CWEA Community Platform Code of Conduct

Welcome to the CWEA Community Platform! The CWEA Community is a resource that we offer at no charge exclusively for our members. Through this platform, we seek to foster engagement with our Committees and Local Sections, nurture relationships, facilitate knowledge and skills sharing and ultimately pursue CWEA’s mission to empower, educate and connect water professionals to protect public health and the environment.

Participation Agreement

By engaging with the CWEA Community, you signify your understanding and agreement to uphold our standards and adhere to this Code of Conduct.

Key Practices to Avoid

1. Pricing Conversations – You are not permitted to discuss, post, comment, hint or allude to pricing for products, services, jobs, events or anything else that your company or other companies charge for. Any discussions about pricing can violate anti-trust laws with which CWEA is obligated to comply.

2. Marketing or Promotions – You are not permitted to market or promote any product or service. The CWEA Community is a place to exchange ideas, knowledge and information, and to build relationships and networks. It is not a place to transact or advertise business. CWEA has many other avenues for members to advertise services, market jobs, promote events, sell products, etc. – these can be found on our website.

3. Certification Exam Information – You are not permitted in any way to discuss or circulate certification exam questions or answers. Discussing or sharing of exam content is a violation of CWEA’s Code of Ethics and is subject to CWEA’s Ethics Procedures, which may result in sanctions, including suspension or revocation of certification.

Etiquette and Best Practices

The CWEA Community Platform is a great medium with which to engage your peers, benefit from their experience and knowledge, and participate in meaningful, professional conversations and discussions.

The following are important ways to best engage with the platform and with other members:

Engage with Purpose – Keep discussions relevant. Share experiences, seek advice and provide feedback.
Identify Yourself – Always mention your name and affiliation in your posts.
Respect Diversity and Promote Civility – Be understanding and respectful, even when opinions differ. Help create a civil forum for discussions.
Ensure Content Rights – Ensure that you have the legal rights to the content you post.
Search Before Posting – Use the search function to avoid asking questions that have already been asked.
Report Issues – If you find inappropriate content, report it for moderation to info@cwea.org

The following are practices to avoid:

· Negative Remarks – Maintain a positive tone and avoid derogatory comments, criticisms and profanity – keep the CWEA Community a respectful and enjoyable place to engage.

· Unauthorized Sharing – Do not distribute files or information without the original owner’s consent. If you are unsure about your legal ability to distribute, don’t do it.

· Illegal or Unethical Topics – Do not post, share or discuss topics that imply pricing, boycotts or trade restrictions.

· Certification Discussion – Do not circulate or discuss anything related to certification exam questions or answers.

· Emotionally-Charged Content – Avoid sarcastic, aggressive or overly critical tone or messages – this Community Platform is a place for respectful dialogue.

CWEA Community Moderation

At CWEA, we have certain commitments and limitations with the Community.

Our Commitments:

We will introduce new forums and discussions based on member interests.
We will actively monitor the platform, moderate as necessary and address member complaints or concerns.
We will ensure that violations of our Code of Conduct result in content removal and, if necessary, removal of a member who continues to violate the code of conduct after being warned.
We will use content from the platform for marketing purposes to further CWEA’s mission as appropriate while maintaining member confidentiality.

Our Limitations:

We won’t modify or edit member posts.
We won’t pay for postings to or otherwise provide compensation for participation in the CWEA Community.
We won’t verify the technical accuracy of shared content.

Reminder: Opinions expressed are not those of CWEA. Any advice you take is done so at your own risk.

Legal

This site is provided as a service for the members of CWEA. CWEA is not responsible for the opinions and information posted on this site by others. We disclaim all warranties concerning information posted on this site, whether posted by CWEA or any third party; this disclaimer includes all implied warranties of merchant ability and fitness.

In no event shall CWEA 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 to such material or has received permission from the copyright owner. Also, the posting party grants CWEA and users of this site 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 implicitly 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.

CWEA moderates the overall member community and regional communities within CWEA, but does not on its own undertake editorial control of postings. However, CWEA will take all appropriate action if any inappropriate posting is brought to their attention. CWEA reserves the right to terminate access to any user who does not abide by these guidelines.

CWEA’s privacy policy is located here: https://www.cwea.org/privacy-policy