IABC's E-mail Policies
IABC Members E-mail Policy
Overview and Background
Most organizations are in a period of transition today regarding how they manage and use e-mail and related technologies. IABC has faced issues with online postings in the MemberSpeak area of its Web site for a number of years. In the past, when this area of the site was open to the public, there were problems with vulgar postings. The association’s solution was to move this benefit to the member-only portion of the Web site after a lengthy absence of the forum altogether. To address issues related to e-mail usage, the board two years ago passed a policy concerning chapters’, districts’, regions’ and international’s publication of e-mail addresses. That policy, however, did not deal with individual members’ use of e-mail and web site tools. Recent problems have highlighted the need to spell out unacceptable use of IABC Internet tools and the consequences for inappropriate behaviors.
Examples of Inappropriate Use
During the past several years, the association has observed these types of inappropriate use of its Web site:
- Posting messages that included vulgar, inappropriate, and misleading messages
- Posting messages that could have been interpreted as official IABC messages
Other examples of inappropriate use that would be defined in a Web site usage policy are:
- Using member search to distribute unsolicited commercial e-mail (UCE), commonly known as “spam"
- Harvesting e-mail address or other contact information from www.iabc.com or any chapter or regional websites for purposes of distributing UCE
- Sending out any form of promotional communication to our members that implies endorsement by IABC, when no such endorsement exists
- Posting messages to any IABC online forum, including MemberSpeak: (a) to promote products or services not endorsed by IABC; and (b) that are threatening, profane or bigoted in nature
- Interfering with or “making mischief” via any present or future IABC online application
- Security breaches including but not limited to: password theft, password sharing, misrepresenting one’s identity via any present or future IABC online application
IABC’s Definition of UCE, a.k.a. “spam”
Because IABC is an association whose members depend on it for networking and support, our definition of UCE, a.k.a. “spam,” may differ from definitions used by commercial organizations. IABC defines UCE as unsolicited commercial e-mail that is sent:
- To recipients whom the sender does not know personally or with whom the sender does not have an Existing Business Relationship (an example of EBR: chapter leaders e-mailing their members, association members who provide services and who already have IABC members in their databases)
- As a mass-marketing type of communication that is not explicitly requested.
IABC Web Site User Conduct Policy
We respect and are committed to your privacy while on-line with IABC. At the same time, we recognize that as communicators and business people, you have a need to share information within the IABC networks. Sharing information is a major benefit of your IABC membership. This Web Site User Conduct policy states our guidelines for site usage, so that all users can have a quality experience online with us.
- You agree, as a user of our web site, to abide by all applicable local, state, national and international laws and regulations in your use of the IABC web site (“Service”), and agree not to interfere with the use and enjoyment of the Service by other users
- You agree to be solely responsible for your actions and the contents of your transmissions through IABC. You agree not to impersonate any person or entity, including but not limited to, an IABC official, forum leader, guide or host or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity
- You agree not to use the Service to collect or harvest personal information about other users
- You agree not to post, promote or transmit through the Service any unlawful, harassing, libelous, threatening, harmful, vulgar, hateful or otherwise objectionable material of any kind or nature
- You agree not to advertise or offer to sell any goods or services, or engage in surveys, post or transmit “junk mail”, “spam” or unsolicited mass distribution of e-mail.
IABC may, at its sole discretion, immediately terminate your access to the Service if your conduct fails to conform to these terms and conditions of the Terms. IABC may, but is not in any way obligated to, enforce these Terms against any user.
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IABC Entities E-mail Policy
In order to protect the privacy of members, IABC’s web site, www.iabc.com, will provide an “opt out” option allowing members to opt out of e-mail communications. This may include e-mail from IABC about IABC activities or from IABC about other organizations. E-mail addresses for members who “opt out” may not be used for future e-mail communications, based on the opt-out option they choose:
- Opt out of receiving all IABC information.
- Opt out only of receiving information about other organizations.
- Opt out of being listed in the online directory.
Members are encouraged to use www.iabc.com to register their opt-out requests in order to reduce the workload for chapters and regions. International will provide a means for chapter leaders to get up to date opt-in/out lists from the www.iabc.com site.
No IABC entity, including International, chapters or regions, is allowed to publish its members’ e-mail addresses in printed directories or in a visible format on its web site unless such a directory is 100% opt-in, meaning that no member is included in same until they have given the IABC entity explicit permission to do so.
IABC will provide blind links to members’ e-mail addresses to facilitate networking, as currently provided on Member Search. Regions and chapters may do the same.
No IABC entity may sell, trade or give away to an outside organization member information that includes e-mail addresses. Any IABC entity may send an e-mail to its members on behalf of another organization, subject to the opt-out option #2 outlined above for third-party communications.
IABC chapters, districts or regions will communicate with their members by using the “E-mail my chapter” feature, which will be available on the Chapter Management section of the web site. By using this feature, chapter, district or regional leaders will be able to send e-mails that will appear to be addressed to only one recipient so that chapter-wide e-mails will not include e-mail addresses of every member in the “to” field.
While we realize this policy won’t solve member problems with spamming from other organizations, it does ensure that IABC entities are not responsible for generating spam for members.
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