In an effort to make your start on SCM a little easier, we've compiled some very helpful information about our forum. Please be sure to read this "handbook" to make your experience at SonomaCountyMom.com a little easier. If you have any questions at a later date, be sure to check our FAQ to see if your question is listed there. Otherwise, feel free to pm a Administrator or a Moderator.

When you first register at SCM, you will be an inactive user. You will receive an email from webmaster@sonomacountymom.com with activation codes which serves to confirm your email address. If you do not find the email in your inbox within 30 minutes of registering, please be sure to check your spam box as many standard email clients will move confirmation emails there. If it is not in your spam box, please add webmaster@sonomacountymom.com to your address book in your email client and contact Jackie (admin) to have the activation codes resent.

Once you have confirmed your email address, you will be able to post an introduction. We are big on safety here at SCM and ask that ALL new members visit the introductions forum to tell us a little about themselves. As with anything else you post online, only post the information you are comfortable sharing. Please bear in mind that the intros section is public and therefore can be indexed by search engines. We urge all of our members to maintain good judgement when posting anything online, especially regarding their families.

After you have posted an introduction many new forums will open for your viewing. You will officially be a Junior Member. Be sure to check out the following forums for some very helpful and up to date information:

1. New Member Discussions - Where you can go and ask any "newbie" type of questions that you need answers to. Ask anything, we'll answer!
2. The FAQ - pretty much anything that you will ask has probably been asked before. The most frequently asked questions are all listed in our FAQ which includes an easy search function to find the help you need as quickly as possible.
3. SCM News - SCM is a very fast paced community in that we are constantly running promos, have events going on, are making changes and upgrades and offering some exciting things for our members. Be sure to check out this forum for recent updates on the board.
4. Help Desk - If you are experiencing difficulties with the site, please post here and an admin or mod will be able to quickly assist you with your problem.

Become a Verified Member by participating in the board and posting a minimum of 50 times AND meeting up with one of our currently verified members. The purpose of these requirements are to keep a few certain forums of ours from being available to people we haven't met in person. You can visit our Public Events Calendar to search for upcoming Verification Playdates near you. Once you have met a the requirements, please visit your USER CONTROL PANEL and select the GROUP MEMBERSHIPS option on the bottom left. Select the radio button next to the "Verified Member" group and input the username of the person you have met. Please note that if you do not provide the username of the person you have met, you will not be approved for the verified forums. Verification can take up to 48 hours.

Join other Special Interest Groups through your USER CONTROL PANEL > GROUP MEMBERSHIPS menu. Other groups such as C-Section Support, Fitness Challenge 2007 and more are available to join. You may notice that certain groups require you to be verified first. Please see previous paragraph for information on becoming verified.

Becoming a Senior Member is very easy. There is an optional Senior Membership which you can purchase through your USER CP > Paid Subscriptions menu. The optional Senior Membership allows you to upload an avatar, a signature image, as well as access the Soap Box (debate) and Private (personal matters) Forums. This option becomes available after you have met the requirements and been approved for Verified Member status. Money brought into SCM through Senior Memberships is used to fund SCM events as well as purchase giveaways, etc, for our members.

As always, if you have any additional questions, please feel free to PM any of the staff at SCM:

Sara - Administrator

Marisa - Administrator