GCSAA Online Forum Policy
GCSAA's online discussion forums are provided as a service of GCSAA and are intended to provide GCSAA members the opportunity to communicate with their peers. As such, all discussion forums and chat areas will be restricted to association members only.
GCSAA accepts no responsibility for the opinions and information posted on this site by others. GCSAA disclaims all warranties with regard to information posted on this site, whether posted by GCSAA or any third party; this disclaimer includes all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness. In no event shall GCSAA be liable for any special, indirect or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data or profits, arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of any information posted on this site.
The following are the established guidelines for communication and management of GCSAA's online forum services:
General content guidelines. As GCSAA is a professional association, Members should participate in discussions in a professional manner. Members must not post any defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive or illegal information or materials. Additionally, members should maintain the integrity of discussions by posting only responses relating to the initial discussion topic or a subsequent response arising through the conversation. The Membership Chairman or designee(s) shall hold the final decision on the appropriateness of information and materials posted.
Commercial Information. Members must not post any excessively commercial information or materials. Commercial information is considered acceptable only if it is posted in response to a member's message and does not compare one product with another. In addition, messages should not be posted if they encourage or facilitate members to arrive at any agreement which either expressly or impliedly leads to price fixing, a boycott of another's business, or other conduct which is intended to restrict free trade.
Anonymous postings. If a member would like to share sensitive information, but believes that it may result in personal or professional consequences if his name is revealed, the member may contact the Director of Membership, who will work with the Membership Committee chairman or designee(s) to post the message for the member.
Copyright guidelines. Members also must not post any information or other material protected by copyright without the permission of the copyright owner. By posting material, the posting party warrants and represents that it owns the copyright with respect to such material or has received permission from the copyright owner. In addition, content from these forums may not be reproduced, published or otherwise widely disseminated, by GCSAA or any other third party, without the express permission of the individual author(s) involved.
Employment postings. In addition, because the association has set in place procedures to protect members from unethical position announcements, GCSAA's discussion forums and chat rooms may not be used to post employment advertisements of any kind. If you wish to advertise an available position, please use the Employment Referral Service or contact the professional development and career assistance group for more information. Internship advertisements are free of charge, and can be posted by filling out the Student Intern Request form. If you are seeking a position, you may wish to search the Employment Referral Service or see GCSAA's free internship listing.
Inappropriate postings. GCSAA does not actively monitor the site for inappropriate postings, and does not on its own undertake editorial control of postings. However, in the event that any questionable discussion forum posting is brought to GCSAA's attention, it will be forwarded to the Membership Committee chairman or designee(s), who will review the material in accordance with these guidelines and make a determination on its appropriateness.
Should it be determined that a member's posting is inappropriate (for example, contains abusive or profane language), then the member will receive either a written request to edit their material or GCSAA’s removal of the offending post and a written warning advising them of the violation. If the level of offense warrants, immediate revocation of the member's access privileges to the site's forums may be considered.
A second such determination of inappropriate material or information will result in the immediate loss of such access for one month.
A third such determination of inappropriate material or information will result in the immediate loss of such access for a year or other period determined by the Membership Chairman or designee(s).
The GCSAA Membership Committee will oversee the GCSAA Universal Appeals process for any member wishing to appeal the determination of their materials or information as inappropriate. If a member wishes to begin the appeal process, the member should submit a written request via email or USPS to the following:
By email: Director of Membership
By mail: GCSAA
Attn: Director of Membership
1421 Research Park Drive
Lawrence, KS 66049
In the most inappropriate and severe cases, a member's conduct on the forum may be considered a violation of the GCSAA Code of Ethics.
Members who object to a particular posting should contact GCSAA’s New Media Team at (800) 472-7878 or webstaff@gcsaa.org to register a complaint.
Member accountability. Members are accountable for all activities and postings made by individuals gaining access to Members Only features of the Web site using their username and password, or registering for access with their member number.
Staff involvement. GCSAA staff members will not participate in the discussion forums or chat rooms.
However, when appropriate, certain staff members may post messages to:
- Respond to procedural questions.
- Provide factual information that clarifies or enhances existing discussions.
- Seek information needed to conduct association business.
- Generate discussion on GCSAA programs and services.
Staff members will not respond to postings that require discussion or interpretation of GCSAA policies or that are outside of their areas of responsibility. In these cases, staff members will work with the appropriate parties to post a response.
Message archiving. To keep the content fresh and download speeds to a minimum, GCSAA will regularly archive messages. Messages will remain on the forums for 45 days before archiving. This procedure may be modified if the level of activity on a particular forum warrants it.
Simultaneous chat. Simultaneous chat is offered as an additional forum service for members who would like to discuss and exchange ideas in a real-time, interactive setting. Chat sessions are fleeting and cannot be edited or saved for later retrieval. To preserve the integrity of GCSAA chat sessions, members are asked to abide by the same policies and standards of conduct as those guiding participation in the discussion forum area. GCSAA reserves the right to suspend access privileges to its forum services if violations to these guidelines are brought to GCSAA's attention.
New discussion forums and formats. New discussion forums and formats will be added when member registration and activity on existing sites warrants it, and such services can be offered in a cost-effective manner.
GCSAA reserves the right to terminate access to any user who does not abide by these guidelines.