may decide to have another child later. Giving a child up for adoption for the right reasons is a hard thing to do. And only if you truely loved a child, could you do that. So you are welcome.

Q: I had a misscariage, can I still join?
A: Absolutely. You would've had a baby had you not miscarried, and you may go on to have another one later. So, yes.

Q: Do I have to put a banner/link to this guild in my sig if I join?
A: No, you don't have to, but I would like it if you did... hey, it's more advertising for our guild to potential members who may wanna join and not know we're here. But not putting anything in your sig pertaining to this guild will NOT affect your membership one way or the other.

Q: HEY! You're a member of that "Anti-Gaia" guild. What's up with that?
A: The guilds I join are my business.... but if you must know, it's not an "Anti-Gaia" guild, it's an Anti-Gaian guild. Go read about it if you want to know more.

Q: Can I join even if I am a member of another guild(s) on Gaia?
A: Abso-freakin-lutely! As long as you fit my other requirements, I don't care how many other guilds you belong to. Everyone is welcome here^_^

Q: Does it cost money to join?
A: No, this is a free guild. I want this guild to be available to anyone who wishes to join. I do ask though that you donate to the GPG if you would like to.

Q: I have a unique/special/strange circumstance surrounding my role as a parent/caregiver. My circumstance is not addressed anywhere this post. What do I do? Can I still join? I am confused!
A: If you have a unique situation concerning your role as a parent/caregiver, please either post it here, or PM me (if it's something private) and I will make the decision concerning whether you can join or not. I cannot possibly list ALL the parental situations that occur in real life, but I will do my best to accomodate EVERYONE'S situation. So if I haven't already addressed your situation in this post, please feel free to directly ask me either by posting here in the FAQ thread or in a PM. I will answer you as soon as I can!

Here I have compiled a short list of terms that are commonly used in this guild. While we do not support rampant "net speak," usage of certain terms and abbreviations on a limited basis is perfectly acceptable.

GPG - Gaian Parents Guild
GPG Staff Member - This is a blanket term that includes the Captain, Vice Captain, and all Crew members.
VC - Vice Captain
BC - birth control
BF - breast feeding
TTC - trying to conceive
DH - dear husband
MIL - mother-in-law
FIL - father-in-law
BIL - brother-in-law
SIL - sister-in-law
SF - subforum
IRL - in real life
LI - Life Issues
ED - Extended Discussion
CB - Chatter Box
SandP - Sociology and Psychology
QandA - Questions and Assistance
SF - Site Feedback
GD - General Discussion
PM - Private Message
FAQ - frequently asked questions
Gaia's ToS - Gaia's Terms of Service
LOL - laugh out loud
ROFL - rolling on the floor laughing
LMAO - laughing my a** off
IMO - in my opinion
IMHO - in my humble opinion
TY - thank you
BTW - by the way
WTF? - what the ********> - oh my god!
SOL - s**t outta luck
(SP?) - Generally typed after a word when the poster is unsure they spelled it correctly - (Spelled right?)
Grammar Nazi - Someone who is quite insistant that people use correct grammar when posting.
Net Speak/ Leet Speak/ Noob talk/ etc - This is when a poster uses WAY too many abbreviations like "u" instead of "you" and rampantly misspells words. This is also categorized by a lack of proper syntax, punctuation, spelling, or grammar and over use of emoticons or over use of punctuation such as ellipses, exclamation points, or question marks.
Noob - Can be a new person, or simply someone who acts like an idiot for no good reason. These people are usually quite rude and VERY disrespectful of the rules.
Newb/Newbie - A new person. Not necessarily a rude person, but they may be ignorant of the rules and guidelines. Patience and niceness should be exercised with Newbies.
Flame - an insult or attack
Flamer - someone who intentionally "attacks" another person with insults.
Troll - someone who deliberately tries to start fights or conflicts.
Spam - Pointless, stupid posts that contribute nothing to the conversation.
Spamvertising - Spam Advertising
Spammer - Someone who purposefully spams.
Bump - Bring Up My Post - Drawing attention to an older thread by posting "Bump" or something similar.
Attention Whore - Someone who posts things just for attention.
Asshat - a jerk

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