Code of Conduct
Overview
The goals of the AVAHO Connect app and AVAHO website are to assist our members in personal and professional pursuits, to help maintain friendships and connections formed, to build strong and mutually beneficial ties between all members, to promote goodwill in the community, and to stimulate interest and enhance involvement with our organization through increased opportunities for engagement.
In order to meet these goals, it’s important for members to feel like they are in a safe place that is populated by people with shared interests. As such, we request that you read and adhere to the guidelines that follow. This Code of Conduct applies to anywhere on the AVAHO Connect app and AVAHO website where a user can enter and submit text (Discussions, comments, Member profile, etc).
- You are responsible for the content of your contributions.
- Comments and Discussions are visible to anyone who is an AVAHO Member and has downloaded the AVAHO Connect app.
- Every contribution is welcome and valued for its content. This forum allows every member to have a say, which may bring out many different ideas and viewpoints.
- In order to play a positive and meaningful part in the discussion, members should engage in respectful and courteous communication at all times, avoiding insults, harassment, or demeaning language.
- A moderator monitors the Forums to ensure compliance with AVAHO's Code of Conduct.
- In order to provide a consistent experience for our members, if a discussion or comment does not meet the expectations outlined in our Code of Conduct and Terms of Service, they will be moderated appropriately.
- This moderation occurs in areas where a user can enter and submit text (Discussions, comments, Member profile, etc), keeping the app safe and appropriate for all participants.
- Sanctions may be issued in the event the behavior is repeated or the member has a history of rule violations in our forums.
- Posting about, or in response to, forum moderation is not permitted and will be moderated appropriately.
- In the event your discussion and/or comment is moderated and you disagree with this action, please submit an appeal to admin@avaho.org.
- By logging onto the app and activating your profile, you are considered to be in agreement with the terms and conditions listed in our Code of Conduct and Terms of Service.
- By posting in our app, you have made a choice to actively engage in discussion with other AVAHO Members. While you are not obligated to reply, by posting comments anywhere in our app you understand you are participating in a discussion forum and may receive replies from other members of the AVAHO community.
Forum Etiquette
The following suggestions and tips exist to help keep the app and forums respectful and constructive.
- Before Posting: Read through the pinned posts in each discussion (especially Welcome to the Forums! posts) and the other participant's comments before posting a comment.
- Use the Search feature to see if someone has already posted a discussion about a topic before starting your own.
- Always respect the views of other participants even if you do not agree with them.
- Be constructive. It's okay to disagree with other forum participants, however please keep your comments polite and constructive should a disagreement arise.
- Always keep things civil. It is important to keep the comments focused on the issues rather than letting it deteriorate into personal insults.
- If you feel that someone has insulted you, report their comment to the moderator. Do not perpetuate the dispute. The moderator will take a look at the comment in question and decide whether it should be removed.
- Use messaging responsibly. These tools are intended to keep members in touch with one another, to help facilitate networking and to promote common interests. Some examples might include:
- Inviting local area members to a networking event or to join a local runners club.
- Helping to coordinate a virtual meet-up.
- Reaching out to individual members for advice, to reconnect, or share resources.
- Stay on topic. These forums have been created for a specific purpose.
- Please do your best to communicate the topic through your discussion title and avoid one-word titles, as they may be too vague. Having descriptive titles helps other AVAHO Members identify a topic they may be interested in and encourages the conversation to continue.
- Discussions within a forum should be open to discussion for everyone. Private/specific group discussions are best suited for private/group messages.
- Please do not treat the AVAHO forums like your private personal blog or social media account.
- Remember to turn off the "CAPS LOCK" before posting. Writing in ALL CAPS is the equivalent of SHOUTING at the person reading your post, and may be offensive.
- A forum of 'ALL CAPS' discussion titles is a forum where everyone shouts at or over each other. It is neither professional or enjoyable.
- Choose one community under which you would like to post, and do not cut and paste the same discussion/comment into lots of different discussions/communities.
- These will be considered spam and are subject to moderation.
- Refrain from reviving significantly old discussions unless the content is relevant and constructive.
- Threads in discussion forums often come to their natural conclusion and fall behind as more active discussions receive replies. Reviving old discussions by posting in them ("bumping") for the sake of doing so is considered spam. However, we understand that discussions may be relevant to someone seeking help, and these instances are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
- Do not be a “troll.” Trolls intentionally incite annoyance or offense. They do not participate constructively and do not add any value to the forum.
- Do not bully, harass or threaten other AVAHO members or staff. If another participant proffers an opinion that you don't agree with, you have no right to demand that they support their position with a detailed reply. They do not have to respond to your questions. It is up to each individual to participate in the forum as much or as little as they wish.
- Please respect the moderators. Their job is to keep the forum safe and constructive so that everybody gets an opportunity to have their say.
Moderation Rules
Discussions and/or Comments that violate AVAHO's Terms of Use, Code of Conduct, or that are unlawful may be moderated in accordance with the moderation rules set out on this page. Corrective action is at the discretion of our Membership & Community team.
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Hate speech and discrimination is strictly prohibited. Do not post anything that could be considered promoting or inciting intolerance of a person's race, culture, appearance, gender, sexual preference, religion, age, or disability.
- Members must respect the privacy of others and not share personal information without consent.
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Do not be obscene and do not use foul language. AVAHO is a professional, non-profit organization, and we want all of our members to be able to use our website and app from home, work, school, university or wherever they may be. Sharing explicit, adult, or NSFW (not safe for work) content is not permitted. Disguising swear words by deliberately misspelling them doesn't make them any less offensive.
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Do not personally insult or harass other users. Always focus on the logic of the argument, rather than the individuals involved in the argument. Participants in a discussion are entitled to choose not to enter into debate with you. When offering criticism, it should be constructive and aimed at helping and improving, rather than disparaging or belittling.
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Do not spam, post or link to any inappropriate, offensive or illegal material. Excessive posting of self-promotional material, spam, or irrelevant content is prohibited.
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Do not promote self-harm, suicide, violence or criminal activity of any kind.
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The use of emoji or images to convey inappropriate meaning consistent with the rules outlined above will also be moderated.
- When sharing information or content from other sources, members should credit the original source and ensure its credibility. This includes educational materials, news, peer-reviewed articles, etc.
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Ensure comments seek to address the topic or focus of the discussion at hand. Users which intentionally distract from or ignore the discussion topic may have their comments treated as off-topic and removed.
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Please do not raise concerns about the moderation on the forums. Please direct any queries regarding moderation directly to AVAHO staff at admin@avaho.org, or use our Contact Us form.
Sanctions
Violation of the moderation rules may result in:
- Removal of comment — any comment that, in the view of the moderators, violates the rules will be removed.
- Temporary suspension — a member who repeatedly violates the moderation rules may be suspended from access to the app as determined by the moderators. The suspension period will reflect both the severity and consistency of the violation.
- Permanent suspension — a member who continues to violate the moderation rules following reinstatement after a period of suspension may have their access to the app permanently revoked.
- Automatic blocking — a participant who posts or links to inappropriate, offensive or illegal material will have their access to the app immediately revoked.