Code of Conduct

IARP Connect Rules & Etiquette

Thanks for being part of the IARP Connect community. To ensure the best possible experience for all IARP members, we have established some basic guidelines for participation.

By joining and using these discussion areas, you agree that you have read and will follow the rules and guidelines set for these peer discussion groups. You also agree to reserve list discussions for topics best suited to the medium. This is a great medium with which to solicit the advice of your peers, benefit from their experience, and participate in an ongoing conversation. Questions about IARP should be directed to our Member Services department.

Please take a moment to acquaint yourself with these important guidelines. If you have questions, contact the member services department. In order to preserve a climate that encourages both civil and fruitful dialogue, IARP reserves the right to suspend or terminate membership on all lists for members who violate these rules.

The Rules

  • Don't challenge or attack others. The discussions on the lists are meant to stimulate conversation not to create contention. Let others have their say, just as you may.
  • Don't post commercial messages on any IARP Connect discussion group. Contact people directly with product and service information if you believe it would help them. Use caution when discussing products. Information posted on the lists is available for all to see, and comments are subject to libel, slander, and antitrust laws.
  • All defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, or illegal materials are strictly prohibited. Do not post anything in a discussion message that you would not want the world to see or that you would not want anyone to know came from you.
  • Please note carefully all items listed in the disclaimer and legal rules below, particularly regarding the copyright ownership of information posted to the list.
  • Remember that IARP has the right to reproduce postings to any discussion group.
  • Send your message only to the most appropriate list(s). Do not spam several lists with the same message. All messages must add to the body of knowledge. IARP reserves the right to reject any message for any reason.

e-Group Etiquette

  • Include a signature tag on all messages. Include your name, affiliation, location.
  • State concisely and clearly the topic of your comments in the subject line. This allows members to respond more appropriately to your posting and makes it easier for members to search the archives by subject.
  • Include only the relevant portions of the original message in your reply. Delete any header information, and put your response before the original posting.
  • Only send a message to the entire list when it contains information that everyone can benefit from.
  • Send messages such as "thanks for the information" or "me, too" to individuals--not to the entire list. Do this by using the "Reply to Sender" link to the left of every message.
  • Do not send administrative messages, such as remove me from the list, through a discussion group. Instead, use the Web interface to change your settings or to remove yourself from a list. If you are changing e-mail addresses, you do not need to remove yourself from the list and rejoin under your new e-mail address. Simply change your settings.
  • Warn other list subscribers of lengthy messages either in the subject line or at the beginning of the message body with a line that says "Long Message".

The Legal Stuff

These discussion groups are provided as a service of IARP for the benefit of association members. IARP is NOT responsible for the opinions and information posted on this site by others. IARP disclaims all warranties with regard to information posted on this site, whether posted by IARP or any third party; this disclaimer includes all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness. In no event shall IARP 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.

Do not post any defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, or illegal materials. Do 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 he or she owns the copyright with respect to such material or has received permission from the copyright owner. In addition, the posting party grants IARP the nonexclusive right and license to display, copy, publish, distribute, transmit, print, and use such information or other material.

Messages should not be posted if they encourage or facilitate members to arrive at any agreement that either expressly or impliedly leads to price fixing, a boycott of another's business, or other conduct intended to illegally restrict free trade. Messages that encourage or facilitate an agreement about the following subjects are inappropriate: prices, discounts, or terms or conditions of sale; salaries; profits, profit margins, or cost data; market shares, sales territories, or markets; allocation of customers or territories; or selection, rejection, or termination of customers or suppliers.

IARP 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 inappropriate posting is brought to IARP’s attention, IARP will take all appropriate action.

IARP will adhere to the following "Three Strikes" Policy outlining consequences for participants who violate the Code of Conduct:

  •  Upon the first violation, the participant will receive a written warning from IARP staff or Board member.
       
  • A second violation will result in a three-month suspension from IARP Connect.
       
  • A third violation will result in immediate and permanent suspension of all IARP Connect privileges.

IARP reserves the right to terminate access to any user who does not abide by these guidelines.


Discussion Group Violation Procedure

1.Confidentiality

a.    It is imperative that the process for evaluating and deciding complaints is carried out in such a fashion so as to maintain the confidentiality of all parties.

b.    Decisions made are between the decision making body and the persons involved in the complaints-the decisions are not to be published or made part of the public record.

2.    Identifying Inappropriate Posts/Content

a.    Once a discussion group subscriber believes that a specific post has violated the discussion group Code of Conduct rules, the subscriber will provide written notice of a complaint to the chair of the appropriate section.  The complaint shall include the following:

i.    Name of the person filing complaint
ii.    A reference to the specific post in question
iii.    A specific description of which Code of Conduct rule has been violated and how the person believes the rule has been violated

b.    The Section chair (or his designee) may act as complainant and prepare a formal complaint when no formal complaint has been received from a subscriber.

3.    Initial Investigation and Decision

a.    Upon receipt of a complaint, the chair will review the complaint with staff and, with the assistance of staff, facilitate an investigation, as required.  The chair and staff will decide whether legal counsel will be involved in reviewing the complaint.  A copy of a complaint must be provided to the person alleged to have violated the code of conduct at the very beginning of the process.

b.    The chair will agenda the complaint to be heard by the entire board and an initial decision will be made regarding sanctions.

c.    Sanctions will be in accordance with the discussion group Code of Conduct that involves three strikes.
i.    Upon the first violation, the participant will receive a written warning from IARP staff or Board member.
ii.    A second violation will result in a three-month suspension from IARP Connect.
iii.   A third violation will result in immediate and permanent suspension of all IARP Connect privileges.

d.    In cases where the decision of the section board is to sanction adiscussion group subscriber, the chair of the section board will prepare a written notification to the offending subscriber summarizing the offense, the board’s decision, and the sanction imposed.

i.    A copy of the letter will be provided to the chair of the International Board of Directors and to the discussion group administrator.

e.    Upon written notification of a sanctioned offense, the discussion group post in question and all subsequent posts will be deleted by the system administrator.

f.    The system administrator shall keep a record of sanctions levied to ensure continuity in policy administration.

g.    In cases where the decision of the section board is that no offense has occurred that violates the discussion group Code of Conduct, the chair of the section board will provide a copy of the decision to the person accused of violating the Code of Conduct.

4.    Due Process

In all cases where a section board decides a complaint, either for or against sanctions, both parties, the person filing the complaint and the person posting the subject content have the right to appeal the section board’s decision.

Standards Compliance Review Board (SCRB)         

a.    If the person filing the appeal disagrees with the decision of the section board, the person may make a written request to the section board to have the decision reviewed by the IARP SCRB committee.

i.    The request for review should include a statement of why the person disagrees with the decision of the section board.

b.    The SCRB shall consider the same information reviewed by the section board, as well as information contained in the appeal request to have the complaint heard by the SCRB.

c.    Upon a decision from the SCRB, the chair of the SCRB will respond to the person making the appeal with the SCRB’s decision.

d.    The decision of the SCRB is final.