SOME GENERAL INFORMATION & IMPORTANT SUPPLEMENTAL GUIDELINES TO START:
We would like to keep the original intent and atmosphere of the group as intact as possible, so please keep in mind that these Guidelines are an effort to protect the board and it's members.
Q: What if I have a business venture I want to share? Or maybe my baby is in a cute baby contest and I need to get votes?
A1. That would count as spamming and will be immediately deleted. You may certainly have the cutest baby ever, but we can’t support contest polls in this group. It’s not fair to anyone else and takes up valuable board space.
Q: What if I have some information I would like to share with the group on CFYF, but it’s not cooking or kitchen related?
A1. If you are not a member of the group, it would be considered spamming. If it’s something you really would like to share with your fellow members, there are designated threads such as the Kitchen Sink Thread to share personal tidbits about our lives as well as various other odds and ends that could clutter up the board and detract from the main topic: food and kitchen.
Q: What happens when there is disagreement or drama on the board?
A1. Group Owners have the Authority to lock and delete any thread that violates any of our Supplemental Guidelines at any time at our discretion, for any reason.
A2. Some disagreement is natural from time to time, but fighting and drama in public will not be tolerated. This is not a debate board and conflict is not welcome here. Stirring the pot, trolling of any kind, antagonism, personal attacks, antagonism, and other behavior that disrupts the atmosphere and nature of CFYF will be handled by group owners either as a whole or on an immediate need basis.
A3. Friendly discussions about common kitchen concerns and household subjects is always welcome, but fighting and debates will not be tolerated. Bringing personal issues from private messaging or from other groups or even continuing issues from past locked/deleted threads may result in suspension or even banning from the group.
A4. If a thread is locked or deleted, group owners will send the original poster a note to explain why. The person/persons responsible for the thread being locked or deleted will have a note with a warning sent as well. We are initiating a “three strikes and you’re out” rule for minor offenses. Trolling will be No Tolerance and banned immediately. Spamming from non-members will also be banned immediately at group owners’ discretion.
A5. Group Owners really, really hope not to have to lock or delete threads, and we equally hope not to have to ban anyone. We don’t like it.
Q: What happens if I receive a threatening or harassing note from another CFYF member or another BabyCenter member through CFYF?
A2. Report the user to BabyCenter. There should be a "report" button for the user, and you should be able to submit a detailed report to BabyCenter about any harassment you're receiving privately. Personal attacks and harassment are still personal attacks and harassment and are not tolerated.
A2. If such a personal attack or threat occurs publicly in a thread on the board, hit the report button. In that instance, Group Owners receive a notification of the offensive post and are then able to be directed to it immediately in order to handle it.
And now to the REAL business about our wonderful group!
Q: What's "Cooking For Your Family" about?
A1. This group is all about FAMILIES, FOOD & COOKING. Whether it’s cooking for your families, friends or co-workers. We do not delve a lot into childcare unless it's related to food and cooking and food-related subjects.
A2. You do NOT need to be a parent to participate.
A3. There's a very wide range of cooking abilities on our board from schooled chefs to experienced & traditional cooks to novices. Do NOT ever make apologies if you're just starting out. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A STUPID QUESTION when it comes to cooking.
A4. We share mostly Grown Up Meals & Dishes, but we do welcome topics on feeding children of any age. Many of the recipes are family friendly & versatile for adults & children to begin with. We welcome topics on parties & social events, even daycare events & play dates.
Q: With the new group software and changeover, I noticed that BabyCenter Guidelines now allow cussing and swearing! Can we cuss on this board?
A: NO. Cussing is NOT ALLOWED on the Cooking for Your Family Group. As a courtesy to other members, especially those with older children who can read, please refrain from cursing, cussing, swearing, and using otherwise "questionable" language. This is a supplemental guideline that WILL be enforced, and posts containing colorful and offensive language will be deleted. Repeat offenses will result in a suspension from the group. Thank you!
Q: What do I do when I need a recipe or advice?
A1. When you need a recipe, post a new thread that includes "ISO" in the subject line. It's the best way to let people know that you need something specific & the fastest response. It also makes it easier for posters who have limited computer time to sift through threads of interest & decide quickly if they should open a thread.
Sample Subject Lines:
"ISO chicken enchilada recipes"
"ISO Sandy's Sugarloaf Chicken With Mozzarella Recipe"
"ISO Appetizer Ideas for MOPS meeting tomorrow!"
"Office Party on Friday, Need Help Finding EASY Dessert Recipe!!!"
A2. When you need advice about a specific recipe, it's always a good idea to include the actual recipe in your post when possible. So if you're asking a question about Sandy's Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Salad regarding amounts or clarifying the written directions, be sure to include that recipe so that we may refer to it and give the most accurate advice and help.
Q: How do I post my own recipes?
A1. Post your recipe in a new thread but make sure you include your name and/or username/screen name so that we may give credit where it's due. It's partly for healthy vanity, but it's also to help distinguish between different recipes w/ the same name. Your veggie soup is probably a whole different recipe than "Amy's", so make sure your name is on YOUR recipe.
A2. Let us know where the recipe comes from, whether you created it on your own or found it on another site. We love to know as much as we can about the recipes that are shared, just like if you were teaching someone to cook in your own kitchen.
Q: How do I credit the Recipe Source/OP if it's not "My Recipe"?
A1. This is important for when you post your own recipes & when you post a review or discussion of someone else's recipe aka a recipe that you did not create yourself. A mistake that new posters often make is to copy a recipe w/out noting the OP. Later when you review it or post it in WFD, they don't know who it belongs to & "call out" the OP to claim the recipe.
Please be sure to copy the OP's name and SN when you copy a recipe.
A2. If you find a recipe from a book, newspaper, magazine or other online web site it's VERY important to credit that source when you 1st share the recipe. It's about giving proper credit and courtesy, especially if you found the recipe on another site & the original chef comes to visit us. It would be very embarrassing, and quite possibly violating copywrite, if recipes found elsewhere are incorrectly credited and found by the original chef.
Q: How do I decide on Subject Lines for new threads?
A1. We try to make the subject line of a new thread as specific, yet simple, as we can, so that it gets the attention it needs and doesn't leave other board members who are reading it guessing.
EXAMPLES: The subject line might look like this:
"New Banana Bread Recipe! Great for entertaining."
"Having Trouble Creating Meal Plan, Please Help"
"Tips On Perfect Cheesecake to Share"
"Breakfast Ideas for Restricted Diet Needed"
"Dinner Party Appetizers Needed For Tonight"
Any threads you create should have as much info about the thread in it's subject line and 1st 2 lines of copy as you can fit. Those 1st 2 lines are visible before you click into the thread. If you need help with a dish or general kitchen or cooking help, rather than posting "I Need Help With Dinner" you might find your thread will get more attention if the subject is "ISO Tips for Cooking Moist Chicken!" or "Flat Muffins, What Went Wrong?".
A2. This may sound nitpicky, but it's in your best interest if you check the first several pages of threads before posting your ISO just in case someone already posted it recently. What you're looking for might be there already.
A3. In the interest of A2: Since BBC changed to the new board system, there's also a nifty new feature called the "search" feature on every single BabyCenter Bulletin Board, including CFYF.
You can actually do a quick board search for a topic to see if what you're looking for has been posted. It's probably best to do an advanced search and make sure that you choose as wide a range of search dates as possible.
