Code of Conduct

Effective Date: May 3, 2015

CysticFibrosis.com is a worldwide community combining different cultures, nationalities and age groups. Each member brings the community different personal experiences, viewpoints, education, knowledge and motivation to participate.

In order to establish the ground rules of community interaction and to encourage member participation, CysticFibrosis.com has implemented a Code of Conduct.

These rules are intended to provide a safe, interactive and educational space for all community members.

All members of CysticFibrosis.com are expected to be familiar with, and abide by the Code of Conduct. Failure in following these guidelines can result in locked/deleted topics, temporary membership suspension or permanent membership suspension.

These guidelines apply to all content posted to the site, including text, links, photos and videos.

Why Is There a Code of Conduct?

Each community member has their own view of the world. As a result, certain topics may evoke strong responses or strong reactions from members. This is especially true of emotionally difficult issues and controversial topics. Some examples include:

• Pregnancy
• Transplantation
• Specific Treatment Options
• Morbidity/Mortality
• Lifestyle Choices
• Religion
• Politics
• Illegal Drug Use

Many of these topics may spark and suggest member misconduct. When encountering a controversial or emotionally difficult topic, adhering to the Code of Conduct becomes very important.

The effects of posting and responding with disregard can be very serious and devastating to many individuals. Please be empathetic and respectful to the feelings of others.

Remember To:

• Use good judgment, use good taste when discussing sensitive topics.
• Behave ethically.
• Respect others’ opinions.
• Remember you are in a public: the information you post can be seen by anyone.
• Use acceptable language: mild expletives and nonsexual anatomical references are allowed in the community areas. However, strong vulgar language or crude sexual references are not appropriate.
• Always give credit by citing the source when posting content that is not yours  whether copyrighted or someone’s personal material.

Remember Not To:

• Harass, act unkindly verbally attacking or threaten others.
• Pretend to be someone you are not or claim false credentials.
• Post or link to content that is obscene or otherwise objectionable.
• Use the community for commercial or advertising purposes.
• Believe everything you read postings may be inaccurate or inappropriate for you and should not be taken as medical advice.
• Engage in, link to, or promote illegal activities or content.
• Post personal information about someone else.
• Post Solicitations, advertisements, surveys, and requests for money or donations from any corporation, persons or subjects without the consent of CysticFibrosis.com

Prohibited Content

When interacting in the Cysticfibrosis.com community, the following are prohibited and will be edited, deleted and/or locked at CysticFibrosis.com’s discretion. Member warnings and temporary or permanent banning may occur as a result of:

• Abusive, defamatory/obscene language
• Inaccurate information
• Copyrighted material (including news articles and research material) without consent from CysticFibrosis.com and the originator of the material.
• Sexually explicit images and/or content
• Violating a member’s identity and integrity
• Threats of violence
• De-railed or hijacked posts – the original post/content or intent has lost its focus, and members persist and engage in harsh response.
• Solicitations, advertisements, surveys, and requests for money or donations from any corporation, persons or subjects without the consent of CysticFibrosis.com

Code of Conduct Enforcement

1.If a topic or discussion does not follow the Code of Conduct, the moderator will edit or delete the content. A warning may be issued.
2. Members will be given a time out or permanently banned at the discretion of the CysticFibrosis.com administration.

How to Report Abuse

If you have an issue or a complaint with a particular topic or member, we encourage you to:

• Use the Report a Member Function located in the Forums.
• Report to the CysticFibrosis.com Moderators: info@CysticFibrosis.com

Changes in Policy

As new situations come to our attention we may find it necessary to alter or expand our Code of Conduct policies.

This ‘Code of Conduct’ may have changes without notification. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the forum members to read the ‘Code of Conduct’ periodically.