The purpose of the MMAPA chat group is to help answer questions for parents who are new to

the MMA experience. It is also a means for parents to share experiences with each other in a

positive and supportive manner. It also provides a format for Academy staff to post information

of interest to the parents.

Please respect the following guidelines:

1. When posting, please ensure that you use a descriptive subject line so that members can

quickly and easily identify the subject of your post. This will often help to get a quicker response

to your question.

2. Please do not modify the subject line of any existing topic when replying as it breaks the

thread of conversation, making it very difficult to follow, particularly with the web interface or if

people are reading through the archives. This point is particularly important for members who

are tempted to change the subject line of a topic they started but has not been resolved, as

members following the thread may miss the solution to the problem.

3. Before posting, please check the message archives and the FAQ section of the MMAPA

website (www.mmapa.org) to see if your question has previously been answered.

4. When replying to a post, please quote the information relevant to your reply, but trim out all

other non-relevant information such as the previous poster's signature and the footers that get

appended to every post.

5. Please take the time to review your message for clarity, spelling, tone, etc. before hitting the

send button.

6. Good natured debate is acceptable, if kept within the grounds of civility. Flaming (attacking

another member) will not be tolerated. Attacking someone's personal beliefs is also

unacceptable, and will result in being put in moderated status, or, in extreme circumstances,

being banned from the group.

7. Avoid sending message which are no more than gratuitous replies to replies, as it adds

unnecessarily to all members' in-boxes.

8. It is best to stick to facts when answering someone's question. If an opinion is asked for or

warranted, please refrain from making judgmental comments. Posters on this group are asked to

be particularly sensitive to making statement that could be construed as making judgments about

how other parents are raising their children.

9. Anonymous posts sent through another member will not be allowed.

A violation of these guidelines could result in a warning by one of the group managers. A

second violation may result in the member being placed on moderated status, at the discretion of

the managers. Serious violations could result in removal from the group.