Carolinas AGC, Inc. (CAGC) Social Media Usage Policy

CAGC provides the opportunity to participate in online discussion forums, listservs and other social media (collectively referred to as “Social Media:) to its members as an association service. In addition to the CAGC Terms of Service, the following usage policy must be agreed to by each participant prior to Social Media use. You, the participant, agree that you will adhere to this usage policy and that violation could result in termination of the right to participate in any Social Media, legal liability, and other consequences.

You understand that this policy may be altered in the future, and that continuing usage of the Social Media constitutes your agreement to be bound by the rules as they may be amended. The most current version of this policy will be available at www.cagc.org as well as by email request to swalters@carolinasagc.org. If, at any time, you no longer agree to be bound by this policy, you must terminate usage of the Social Media.

CAGC Social Media are provided on an “as is” basis, and may be changed, temporarily unavailable, or discontinued at any time.

1. Content
   1. You represent by submitting any content to the Social Media that you are either: (a) the creator and owner of such content, (b) claiming reasonable fair use, or, (c) that you have obtained all necessary licenses and permissions required to allow you to post the content and license it to CAGC in accordance with this paragraph. You hereby assume all liability for content you post and will indemnify CAGC for claims arising from your content, including, but not limited to claims of defamation and intellectual property infringement claims. You retain copyright and other proprietary and intellectual property rights in content you submit, post, display, or share on or through the Social Media. By submitting your content to CAGC, however, you grant to CAGC and CAGC’s members a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, use, and distribute any content you submit, post, display, or share on or through the Social Media.
   2. You also agree that you will not use any name, logo, or other trademark of any entity in a way that is likely or intended to cause confusion about the origin or authorized users of such marks, names, or logos.
   3. Keep in mind that the responsibility for all content belongs solely to the person from which such content originated. CAGC does not endorse any particular opinion expressed through the Social Media and cannot be responsible for them.
   4. CAGC reserves the right to screen, review, filter, modify, or remove any content posted by any user to the Social Media, but has no obligation to do so. As such, you understand that in using Social Media, you may be exposed to certain content that you find offensive, indecent, or objectionable. If you encounter such content, please bring it to the attention of CAGC by emailing swalters@carolinasagc.org
   5. Any individuals who believe that their intellectual property rights have been infringed upon by or through user-submitted content should contact swalters@carolinasagc.org to request that the materials be removed. CAGC will investigate the request and remove content as appropriate, and where possible.
   6. You may have access to proprietary and confidential information, in the course of employment or a contractual relationship or otherwise. This information should never be posted to the Social Media without express permission of the owner of such information. CAGC will in no way be responsible for your violation of trade secret laws or disclosure of information prohibited by contract or other law.


2. Antitrust

   By using the Social Media, you understand that content posted is, in effect, an ongoing "meeting" of participants. Such meetings often involve competitors. The same rules that apply at physical meetings also apply in the Social Media. Content here is recorded, and participants must take special care to strictly adhere to the CAGC antitrust policy.

   Messages between competitors regarding prices, fees, discounts, terms and conditions of sale, profits, profit margins, cost data, market shares, sales territories, customer allocation, etc. are expressly prohibited. There must be no messages relating to any group boycott.

3. Appropriate Conduct
   

   You agree to adhere to the following rules on acceptable Social Media behavior and agree to communicate in a manner which furthers CAGC’s mission through a safe, informative, and appropriate forum.  In using the Social Media, you will not:

   • Defame, harass, abuse, attack, or threaten any participant or other person;
   • Reveal any private information about any person without permission from that person to do so;
   • Post any inappropriate content whatsoever, including defamatory, obscene, sexually explicit, or illegal content;
   • Use profanity;
   • Advertise for yourself or any business;
   • Post content not reasonably within the topic of discussion or within a topic reasonably related to the Social Media purpose;
   • Transmit any viruses, worms, or other items of a destructive nature, or use any device which searches, collects, archives, or indexes any content to collect information about users or for any purposes not in accordance with this policy;
   • Impersonate any person or entity, or falsely claim association or affiliation with any person or entity; or,
   • Otherwise manipulate, abuse, or “hack,” the Social Media in a manner inconsistent with their intended purposes.


4. Social Media Rules of Etiquette

   In addition to the rules above, special rules of etiquette apply to Social Media communications because they take place in an online framework. In posting to the Social Media, you should:

   • Always include a signature in each message. The signature should include your name, affiliation, location, and email address;
   • Post to the particular Social Media which best fits the subject matter of your post.  If the post is a long one, consider indicating this in the subject line. Label your post clearly and concisely so that others understand what subject matter to expect from your post. Do not unnecessarily post the same message to multiple Social Media;
   • In replying to a post, quote only the sections necessary for your response. Delete any header information and put your response before the original posting;
   • Do not post personal messages to the entire Social Media. Any response intended only for a specific person and not a response which benefits the group as a whole should be sent privately to the intended recipient; and,
   • Use common sense when posting. Assume that your communication can be viewed by the public and draft it accordingly. Act professionally at all times, and do not attack others.

   If you have any questions about this policy or Social Media usage, please contact CAGC at swalters@carolinasagc.org.