Code of Conduct

Membership. Members must apply for membership using their real names, but may choose any name for their username (with the exception of a business name). Any User who is found to have provided false information in their application may be removed from Shanghai Mamas without warning. The rules for membership are as follows:

1. 1. Becoming a Member is free of charge.
   2. New Members should apply for membership to Shanghai Mamas by completing an online questionnaire, available here.
   3. If approved, new Members will be notified via email. Please note that Shanghai Mamas is run by volunteers and each questionnaire is personally read so it may take a few days for your application to be acknowledged and/or approved.
   4. Membership is intended for international families living in Shanghai: marketers, spammers, perverts, and trolls need not apply.
      
      
      
2. Best Practice. We recommend the following:
   1. Users should use the search function on ShanghaiMamas first before posting a topic if they consider that it may have been answered before.
   2. Discussions of staffing and household help are explosive issues and should be handled tactfully, professionally, and with sensitivity to the employee.
   3. Posts of a commercial nature are to be published in the Classifieds section or in the Shopping section. If you wish to advertise in other ways, please contact us about advertising on the site. If a User is deemed to be using the site solely or mainly for commercial purposes, Moderators will be able to trace the User by means of their username, email address or IP address and will warn the User and then may temporarily or permanently remove the User from ShanghaiMamas.
      
      
      
3. Moderation. Moderators help the Committee to uphold the philosophy of Shanghai Mamas as set out in the Mission Statement. The rules regarding Moderators are as follows:
   1. All Posts are subject to moderation. Please be careful to post topics in the proper category to keep the site efficient and organized. Moderators may move posts to proper categories or delete posts deemed inappropriate.
   2. If any Moderator or Committee member considers that any action of any User is contrary to the philosophy of the Mission Statement, they may restrict access to or remove the User from Shanghai Mamas without warning.
   3. Moderators reserve the right to delete any message or to remove the registration and membership of any individual at any time.If you have a concern, constructive criticism, or question about the action of a Moderator, please submit your issue in writing to the Shanghai Mamas Committee via shmamas@gmail.com.
   4. Any businesses or services criticized on ShanghaiMamas will be given a chance to refute claims or disparaging remarks made against them in the Forums, comments or articles. If such a situation arises, the User will be contacted by a Moderator and all personal details will be removed before information about the complaint/concern is shared. If you feel a business should be given a chance to respond to a posting, please contact a Moderator to handle the notification.
   5. Disputes arbitrated through the Shanghai Mamas Executive Committee are final and binding.
      
      
      
4. Users. Our Users come from a variety of backgrounds and nations and we expect all Users to be sensitive to cultural differences. Differing opinions are expected and encouraged; however, disagreements must be handled with courtesy and respect for other Users. It is entirely possible to politely express opposing views without triggering conflict or discord with other Users. Users are welcome to post seeking advice, opinions or suggestions on how best to handle conflict, and posts about how to deal with differing views are welcome. Venting is understandable, however, bashing of other Users will not be tolerated.
   
   
   
5. Shanghai Mamas is a secular organization without political affiliations. Please do not post religious or political posts in the Forums.
   
   
   
6. All content on www.shanghaimamas.org, including Users posts in the Forums, articles, blogs, comments or any other text on our website becomes the property of Shanghai Mamas and can be re-used, modified or disposed of in accordance with these Terms of Use;
   
   
   
7. Access to the Forums is a privilege and not an entitlement. The tone of the site should be fully supportive and all Users should avoid:
   1. negative characterizations, foul language, insults, blanket statements, condemnations of others, name calling, personal attacks, flaming, trolling, stereotyping, ethnic generalizations, and disparaging remarks about other Users and our host country;
   2. inflammatory messages;
   3. posting copyrighted material without permission. If you want to share an article, post a brief summary of the article and a link;
   4. using Shanghai Mamas to defraud, misrepresent, scam or malign (or attempt to do any of these to) another User, business or advertiser;
   5. using the Forum for the dissemination of any illegal or possibly illegal activity including the sale or promotion of counterfeit products;
   6. any provocative, offensive, or angry tirades against the laws or authorities of the PRC. Any comments, posts or private messages that are contrary to this will not be tolerated and will be deleted, and any User who does so will be warned once by a Moderator and risk having all future posts subject to moderator approval (“Moderation Period”). If such behavior continues, or if the initial breach is considered by the Moderators and the Committee to be sufficiently severe in the first instance, it will be grounds for removal from Shanghai Mamas. In these circumstances the Moderator’s decision will be final.
   7. using any of Shanghai Mamas’ features and resources to harass attack or contact a User in an inappropriate manner;
   8. breaching the privacy of the Private Forums. Users come here to share, celebrate, vent and commiserate and all Users should do everything possible to protect and maintain the safe and haven-like atmosphere that has been built up over the years;
   9. forwarding personal information expressed on Shanghai Mamas to any other source without explicit permission. Sharing basic information from the Forums (any how-to tips, recommendations, childcare/school info, etc.) with other sources is fine and encouraged. We trust our Users (in particular Members) to recognize personal info when they see it and to keep it safe;
   10. forwarding subscription emails from the Forums to anyone who is not a member of that Forum;
   11. using Shanghai Mamas to poach an employee of another User;
   12. posting document numbers and/or photographs of any person;
   13. multiple or pointless Posting to increase a User’s post count;
   14. having more than one User account;
   15. posting topics in multiple or inappropriate Forums;
   16. posting personal information of any other person without their explicit permission;
   17. posting any information that is, in the sole opinion of the Committee or any Moderator, contrary to the spirit of the Mission Statement or this Code of Conduct;
   18. posting large amounts of information, attachments or files that are so large as to impact the operation of www.shanghaimamas.org
       
