Member Listserv Rules and Etiquette

By joining and using The Obesity Society's Member Listserv, you agree that you have read and will follow the rules and guidelines set for these email lists. You also agree to reserve Listserv discussion for topics best suited to the medium. This is a great medium with which to solicit the advice of your peers, benefit from their experience, and participate in an ongoing conversation. Basic Membership or Association questions should be directed to The Obesity Society's national office at (301) 563-6526.

Conditions of Use:

Please avoid the following behavior with The Obesity Society Member Listservs. The Obesity Society (TOS) reserves the right to suspend or terminate participation of members who violate these rules:

• Do not challenge or attack others (flaming). The discussions are meant to stimulate and facilitate, not create contention.
• Do not post commercial messages, including advertisements for products/services, job postings, or conventions/meetings requiring a registration fee. Contact The Obesity Society's office for more information on product and recruitment advertising, or Calendar of Events postings.
• Use caution when discussing products. Although this is a member-only Listserv, comments are subject to libel, slander, and antitrust laws.
• All defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, or illegal materials are strictly prohibited. Do not send anything in a Listserv message that you would not want anyone to know came from you.
• Please note carefully all items listed in the disclaimer and legal rules below, particularly regarding the copyright ownership of information sent through the Listserv.
• Send your message only to the most appropriate Listserv lists. Do not spam several lists with the same message.
• Do not forward any Listserv information to non-Obesity Society members.

These listservs are a member service provided by The Obesity Society. The Obesity Society accepts no responsibility for the opinions and information sent through these lists by others. The Obesity Society disclaims all warranties with regard to information sent through these listservs, whether posted by The Obesity Society or any third party; this disclaimer includes all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness. In no event shall The Obesity Society 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 sent through the listserv.

Do not send any defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, or illegal materials. Do not send any information or other material protected by copyright without the permission of the copyright owner. By sending material, the sending/responsible party warrants and represents that he or she owns the copyright with respect to such material or has received permission from the copyright owner. In addition, the sending party grants The Obesity Society the nonexclusive right and license to display, copy, publish, distribute, transmit, print and use such information or other material.

Messages should not be sent if they encourage or facilitate 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. 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.

TOS does not actively monitor the site for inappropriate postings and does not on its own undertake editorial control of postings. In the event that any inappropriate email is brought to The Obesity Society's attention, The Obesity Society will take all appropriate action. The Obesity Society reserves the right to terminate access to any user who does not abide by these guidelines.

• Always be courteous - observe ordinary standards of business communication.
• Include a signature tag on all emails. Include your name, affiliation, location, and e-mail address.
• Announce your expectations up front:

• If you don't expect or want a response, please include "Do Not Respond to this Message" at the beginning of the email.
• If you need immediate assistance, include "Urgent Response Needed" at the beginning of your email.
• If you are sharing information, include "For Information Only" at the beginning of your email.
  
  
• State concisely and clearly the specific topic of your message in the subject line. This allows members to respond more appropriately to your email and makes it easier for members to search the archives by subject.
• Include only the relevant portions of the original message in your reply. Delete any header information, and put your response before the original email.
• Do not send unnecessary messages through the listserv. Send messages such as "me, too" or "thanks for the information" directly to the individual.
• Only send a message to the entire list when it contains information that everyone can benefit from.
• Do not send administrative questions through the listserv. If changing your email address, simply update the information in your member profile, you do not need to remove yourself from the list and rejoin under your new e-mail address. Simply change your settings.
• Warn other Listserv participants of lengthy messages in the subject line.

The Obesity Society

Executive Office: 8630 Fenton Street, Suite 814, Silver Spring, MD 20910 | Tel: (301) 563-6526 | Fax: (301) 563-6595