To peacefully exist, every community must have guidelines. This goes for online communities, too, and these are the guidelines for Stitchin' Fingers: 

1. Spamming, Sales Pitches:

• Please do not advertise, spam, or post sales pitches to websites, shops, eBay, and the like in the public areas of the network. You may use your personal page to direct members to these places, but not the public areas on Stitchin' Fingers (groups, main forum, etc.)
• Repeated spamming will lead to permanent banning.
• If you wish to advertise for your textile-related website or shop on Stitchin' Fingers, see this information on advertising on the network.

2. Discussions & Content

• Title your subject clearly.
• Keep discussions on topic. If a discussion incites another topic, start a new discussion string.
• Avoid discussing personal issues in the public areas of the forum.
• Stitchin' Fingers is a Family Friendly Website. Do not post inappropriate material. This includes, but is not limited to, inappropriate or offensive language, and suggestive, sensual, or offensive images.

3. Photo Guidelines:

• To post photos on Stitchin' Fingers, follow these instructions.
• Please keep all photos related to the topic of textiles. Avoid posting photos of children, people, pets and the like, unless you are sharing some textile art in the same photo and can't avoid including, for example, your cat's face or your granddaughter in her smocked christening gown.
• Photos are limited to 5 uploads per day.
• Photos may be watermarked with your blog name or URL, website name or URL, company name, or personal name, for clarification of ownership. Photo watermarks should be discreet and not spammy.

4. Groups:

• Use  groups for technique-specific discussions.
• If you want to add a new group to Stitchin' Fingers, contact Mary Corbet. A group must include a willing, designated moderator who is responsible for monitoring the group and keeping it on topic.

3. Copyright:

• Observe copyright law at all times. Infringement will lead to being banned.

4. Blog Posting on Stitchin' Fingers:

• You may use the RSS feature to pull your blog posts from blogger, wordpress, and other blogging platforms into your own page on Stitchin' Fingers.
• Do not pull in other people's blogs, as this is republishing their material in a public space and a copyright infringement.

5. Activities

• Swaps, round robbins, stitch-a-longs, and challenges may be organized within Groups.
• Leaders of such activities should have experience with these activities.
• Leaders of such activities are responsible for organizing and following up on the activity.
• Mary Corbet (and all affiliated enterprises, including Stitchin' Fingers and Needle 'n Thread) assumes no responsibility for these activities, including swaps, exchanges, and round-robins that may go amuck or may not work out as expected.

6. Etiquette

• Abide by the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
• Deliberate meanness, rudeness, agressive behavior, inciting of controversy and the like are not tolerated, and those who thrive on such things will be banned.
• At the same time, remember that it is difficult to "read" people in an online environment, especially if you don't know the person. Try not to be overly sensitive, and avoid assuming the worst about others.
• Avoid using abbreviations, slang, and colloquialisms that may be misunderstood by those who do not speak your language.

7. Membership and Publicity

• Only members may participate on Stitchin' Fingers.
• Members are individually approved (to avoid spammers and the like).
• Although membership is necessary for participation, the network is public, and anyone can see what is written or posted on it. Be aware of this when you post photos, personal information, and the like.