How to use the message boards

Once you have successfully completed the form you will be asked to choose a membername. Your membername will appear on all messages that you post so it is a good idea to pick a name which is different to your real name.

You will see confirmation of your membername onscreen but you will still have to activate your account before you can use any member-only areas of the site.

As soon as you have joined you will be sent an activation email. Click on the link within this email to verify your email address and activate your account.

If you would like to add another membername you can do so by clicking here.

If you have problems joining or activating your account please contact our Customer Service department for help www.ivillage.co.uk/feedback.

Terms Of Service
At iVillage, our goal is to provide a safe, friendly community where members can find the information and support they need. When you join, you agree to abide by our Terms Of Service.

Members who break our TOS will be sent warnings and will automatically be banned on their third warning. iVillage reserves the right to terminate your membership at any time and without warning to you. For a more user friend version of our TOS please read the Rules Of Play, plus our Dos & Don'ts.

Finding the right board
At iVillage we have more than 150 message boards. To make it easier for you to find what you are looking for we have divided them into categories eg Diet & Fitness, Pregnancy & Baby.

Some boards appear in more than one category. You can find a list of all the categories in our Community Café. Alternatively use the Show me boards about search function at the bottom of the page.

Main page
The main page of each message board lists the board title, an introduction to the community and the name of the Community Leader or Leaders who host it.

In the light blue area at the top of the board, you will see the board title and above that you will see a welcome message. If you are logged in you will be greeted by your membername. If you are not logged in you will be greeted by the word 'Welcome' and a log in button. Once you log in you will see five links - my profile, favourite boards, board settings, my digests and log out.

Below the introduction to the board you will find a search field, an advanced search link and a show me drop down. The lower portion of the board lists the titles of messages posted to the board.

On the right hand side of the page you will see small envelopes next to messages, or discussions with messages, that you haven't read.

At the bottom of the board you will find a list of related boards in the purple box; these are other boards which we think will be of interest to you.

What is a CL?
CL stands for Community Leader - the name given to a member of iVillage who has volunteered to lead or 'host' a message board for us. You can recognise a CL by the cl- tag before his or her membername. Eg cl-welcome.

It is a CL's job to greet new visitors and extend the famous, warm welcome for which iVillage is renowned. While our CLs have a passion for their boards they are not experts or specialists in the subjects they cover, NOR are they obliged to reply to or enter into off-line email conversations with iVillage members.

CL positions do not come up often at iVillage.co.uk, but if you would like to be considered please send an email including your name, membername, the names of the boards you regularly post on and your phone number to
CLapplications@email.ivillage.co.uk.