|
General Category
The General Category is intended as a space for us to come together to communicate about non-adoption related topics, to work through some of our differences, to blow off steam about situations in our lives, to enjoy some fun and games together, and to share a bit more “intimately” through journaling or sharing the stories of our own paths.
Adopted & Fostered Adult Support Category
The Adopted & Fostered Adult Support Category is intended as a support space for members who were fostered or adopted as children. While we do not place restrictions on who can post on these forums, we do ask that other members of the triad think carefully before “challenging” a poster on these forums. These are geared towards support of adoptees and fostered adults, not as a space to challenge them for their feelings, views, outlooks or ideas. The rule “if you cannot say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” is not strictly enforced here, but it is implied. Moderation on these forums will lean heavily in favor of the adoptees/fostered adults. Members posting on these forums who hold multiple positions in the triad are asked to remember that while your experience and point of view from another side of the triad may be useful to other adoptees/fostered adults, threads on the Adopted & Fostered Adult Support Category may not always be the best place to share your experience or point of view from another triad position.
Adoption Support Category
The Adoption Support Category is intended as a support space for members who are adopting or have adopted a child/children. While we do not place restrictions on who can post on these forums, we do ask that other members of the triad think carefully before “challenging” a poster on these forums. These are geared towards support of adoptive parents and prospective adoptive parents, not as a space to challenge them for their feelings, views, outlooks or ideas. The rule “if you cannot say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” is not strictly enforced here, but it is implied. Moderation on these forums will lean heavily in favor of the adoptive parents. Members posting on these forums who hold multiple positions in the triad are asked to remember that while your experience and point of view from another side of the triad may be useful to other adoptive parents, threads on the Adoption Support Category may not always be the best place to share your experience or point of view from another triad position.
Families of Origin Category
The Families of Origin Category is intended as a support space for members who belong to the family of origin. While we do not place restrictions on who can post on these forums, we do ask that other members of the triad think carefully before “challenging” a poster on these forums. These are geared towards support of bio/birth/first parents and families, not as a space to challenge them for their feelings, views, outlooks or ideas. The rule “if you cannot say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” is not strictly enforced here, but it is implied. Moderation on these forums will lean heavily in favor of the family of origin. While SofA recognizes that many families of origin and adoptees consider the adoptee to actually be a part of the family of origin, for clarification of these guidelines only, we define “family of origin” to mean parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts/uncles, cousins and other extended family of a child who was relinquished - not the child themselves. Members posting on these forums who hold multiple positions in the triad are asked to remember that while your experience and point of view from another side of the triad may be useful to other families of origin, threads on the Families of Origin Category may not always be the best place to share your experience or point of view from another triad position.
Foster Support Category
The Foster Support Category is intended as a support space for members who are fostering or have fostered a child/children. While we do not place restrictions on who can post on these forums, we do ask that other members of the triad think carefully before “challenging” a poster on these forums. These are geared towards support of foster parents and prospective foster parents, not as a space to challenge them for their feelings, views, outlooks or ideas. The rule “if you cannot say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” is not strictly enforced here, but it is implied. Moderation on these forums will lean heavily in favor of the foster parents. Members posting on these forums who hold multiple positions in the triad are asked to remember that while your experience and point of view from another side of the triad may be useful to other foster parents, threads on the Foster Support Category may not always be the best place to share your experience or point of view from another triad position.
Fertility, Pregnancy & TTC Support Category
The Fertility, Pregnancy & TTC Support Category is intended as a space to offer support and assistance to those facing fertility issues, planned and unplanned pregnancies and those trying to conceive. Members on these forums hail from all sides of the adoptive/foster plane. Moderation on these forums will lean heavily in favor of the topic originator.
Building a Bridge Across the Plane Category
The Building a Bridge Across the Plane Category is, as it implies, a space for communication to take place between all sides of the triad. We are each touched by adoption differently, even from within the same point on the adoptive plane. Moderation on these forums does not deliberately favor any “side” of the triad, but rather favors the topic originator. Rather than being a space dedicated to support as so many others are, this category is intended for dialogue and even debate. While posts are expected to remain respectful, some degree of latitude for “heated” responses is given here.
Reviews Category
The Reviews Category is a space to share your thoughts and experiences with adoption agencies, products, movies, books and the like. Members on this forum hail from all sides of the adoptive plane. When posting a review of an agency, product, movie, book, etc. we ask that you speak from a space of your own experience, rather than speaking from a space of “fact.” This is especially important for the agency review threads. Members are expressing their own opinions based on their own experiences with the agencies. Their opinions are not indicitive in any way of the site, site owner’s or staff’s opinion of any agency. All comments made on these forums reflect opinions, not verifiable/verified facts.
Of Interest To All Category
The Of Interest To All Category is, as the name implies, a space geared towards all positions in the triad. While “Adoption in the Media” generally deals specifically with adoption-related topics, the other forums are not adoption-specific. These are spaces where we discuss our spiritual beliefs, and even the challenges we face as parents. It does not matter “how” you came to be a parent, all are welcome to share their parenting experience and tips with other members. It does not matter what your spiritual beliefs may or may not be, all are welcome to share their spirituality-related thoughts. Because spirituality can be a difficult topic for some, our suggestion for these forums is similar to our suggestion for the Support forums listed above. The rule “if you cannot say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” is not strictly enforced here, but it is implied. Moderation on these forums will lean heavily in favor of the members posting on their own religion/spirituality’s forum and/or the topic originator. In other words, if you believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster’s role as the ultimate Divine Being, please don’t go on the Magrathea Planet Builder’s forum and tell them to stop obsessing about mice and Deep Thought. 
The Aftermath Category
The The Aftermath Category is intended as a supportive space for those dealing with negative personal experiences with adoption. Specific positions on the adoptive plane may vary, but members on these forums are generally sharing ways in which adoption has negatively impacted their lives. While we do not place restrictions on who can post on these forums, we do ask that members think carefully before “challenging” a poster on these forums. These are geared towards support of those who have had a negative experience with adoption or a negative outlook on adoption, not as a space to challenge them for their feelings, views, outlooks or ideas. Moderation on these forums will lean heavily in favor of the topic originator. The majority of posts/forums/categories on Soul of Adoption relate to positive experiences/views of adoption. The Aftermath Category is not the appropriate place for sharing positive experiences/views of adoption unless you are specifically invited to do so by the topic originator. Please do not deliberately begin an “adoption is positive” thread on this forum as a way of circumventing the intentions of the guidelines for this category just so you can be “the topic originator.” We will consider this to be a willful disregard for our posting guidelines and you will be moderated.
Site Administration Category
The Site Administration Category is a space where all things relating to the basic functioning of this site are discussed, explored and explained. It is important for members to check the “Forum Administration and Announcements” forum periodically, as this is where we announce major changes to the site, outages, changes in policy, the Terms of Service, etc. This category is also the place to come if you have technical questions or suggestions. We encourage members to explore the FAQ forum for information about using the site, and invite suggestions for how we can improve!
|
