* UPDATED * - PLEASE READ Site Rules

[HMSA Admin Team]

First of all may I welcome you to the forum. We are a friendly bunch here (well most of us ) and we don't have many rules - but the ones we do have are strictly enforced!!

Admin/mods are here to help. Please do not enter into public dispute on open forum. You are most welcome to pm HMSA Site Admin or Retro with any concern.


Please bare in mind that the forum has members of all ages including young children and more vulnerable adults too. Language and topics (particularly in unlocked, public areas) should reflect this.

Do's

Keep titles informative - Please give some indication in the title of your post the nature of the content. 'Newbie please help' sounds cute but isn't very helpful to the reader. In addition other users will search the posts for information and a helpful title makes their search easier.

Use the search facility - If you are looking for information try using the search facility before posting a new topic or question - most issues have been discussed previously and further discussion on the subject should be kept to existing topics. Tips on using the search facility can be found here.

Post in the most appropriate forum - Please try and post your message in the most appropriate forum. If you're not sure, make an educated guess, and if it would be better in another forum a mod will move it.

Keep on topic - Please try to keep on topic. If you want to bring up another point it may be more sensible to start another thread or take the conversation to a more relevant topic.

Remember - Most of the forum is public and can be viewed by anyone using the internet so please bear you're own safety and don't post your full name, email address or be too specific about about your location in areas that are not locked (Personal & Sensitive, Local Groups and The Dungeon).

Don'ts

One member = one username - Each member should have only one username and each username should have one user, unless specific permissions have been authorised by moderators/site admin.

Name medics - Other than the HMSA Advisors no medical person should be named on the forum. If you know the name of a physio/specialist etc near to you that someone has asked about then please PM the name to them. This is for legal and privacy reasons. HMSA Advisors are: Prof. Rodney Grahame, Prof. Howard Bird, Dr Alan Hakim, Dr Nathan Hasson, Prof. William Ferrell, Professor Aziz, Dr Tim Jenkinson and Sue Maillard, Jane Simmonds and Rosemary Keer (Physio). Also our newest medical advisor, Dr Jacqui Clinch.

Cross post - Don't cross post (i.e. post the same topic in multiple forums). Not only does this make answering the post confusing it increases the size of the database and hence the hosting costs.

No offensive language - We do not, under any circumstances, tolerate swearing or offensive language. Children use these boards and so we expect you to behave appropriately.

Overuse emoticons too many emoticons in a post makes the post more difficult for those with vision problems to read.

Keep text easy to read Proper paragraphs are easier to read than a few words on each line. Bright coloured text is also difficult for those with vision impairments to read, darker colours are ok.

Please keep posts relevant please don't post just for the sake of posting, this takes up precious space, adds no value and makes searching/reading more difficult for new users.

No Advertising - There is strictly no advertising on this forum - if you want to promote your business, sell emu oil or similar please do it elsewhere.

No aggression - Please try not to be inflammatory or aggressive in your interactions with other users of the boards. You may be in pain, have had a bad day and generally feel frustrated but be considerate towards the feelings of others.

Under no circumstances should medication dosages be mentioned on the forum. All users must consult their own medical practitioner before changing their medication in any way.

Everyone is different, HMS affects us all differently - whilst it is helpful to share experiences remember you are an individual.

The HMSA reserve the right to publish any feedback received on the site, forum or merchandise.

Finally - nothing on these boards should be taken as constituting medical advice. Except where clearly indicated, the users of the boards are other individuals with HMS and opinions expressed on this board are those of the poster. Such opinions should never replace the advice of your own doctor.


Happy posting!