Guidelines, rules and information on the safe use of our message forums
Please read to the bottom of this important information before you can activate the link to take you to our forums index.
Whilst our message board is moderated, it is NOT medically overseen, we can share our experiences but you MUST see your GP, pediatrician or other medical professional if you have any concerns relating to health.
We want to welcome you, and we aim to make using these message boards a useful and enjoyable experience for all. You’re welcome to express your opinions and disagree with others, but please do so with respect for others, and comply with our guidelines below when posting. Please note that the views expressed on our message boards are not necessarily representative of the founders of this website. We cannot be held responsible for individuals opinions and although moderated, our boards are designed to encourage discussion. Individuals are entitled to their own opinion but are requested to remain courteous, polite and decent at all times. Indecent or inflammatory messages will be removed.
What’s the purpose of the board?
Women (and their partners, family or friends) can write about their experiences of Down’s syndrome and gain the support of others who may have been through similar situations. You are welcome to seek advice about prenatal testing, prenatal diagnosis or postnatal diagsnosis. You are welcome to share your story, and most importantly show off your baby or child.
Getting started
Posting on the boards is straightforward. You can read comments and questions about Down’s syndrome on our main forum without being a registered user, but you will need to register with our service before you can post. Once registered, you will find a list of other forums which include: prenatal testing and diagnosis, mum’s under 25 years old, parents’ place, health and hearts and dual diagnosis. There are also places for getting things off your chest and chatting about off-topic stuff. If you have any problems logging in or registering, please make sure you read our information about this. We do ask that you abide by our guidelines when posting, and read the “stickies” and announcements at the top of each board.
To register and obtain an account, you’ll need to choose a user name and a password. You will need to provide a valid email address to be able to validate the account before you can post. Your email address will not be available to others unless you tick the accompanying box in the settings of the account when you register, and your details will never be given to a third party by Future of Down’s.
Moderation
In order to maintain a friendly, supportive and safe atmosphere, moderators oversee the messages you submit. Messages that violate our guidelines will be moderated and posts may be locked.
Guidelines for acceptable (and not) use of the message boards:
Be sociable and avoid harassment – you are welcome to discuss, agree and disagree but please respect other users and do not attack those whose views you disagree with. Personalisation of posts which may be considered to be threatening will always be moderated. It’s a really good idea to think about how a message might be received before you post it. It is unacceptable to post comments that are defamatory or threatening towards others, or are in any way discriminatory, and any posts deemed to constitute any of these elements will be moderated.
Obscenity – the use of uncensored swear words, obscene, offensive, discriminatory or indecent language and images is not allowed.
Disruptive and provocative behaviour – whilst you may disagree with comments from other users or dislike a particular topic, please do not post messages that are intended to disrupt a particular thread or discussion. Deliberately provocative, inflammatory, or obstructive content will be removed, and the post may be locked to prevent further disruption.
Political and religious discussion – please do not use these message boards as a forum for discussions on political or religious matters unrelated to Down’s Syndrome or for political or religious campaigning
Use of Spam and viruses – spamming of the Future of Down’s boards is not allowed, and all spam including posts written for financial gain or to promote events or services will be removed. Viruses, bots, Trojan horses or similar contaminants are not allowed on our message boards.
Personal information – for your own safety, please do not post personal information in the body of the text on any post you might leave on the message boards. This includes your email or home address, telephone or mobile number. Do not post the venues for meetings on the boards. If you wish your email address to be available to other users, please adjust this permission in your profile. Future of Down’s does not exchange email addresses on your behalf.
Weblinks – Please do not post links or specifically direct people in any other way to external websites. This includes naming websites and pages, even if the link is not provided in your post. If you would like to make reference to another site which is not in our *links/resources/charities* section, please ask for advice prior to posting, to ensure that our guidance on advertising is not breached.
Advertising – please do not mention, endorse or discuss brand names on the message boards. If you would like to make reference to a particular product, Please contact us for advice prior to posting, to ensure that our guidance on advertising is not breached.
Solicitation – we do not allow solicitation, either commercial or non-commercial on the boards. Please do not post links to websites selling services.
Discussions about clinics, hospitals, doctors and healthcare providers Any mention of, or discussion about, individuals or establishments should not be viewed as a recommendation. Please do not mention the names of medical practitioners or other individuals in discussions, other than in a positive light, as this could jeopardise the future of the message boards.
Legal and confidentiality issues – please do not post illegal, unlawful, confidential or trade information, injunctions or content relating to pending or ongoing legal proceedings. Please do not post admissions to, or encourage others to participate in, criminal activities.
Copyright -please do not post anything for which you do not own the copyright. If posting material written by other people, please ensure that you write the name of the author in the text of your message. If you do not know the author, please write “author unknown”.
Gathering of information – the use of Future of Down’s boards for the gathering of information is not permitted. Please contact us for more information.
Use of jargon and code – please try not to use language and code that might be difficult to understand. New visitors can find it very off-putting and make them feel very uncomfortable and unwelcome. If you do come across code or jargon you don’t understand, check out the abbreviations post, which might hold an answer to something confusing, or ask on the forums what a term means.
Impersonation – do not attempt to pass yourself off as another user.
Prescribing and alternative therapies – please do not recommend or prescribe therapies or other medical treatments including over-the-counter drugs to other users of the site. It is not safe to do this and we cannot endorse any therapies or practices. The following is our alternative therapies policy statement:
Who administers the message forums?
Please contact us if you have any questions about this message board or to report abuse. Helen Kingdon has the responsibility for the day-to-day running and content of the forum.