Marrowforums members can help patients of bone marrow failure diseases find effective treatment, survive, thrive, and enjoy their lives, and help family members support patients in those efforts. The rules were developed with these purposes in mind.

Most of the rules are about posting in the forums. Please review them before posting.

We may not see every post in the forums. We ask you to report problems that you notice. By letting us know when you see problems, you are helping all other members and site visitors.

One simple guideline should cover all of your posts:

• Be helpful, polite, considerate, and respectful of others, just as you would like others to be.

The remaining rules and guidelines are to maintain order and to let site visitors and members get the most out of the site. Forum Rules apply to all forum posts, as well as signatures, Private Messages, Personal Profile pages, and any other content you post or provide.

1. Rules: In addition to following these rules, you must observe the Registration Agreement that you accepted when you registered.
2. Courtesy: Treat others with courtesy. Avoid insults, profanity, "shouting" (LIKE THIS!!!), racial, ethnic, cultural, or other forms of intolerance, or any form of harassment. Do not purposely provoke or annoy other members.
3. On-topic: Keep your posts relevant to the topic of the thread. If if you have a different topic to discuss, start a new thread in the appropriate forum.
4. Advertising: Use of the forums for commercial advertising is prohibited, as is using the forums for any other form of personal or business profit or gain, or to promote a particular commercial business or service. If you want to announce a promote a fundraiser related to bone marrow failure diseases, check with an administrator first.
5. Proselytizing: Marrowforums is not the place to try to persuade others of your particular political or religious beliefs. Each of us is entitled to make those personal decisions for ourselves, and to have those choices respected. The same applies to controversial topics such as stem cell research and euthanasia.
6. Free speech: The rules are not designed to censor opinions or promote the views of the site owners. However, keep in mind that you are a guest on a private website, so we reserve the right to remove content that interefers with the goals of the site.
7. Re-registration: If your membership is canceled, you may not re-register under another name.

If you have questions or comments about the Forum Rules, see the Contact page. In particular:

• For general comments about Forum Rules, see the Site Comments section.
• For questions/complaints about a particular thread or post that was changed or removed, see the Private Messages section.

1. Search first: Before starting a new thread on a topic that may have been discussed before, browse or search the forums to see if there is already a thread on that topic. Your question may have already been addressed, so you won't have to wait for an answer.
   For example, if you want to discuss side effects of the drug prednisone, browse or search for threads with the word "prednisone" in the title. A thread you find may answer your question or cover the subject you want to discuss. We may combine threads on the same topic, to make them more useful and easier to find.
2. Posting: You can make a post using either the Post Reply button or the Quote button. Use Quote when replying to a specific previous post. Otherwise, use Post Reply.
3. Double-posting: Choose the most-appropriate forum when starting a thread. If you have a choice, pick one forum and do not start the same thread more than once. We routinely remove duplicate threads.

   Choose the most-appropriate thread when making a post. If you have a comment that applies to one or more threads, pick one of them.

4. Thread titles: When starting a thread, use a topic that indicates the specific subject. This helps members know if the thread is of interest, and is especially important when other members do a search the forums by thread title. If you choose a poor title for your thread, the administrators may rename it.
    
   Examples of good titles:
    
   
   • What's the difference between RBC and HGB?
   • Looking for a treatment center in Tennessee
   
   Examples of poor titles:
    
   
   • A quick question
   • Need help

For more posting tips, see the Posting FAQ.

If you are unsure how to post or have problems using the forums, read the Frequently-Asked Questions pages or contact us.

If you observe a thread or post that violates the rules, or think that another member is habitually causing problems, please do the following:

1. Click the Send Alert Message icon next to a forum post to send an Alert Message to the administrators.
2. Fill in the message box with an explanation of the problem.
3. When you use the Send Alert Message icon, the post number is automatically sent to the administrator along with your message. Otherwise, or if you are reporting a thread, a member, or a post other than one you clicked next to, please identify the thread, post, or member involved in your message.
4. Click the Send button. Your Alert Messages will be sent privately to the administrators.
5. Refrain from posting in response to a post that violates rules. Let the administrators resolve the problem. That's their job.

You will not receive a reply when you send an Alert Message. If you have a comment, question, suggestion, or complaint for which you would like a reply, send a Private Message to a particular administrator (see the Contact page).

Unwanted advertising and messages with promotional links (spam) are a problem for every forum system. Most spam is created by "bots", automated software created for this unscrupulous purpose.

If you see spam, please report it to us. We remove spam on a regular basis to keep the forums free of advertising. Please do not post in spam threads.

Rule enforcement is one of the jobs of the adminstrators. Here is what happens when an administrator receives an Alert Message about a forum problem:

1. If the alert is about spam, the administrator will delete it.
2. If a post needs editing because of a mistake or minor problem, the administrator will edit it.
3. If a thread or post is inappropriate, the administrator will remove it. If other members have already posted in response, those posts may be removed as well. The administrator may send a reminder or warning message to a member who isn't following the forum rules.
4. Otherwise, if the administrator decides that no action is required, no changes will be made.

The rules and you: You are responsible for all of your own posts and for nobody else's posts. If somebody else breaks the rules, that does not permit you to do the same or to respond in kind. Instead, alert an administrator.

If an administrator removes or edits one of your posts (other than to make a helpful correction they think you will appreciate), it was for a reason in accordance with the rules. The reason for the edit will often be shown under the post. If you aren't sure why, review these rules since one of them applies. If you are still unsure, send a Private Message to an administrator.

Membership cancelation: The administrators may cancel the membership of a member who violates the most serious rules, repeatedly violates minor rules, ignores reminders or warnings, wastes the time of other members or the administrators, or shows disregard for the purpose of the site. Making sure that the majority of members get the most possible out of Marrowforums is more important that making accommodations for a particular member who is uncooperative. The final decision is up to the administrators.