Listserv Rules, Etiquette, and Conditions

Listservs and APA Communities discussion boards are provided by APA as a convenience to members who wish to participate in a professional forum. These are self-regulating communities and APA reserves the right to remove content, suspend or terminate participation of subscribers that are not recognizing these guidelines and conditions.

To report a subscriber that violates these rules, please send an email to [email protected] with the name of the Listserv as the email's subject, the email address of the user in question and the text of the messages you are reporting in the email body.

Rules

By using this Listserv or the APA Communities platform, participants agree to comply with the following Rules and agree that their failure to do so may result in sanctions, up to and including removal from the Listserv or platform. When in doubt as to whether a particular message complies with the Listserv Rules, contact the Listserv Administrator prior to distributing the message at [email protected].

• Rule 1: Subscribers will comply with all applicable U.S. law, will not use the forum for illegal purposes, including but not limited to defamation, violation of intellectual property laws, violation of antitrust or unfair competition laws, or violation of criminal laws.
  • Rule 1.1: It is usually acceptable to include a link to an article, while copying and pasting the actual text of the article may be in violation of copyright laws.
  • Rule 1.2: Professional associations such as the APA are, almost by definition, a group of competitors that has come together to pursue common interest. Where those common interests involve agreements on such terms of competition as rates charged, salaries paid, and standards applicable to members of the profession, the antitrust laws apply. Do not post any material that:
    1.  References specific fees charged or paid for professional services;
    2.  Discusses prices, discounts, terms or conditions of sale regarding medical suppliers or other vendors or terms and conditions of provider agreements relating to reimbursement levels, bonus payments, and other price or cost-related items;
    3. Addresses salaries or terms of employment;
    4.  Attempts to allocate patient markets or encourage collective or coercive activity regarding third party payers, hospitals, other health care providers, or suppliers;
    5.  Includes information that could otherwise be construed to impose a restraint on trade and inhibit free and fair competition;
    6.  Encourages or helps 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; and
    7.  Encourages or facilitates an agreement about 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 supplier.
• Rule 2: Subscribers shall not personally attack or make characterizations that question a person's motives, qualifications, or attributes. Abusive, profane, and threatening language is strictly prohibited.
  • Rule 2.1: Keep criticism on an objective, topic-focused basis that is factually verifiable. Robust debate is encouraged. Personal commentary about the character, competence or motive of another person is prohibited. Because negative statements that impugn someone's professional qualifications can cause substantial economic and emotional harm, this is an area for scrutiny. Remember that false statements that harm someone's reputation can be actionable as libel. APA reserves the right to edit or delete a post if there has been a severe violation of the guidelines.
• Rule 3: Subscribers shall not intentionally interfere with or disrupt other forum members, network services, or network equipment. This includes distribution of unsolicited advertisement or chain letters, and the propagation of computer worms or viruses.
• Rule 4: Subscribers shall not use the Listserv for commercial purposes, including all advertising, marketing, solicitation of business, vending, attempting to sell or promote products or services.
  • Rule 4.1: Avoid any posts which include advertisements for products or services, news of job listings or position openings, and direct solicitation of other subscribers to purchase products or services.
• Rule 5: Subscribers shall not forward or copy, in whole or in part, any messages or postings to others outside the Listserv.
  • Rule 5.1: Subscribers agree not to post to the Listserv personal correspondence that was sent outside of the Listserv without the express, written consent of every author and recipient of the correspondence being included in the post.
• Rule 6: Subscribers shall comply fully with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and applicable state and federal privacy laws. The Listserv is not the appropriate place to discuss individual patient cases.

Etiquette

Subscribers should follow the Listserv etiquette below.

1. Exercise common courtesy. The Listserv is meant to stimulate conversation, not to create contention. Use brevity and diplomacy in communications to be respectful of other Listserv subscribers.
2. Avoid off-topic posting. The Listserv should not be used as a personal blog. The Listserv is intended for distributing topic-related information that the list members as a group might benefit from sharing.
3. Do not include images or attachments unless necessary.
4. Avoid "me too," "thanks for the information," and other personal replies that should be directed to specific individuals, rather than to the entire list. Use your e-mail application's forwarding option and type or cut and paste the e-mail address of the individual to whom you want to respond.
5. Do not collect names or email addresses to be used for contacting any participant outside the Listserv.
6. State concisely and clearly the specific topic of your comments in the subject line.
7. Include a signature tag on your messages so that you can be immediately recognized by the community. A signature tag should include your full name, affiliation, and location.
8. Do not send administrative messages such as "Remove me from the list" through the Listserv. Please use the unsubscribe button in the footer of each e-mail.

Conditions

The Listserv is a service provided by APA in furtherance of its nonprofit and tax-exempt purposes. Messages posted to this Listserv are the opinions of the individual participants and should not be construed as official policy or opinion of the APA. By participating in this Listserv, you agree that APA is not liable for the opinions and information posted on the Listserv by others. APA disclaims all warranties regarding information posted on the Listserv, whether posted by APA or others, including all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness. In no event shall APA be liable for any special, indirect, or consequential damages, or damages of any kind 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 the Listserv.

APA reserves the right to deny, suspend, or terminate subscriptions at its discretion. Participants who violate any of the APA’s guidelines will be subject to the following disciplinary actions, in the following order:

• 1st violation - notification in writing (via email) that an offense has occurred, documentation has been made of the notification, and advise that a second offense will result in having posting privileges suspended.
• 2nd violation - notification in writing (via email) that the participants posting privileges have been suspended for ninety (90) days.
• 3rd violation - notification in writing (via email) that participant’s posting privileges have been permanently removed.

Should a participant violate the law, to include antitrust, IP, and defamation, they will be immediately and permanently removed.