ALZConnected Community Guidelines

ALZConnected Moderator 2

ALZConnected Community Guidelines_2023.pdf

COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

Purpose of Community

ALZConnected® is an online community where people can come together to share questions, experiences, and receive support from others impacted by Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. This community is intended to provide peer-to-peer support in a safe and welcoming environment where members feel connected and understood. We encourage you to be a part of this growing community of strength and support.

Peer Volunteers

The Peer Volunteer Program is designed to provide ALZConnected with a group of seasoned community members to help welcome, guide, and support all members of the community. Peer Volunteers are helpful guides who have been in or are in your situation. They serve as volunteers to welcome you, to route you to the best place for your question or concern, to support you, and to help keep ALZConnected an engaging and helpful online community.

Community Guidelines

The Association reserves the right to edit and/or delete posts or remove member access to ensure the integrity of this service. We can remove any content from your post if we believe the statement(s) violate our guidelines, have a negative impact on the health of the community, and/or inhibit other member’s ability to use ALZConnected to get information and support. Therefore, use of this service is limited to participants who agree to adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Treat Others with Respect and Compassion

I will:

● I will be civil and respectful towards others.

● I will provide support and feedback that is kind and supportive.

● I will accept that other members may have differing opinions from my own. If I disagree with a member's comment, I will do so with respect to others' circumstances and feelings.

● I will help to cultivate a safe and supportive community.

● I will report posts or comments that violate community guidelines.

● I will respect the moderator role.

I will not:

● I will not participate in name calling, personal attacks, or insults.

● I will not bully, harass, troll, or deliberately provoke other members.

● I will not post discriminatory content that incites racism, bigotry, hatred, or physical violence towards any individual.

● I will not share obscene, indecent, or profane content in the form of text, hyperlinks, images or attachments. This is including, but not limited to content that is pornographic, sexually explicit, or shows others in abusive or threatening situations.

2. Keep the Conversation Relevant to Alzheimer’s and Dementia

I will:

● I will keep comments relevant to Alzheimer’s and dementia and the topic being addressed.

● I will offer advice directly to the person who initiates the discussion.

● I will attribute my sources. If I use material created by another author, I will cite the author.

I will not:

● I will not post content that is unrelated to Alzheimer's or other dementias.

3. Be Discreet

I will:

● I will be respectful of other members’ privacy and personal identity.

● I will be discreet when sharing my personal information with other members.

I will not:

● I will not post personal information such as names, emails, addresses, or phone numbers. It is important to be aware that when you provide personal information in a posting on any message board, that information is available to any person who uses the message boards, and may be used by someone in a manner unintended by you.

● I will not publicly post content that poses or creates a privacy or security risk to any person (i.e., by publicly posting any person's contact information on the forums).

4. Do Not Solicit

I will:

● I will use caution with hyperlinks. Any posted hyperlink that is off-topic or questionable will be removed, including but not limited to the following; leading to a site that is unlawful; harmful; threatening; abusive; harassing; tortuous; defamatory; vulgar; obscene; libelous; invasive of another's privacy; hateful; or racially, ethnically, or otherwise objectionable.

● I will report any instances of spam or solicitations.

I will not:

● I will not recruit for research participation without written permission from the Alzheimer’s Association.

● I will not promote products or services for personal, financial gain.

● I will not request or solicit for donations, including personal fundraising and crowd-funding.

● I will not create duplicate posts (spam) on or across multiple threads.

The ALZConnected community is moderated by Administrators to ensure an open, safe environment. Having a moderated community helps manage the site, keeps discussion moving smoothly, mediates unproductive distractions, and organizes the board to help members find what they need easily.

If you have a question about a policy or moderator action, please contact [email protected].

If you are not sure about whether a post fits within these guidelines, please contact the ALZConnected Administrators. Emails are responded to during regular business hours (8:00am-4:30pm CT). Any urgent concerns after hours and during weekends should be reported to the 24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900. Please inform the Helpline staff of your online community concern and your call be handled as soon as possible.