Web Guidelines

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NATIONAL MILITARY FISH AND WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

Outreach and Advertising Guidelines

Internet Web Site (www.nmfwa.org). The National Military Fish and Wildlife Association (NMFWA) maintains an internet (world wide web) site. The general purpose of this site is to promote member activities, increase public awareness of the professional, natural resource management activities taking place on military installations, to serve as a resource for members to communicate with each other, and as a resource for increasing membership levels. 

The Internet site is operated fully at the discretion of the Board of Directors. A committee of board and association members will be formed to assume much of the responsibility of the day-to-day operations. The committee will consist of, at a minimum, a Chairperson, the Association President and the Immediate Past President. 

Individual sections of the website and related outreach programs are as follows. 

1. Bulletin Board. The "bulletin board" section of the internet site is the primary location where information exchange is intended.
a. Intended Audience. The bulletin board is intended to be used by members of NMFWA as well as other visitors to the site. The bulletin board is open to all visitors to the site. If necessary, this section may in the future require password-protected access, if the bulletin board privilege is abused by individuals or organizations.
b. Posting Guidelines. The following guidelines apply to all submissions to the internet bulletin board.
i. A person wishing to submit any information to the bulletin board will be required to include their full name and a valid e-mail address. Messages submitted by persons who do not submit full and accurate identification to NMFWA as part of their message will not be allowed, or will be removed at the full discretion of the Board of Directors, Web Committee and / or Webmaster. 
ii. A message appears, upon entering the Bulletin Board area, that the user shall not post indecent material or copyrighted items onto the site. 
iii. Inappropriate Material. Individuals are expected to post appropriate questions, comments and informational requests on the bulletin board. There will be no tolerance for material which includes profanity, personal attacks, sexual content, racial, sexist or other slurs. The above listing is not comprehensive, the Board of Directors (see iii. (A) below) reserves the right to remove any materials determined inappropriate for the bulletin board. Inappropriate postings may result in expulsion from the organization. Non-members who post inappropriate material may have limited latitude in posting material, as sanctions against non-members would be difficult to enforce. However, it is felt at this time that access to the bulletin board should not be limited. If, in the future, inappropriate postings from non-members occur, the above-mentioned password protection to the bulletin board portion of the site may be necessary. 
iv. Copyrighted information will not be posted on the NMFWA website without the express approval of the holder of the copyright.
v. Screening of postings. The NMFWA Board of Directors (BOD) reserves the right to initiate screening of all submissions prior to their availability on the bulletin board, if and when this becomes necessary.
vi. Duration of postings. The NMFWA President, Web Committee chairperson and Webmaster will have full authority to remove postings that are no longer timely. This is intended to include (but is not limited to) postings about meetings that have already occurred and other similar messages. Also, postings that have been on the site for an extended time (proposed: 2 months, on a space available basis) with no response, or with waning response may be removed. 
c. Authority
i. Responsibilities of Board of Directors. Including those responsibilities mentioned above, the Board of Directors assumes full responsibility for all postings to the web site. Offensive or inappropriate material will be removed at the request (in writing, by e-mail) of any Officer or Director to the Web Committee Chairperson or the president. A simple majority of the BOD has the authority to remove any other material at any time, regardless of content. BOD members are encouraged to visit the web site on a regular basis to monitor the content of the bulletin boards. All BOD members are encouraged to contact the President of the organization or Web Committee Chairperson upon discovering the posting of inappropriate or questionable material.

ii. Responsibilities of Web Committee. Acting under direct authority of the Board of Directors, members of the Web Committee will have full authority to control postings, remove messages and other similar activities as detailed above. 

iii. Responsibilities of Webmaster. The webmaster is responsible for monitoring the content of listings to the degree possible under responsibilities and guidelines detailed elsewhere (agreement or contract for webmaster services). The Webmaster has the authority to remove offensive or inappropriate material at any time without the consent of the BOD, however, he / she should save the posting in an appropriate format, for use and / or discussion at the discretion of the BOD. The webmaster is encouraged to contact the President of the organization or the Web Committee Chairperson upon discovering the posting of inappropriate or questionable material.


