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EquineRepro Facebook Group

In 2013, recognizing the increased acceptance of social media, we introduced a "Facebook Group" version of the Yahoo! e-mail list. The advantage of this new location is not only that so many people use Facebook, but also that images can be added to illustrate answers or assist with questions. As ever, the possibility of ending up with a "flame war" fuelled, antagonistic environment exists, and - as with the e-mail list which has been a remarkable benign place to be - we will not allow that to happen!! Consequently, we have some pointers and guidelines that we will require people to abide by. If you are not yet a group member, the title above is linked to the Facebook page, so take a look and see if it may be of use to you! For those that do not "do" Facebook, the e-mail list is maintained, although since the formation of the FB group, levels of discussion have dropped dramatically.

The full group rules are visible as a "sticky" post at the top of the Facebook Group page, and as they can periodically be changed, it is always worth checking them. They can be viewed at this link.

The purpose of this group is to discuss various equine reproduction topics, including the collecting, evaluating, cooling/freezing and shipping of semen; artificial insemination; embryo transfer; and stallion and mare infertility issues. Please note that genetics discussion (such as color genetics) is not considered suitable for this list, as genetics is too large a subject and is deserving of a list of its own! As on Facebook (unlike bulletin boards) we are unable to edit posts, off-topic or inappropriate posts will simply be removed.

Non-commercial advertising (i.e. private sales) of equine reproduction related equipment for sale is permitted. Advertising of horses, stallions or other similar material is not permitted. Post will be removed, as may be the member posting such an item. Stallion (and/or commercial) advertising is specifically forbidden. This is to prevent the group simply becoming another place to promote stallions or sell horses - there are other Internet locations for that. On the morning I first wrote this, someone posted a stallion ad. for a " Stallion Special". They are no longer subscribed to the group! We don't put up the rules for someone to come along and flout them!! Note that gratuitous "name dropping" of stallions will be viewed in the same light. This group is here to discuss the technical aspects of breeding - there is no need to know what stallion specifically is being discussed (e.g. "my stallion Pony Boy always jumps on the breeding mount from the left..." - there's no need to name drop!). The other equally important aspect of not permitting any stallion names to be used anywhere is that it ensures an anonymous environment in which to discuss stallion and semen issues by either the stallion owner/manager or a mare-owning or veterinarian recipient.

This is an extension of the EquineRepro@yahoogroups.com e-mail list, although one can join either group without being a member of the other. Discussion of both groups is kept strictly on-topic! Some of you may not be familiar with the Yahoo list and the way that it has been run over the years, so I am going to outline a few extra points for your consideration. If you have not been involved with the Yahoo group (or even if you have!) please read this to help keep this group pleasant and useful. Experience tells us that the points below will make a difference in the long run, even if they initially appear restrictive!

Take the time to step away from the computer and think about your response if you feel that someone has been insulting or negative in a reply to a question. An unfortunate aspect of the Internet is that one cannot hear the tone in which something is written, so there is a danger of misinterpretation. If the post was truly insulting, it will probably already have been removed by the moderators by the time you calm down and return to the computer! Sniping or angry response simply ramps up the unpleasantness, and in time the entire group would become an unpleasant place to be - and that is NOT going to happen. People that are unable to behave in a polite pleasant manner will be removed. It's that simple! No warning - just *gone*! They'll still be able to read the posts because we are interested in dissemination of information, but will be unable to participate in discussion. Do be aware that there are always a few group members that are on the "watch list", so think about your responses - you have been warned this time!!

Finally, we have had several instances of original posters of a question that have deleted their first post. Unfortunately, with Facebook, once the OP deletes that post, the entire thread is removed. This results in two things: firstly, it removes the posts of other people in the thread that have taken the time and energy to respond to the OP's question. In some cases, a detailed response that has taken time to research and/or write has therefore been removed. This is pretty rude if one thinks about it! I know it annoys me if I take the time to respond to a question and then find my response and the entire thread is gone! I mentally say "OK - I'm not going to bother to respond to THAT person again"! The second aspect is that it removes valuable information that is available for others to read. The posts obviously remain here and are searchable, so over time they will build up as a valuable resource for breeders. Consequently, persons who are in the habit of removing posts for whatever reason (such as being corrected on something they have posted that was wrong for example) need to be aware that you run the risk of being (and probably will be) removed from the group. Consider this group to be a library, and if someone goes into a library and starts ripping pages out of books, they are going to be removed from the library in short order...!!

Many of the same rules as were written for the e-mail list also apply to the group, so it might be worth while taking a look at them too!

Thanks for your assistance in keeping the group a pleasant informative place to be! :)