       
       
8. Disclaimer:
   1. Considering the real time nature of the board, it is impossible for ShanghaiMamas to review all Posting or confirm the validity of any information posted. While we make reasonable efforts to frequently review the content of the Forums and delete objectionable posts, we are not responsible for any messages posted. The content and ideas within the message posts are those of the individual author, and neither Shanghai Mamas nor its Executive Committee, Moderators or administration are responsible for these posts.
   2. We make all efforts to carefully screen each Member through an extensive questionnaire and approval process. However, we remind Members and other Users to be careful about what personal information is shared on ShanghaiMamas since no security measure can be perfect or impenetrable. Many Users prefer to use nicknames to refer to their children and family instead of their real names. It is also wise to avoid posting personal information in the forums that could expose a member to fraud or predation (e.g. residency location, birthdays, document numbers, etc.) Extra care should be taken when posting on the Public Forums as these are available to Users other than Members.
   3. This website is provided “as is” without any representations or warranties, express or implied. Shanghai Mamas makes no representations or warranties in relation to this website or the information and materials provided on this website.
   4. Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing paragraph, Shanghai Mamas does not warrant that www.shanghaimamas.org will be constantly available, or available at all; or that the information on this website is complete, true, accurate or non-misleading.
   5. Nothing on this website constitutes, or is meant to constitute, advice of any kind.
      
      
      
9. Shanghai Mamas will not be liable to you (whether under the law of contact, the law of torts or otherwise) in relation to the contents of, or use of, or otherwise in connection with, this website:
   1. for any direct loss;
   2. for any indirect, special or consequential loss; or
   3. for any business losses, loss of revenue, income, profits or anticipated savings, loss of contracts or business relationships, loss of reputation or goodwill, or loss or corruption of information or data.
   4. These limitations of liability apply even if Shanghai Mamas has been expressly advised of the potential loss.
      
      
      
10. Nothing in this website disclaimer will exclude or limit any warranty implied by law that it would be unlawful to exclude or limit; and nothing in this website disclaimer will exclude or limit Shanghai Mamas liability in respect of any:
    1. death or personal injury caused by ShanghaiMamas negligence;
    2. fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation on the part of ShanghaiMamas;
    3. matter which it would be illegal or unlawful for Shanghai Mamas to exclude or limit, or to attempt or purport to exclude or limit, its liability.
       
       
       
11. By using the Shanghai Mamas website, you agree that
    1. the exclusions and limitations of liability set out in this website disclaimer are reasonable. If you do not think they are reasonable, you must not use Shanghai Mamas.
    2. you will not bring any claim personally against the Shanghai Mamas Committee, Members, Users, officers, administration or agents in respect of any losses you suffer in connection with the website.
    3. without prejudice to the foregoing paragraph, you agree that the limitations of warranties and liability set out in this website disclaimer will protect Shanghai Mamas’ Committee, Members, Users, officers, administration and agents as well as Shanghai Mamas.
       
       
       
12. If any provision of this website disclaimer is, or is found to be, unenforceable under applicable law, that will not affect the enforceability of the other provisions of this website disclaimer.
    
    
    
13. This Shanghai Mamas Code of Conduct may be amended and changed without prior notice as voted upon by the Shanghai Mamas Committee. Any changes will be posted on our website for information.
    
    
    

(This website disclaimer is based on a precedent created by template-contracts.co.uk and published by http://www.freenetlaw.com)