2. Links from NMFWA home page. "Links" are "buttons" that are used to connect a site visitor to another web site without the need for typing in a new web address or Universal Resource Locator Code (URL). These can be very convenient for visitors to the site. This section discusses links from the NMFWA web site. The following section discusses links to the NMFWA web site.
a. Appropriate Content. NMFWA will not allow known links from our home page to sites that could be considered inappropriate or offensive, in accordance with the guidelines discussed above. The BOD will have the authority to request the removal of any link from our site to any location for any reason. This authority will include the ability to remove a link to a commercial or professional location, even if that site operator has paid for the inclusion of the link.
b. A statement will be placed on the website in the "links" section. "The companies and organizations whose internet links appear on this page provide goods, services and information appropriate for usage in the management of natural resources. The appearance of any link shall not be considered an endorsement of the company or organization, their goods, information or services, by the National Military Fish and Wildlife Association or the NMFWA Board of Directors."
i. Professional Organizations. Links to appropriate professional organizations may be requested by members of that organization or by members of NMFWA, only. 
ii. Installations. Links to installations will take place only via a regional or other filter--there are too many installations to allow links to all of them. The BOD may consider selecting an "installation of the month" type-link. Installation Links may also be solicited from other sources, such as Headquarters of the individual armed forces.
iii. Personal Home Pages. Links to personal home pages will not be allowed.
d. Costs. Costs associated with establishing links from the NMFWA homepage will be considered the responsibility of the individual, organization or company of the person or persons requesting the link, unless otherwise brought to the attention of the BOD for a vote. 

e. Authority

i. Responsibilities of Board of Directors. Including those responsibilities mentioned above, the Board of Directors assumes full responsibility for all links to the NMFWA web site. Offensive or inappropriate links will be removed at the request (in writing, by e-mail) of any Officer or Director to the webmaster. A simple majority of the BOD has the authority to remove any other link at any time, regardless of content. BOD members are encouraged to visit the web site on a regular basis to monitor the its' content. All BOD members are encouraged to contact the President of the organization or the Web Committee Chairperson upon discovering the inclusion of inappropriate links or other questionable material.
ii. Responsibilities of Web Committee. Acting under direct authority of the Board of Directors, members of the Web Committee will have full authority to add links as deemed appropriate.

iii. Responsibilities of Webmaster. The webmaster is responsible to remove or alter links only as directed by the President of the organization, the Web Committee Chairperson or by vote of the BOD. The removal of links that have expired should take place when appropriate. For example, if a link leads a user to an incorrect domain or host name, it should be removed immediately. A link to a site that is thought to be offensive or inappropriate as detailed above should be removed immediately, however, the information should be saved in an appropriate format, for use and / or discussion at the discretion of the BOD. The webmaster is encouraged to contact the President of the organization or Web Committee Chairperson upon discovering the posting of inappropriate or questionable material. These activities are to take place only within the established webmaster contract guidelines, or at the discretion of the organization president, Web Committee Chairperson or BOD.


3. Links to NMFWA web site
a. Appropriate placement. NMFWA will not allow known links to our home page from sites that could be considered inappropriate or offensive, in accordance with the guidelines discussed above. 
i. The BOD will have the authority to request the removal of any link to our site from any location for any reason.
ii. Links to the NMFWA home page from any commercial entity will be discouraged to the fullest practical extent. This could easily be misinterpreted as an endorsement.
iii. Personal Home Pages, Installation Home Pages and other professionally affiliated sites (e.g Professional Organizations, Non-Profit Organizations) may include links to NMFWA only with the approval of the NMFWA BOD. 
b. Costs. Any costs associated with links to the NMFWA home page must be brought to the attention of the BOD for a vote.

4. Advertising on NMFWA Web Site
a. Appropriate Content. Advertising, if any, to be placed on the NMFWA Web site must be carefully screened by the webmaster, president and Board of Directors and Web Committee Chairperson to determine appropriateness, in accordance with guidelines discussed above.
b. Costs. Any costs associated with the placement of appropriate advertisements on the web site shall be the full responsibility of the organization or commercial enterprise contracting for the advertising.
c. Authority
i. Responsibilities of Board of Directors. The BOD shall review proposed advertising for appropriateness, costs, and duration of sponsorship. The BOD shall retain the right to cancel any advertising at any time, for any reason. As appropriate, fees paid by an advertiser will be refunded, less any expenditures related to the placement of the advertising on the web site and the duration of time elapsed since the placement of that advertising. This reimbursement will not necessarily occur on an equivalent basis (i.e. "start-up costs" may be significantly more than "maintenance costs.")
ii. Responsibilities of Web Committee. Acting under direct authority of the Board of Directors, members of the Web Committee will have full authority to add, remove and alter messages and other similar activities as deemed appropriate.
iii. Responsibilities of Webmaster. The webmaster is responsible for the placement of advertising on the web site only as approved by the BOD. The webmaster shall record and report any expenses related to the placement of advertising, including the appropriate hourly fees (or portions thereof).

5. Fish and Wildlife News ("FAWN")
a. Advertising 
i. Appropriate Content. Paid advertising in the FAWN will be accepted on a space-available basis. Advertising will only be accepted from companies / organizations directly involved in natural resource management and closely related fields.
ii. Costs. A company that would like to place an advertisment shall submit a request with the accompanying payment to the secretary / treasurer for the ads' appearance in one issue of the FAWN. In order for an advertisement to appear in a subsequent issue, the company would have to wait until the first ad appears before they may submit another request.
iii. Authority
A. Responsibilities of Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall have the authority to reject any proposed advertisement for any reason.
B. Responsibilities of Editor. The Editor shall have the authority to reject any proposed advertisement for any reason, subject to review by the Board of Directors.

6. Annual Meeting -Advertising, participation by commercial enterprises, and participation of other organizations.
a. Program
i. Advertising in the program of the Annual Meeting will not be considered, as this could be misinterpreted as an endorsement or otherwise could constitute a conflict of interest. If costs of the program production continue to be covered by the Wildlife Institute, an acknowledgement is appropriate. If any other organization or commercial enterprise asks to fund the production of the program, an appropriate acknowledgement will be allowed. Such an acknowledgment can be in the form of a printed statement, and this may be brought to the attention of the membership before, during or after sessions.
b. "Show and Tell" reception
i. All costs related to inclusion in the Show and Tell Reception will be paid for by the organization or commercial enterprise, unless otherwise brought to the attention of the Board of Directors for a vote. Sponsorship of individual tables or the reception itself by an organization or commercial enterprise will only be allowed with the concurrence of the Board of Directors. If such a situation is possible, the Host Committee shall bring this to the attention of the Board of Directors at the earliest possible time.

c. Technical Sessions
i. Technical sessions will not be subject to sponsorship by commercial enterprises without the approval of the Board of Directors. Technical Sessions may be sponsored by appropriate non-profit organizations, if the session is directly related to the programs and activities of the sponsoring organization (e.g. the Bat Conservation Workshop at the 1999 Conference was sponsored by Bat Conservation International). Both of these types of sponsorship should be presented to the Board of Directors by the Program Chair at the earliest possible time.

d. Authority
i. Responsibilities of Board of Directors. The Board of Directors will be consulted, and a vote will be taken if necessary, prior to the expenditure of any organization funds to pay for or subsidize any exhibitor, sponsor. The BOD shall also approve the sponsorship of program publication costs, specific technical sessions or the show and Tell Reception.
ii. Responsibilities of Host Committee. The Host Committee chairperson shall notify the BOD prior to agreeing to the participation, at organization cost, of any outside agency or organization, including commercial enterprises. 
iii. Responsibilities of the Program Chair. The Program Chair shall notify the BOD of any proposed sponsorship of any specific technical session(s).

7. Mailing List
a. Maintenance. The NMFWA Membership mailing list is maintained by the Membership Chairperson. The mailing address and e-mail of this individual is printed in every issue of the FAWN, and is also available on the NMFWA Web Site. Any changes, additions or deletions may be brought to the attention of the chairperson by any member.
b. Distribution to non-profit entities. Non-profit groups requesting release of names and addresses of NMFWA membership must make a formal request in writing to the Board of Directors for a vote. It is strongly recommended that such a request include specific and complete details of the objectives of the mailing(s). The Board of Directors may choose to either authorize the one-time release by providing one set of pre-printed mailing labels, or authorize the release of the most recently updated mailing list in an electronic and multiple-use format. Any costs related to the release of mailing lists, in either format, must be reimbursed by the requesting organization unless otherwise decided by a vote of the BOD.
c. Distribution to commercial entities. Commercial (for-profit) organizations requesting release of names and addresses of NMFWA membership must make a formal request in writing to the Board of Directors for a vote. It is strongly recommended that such a request include specific and complete details of the objectives of the mailing(s). Except under unusual circumstances, the Board of Directors will only authorize the one-time release by providing one set of pre-printed mailing labels. Any costs related to this release must be reimbursed by the requesting organization.
d. Removal of individual names and addresses from the distribution lists. Any member may, by contacting the membership chairperson, request that his or her name and address will not be released to any organization (commercial or non-commercial) at any time. This request will be considered as an "all or none" proposal, i.e., members will not be contacted prior to each release of names and addresses as approved by the Board of Directors (detailed above).
e. Recommend use of home mailing address. The Board of Directors recommends that members provide as their primary address that of their residence. The primary advantage of this is the ability to have mail automatically forwarded to the member upon relocation / retirement, etc.

8. This document is subject to change at any time by a vote of the NMFWA Board of Directors.

 
Updated: January 2006
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