ARVOConnect Rules & Etiquette

Thank you for being part of our community. To ensure the best possible experience for all members, we have established some basic guidelines for participation.

By joining and using this community, you agree that you have read, will follow, and will be bound by these rules and guidelines. You also agree to reserve discussions and shared files and content that is best suited to the medium. This is a great medium to solicit your peers’ advice, benefit from their experience, and participate in an ongoing conversation. Questions should be directed to our Member Services department via the Contact Us link on this site.

Please take a moment to acquaint yourself with these important guidelines. If you have questions, contact the member services department. In order to preserve a climate that encourages both civil and fruitful dialogue, we reserve the right to suspend or terminate membership in this community for anyone who violates these rules.

The Rules

Do not challenge, harass, or attack others. The discussions and comments are meant to stimulate conversation, not to create contention. Let others have their say, just as you may.
Commercial messages are not permitted on any discussion list, resource library entry, or other area where others might see it.
All external events and meetings are to be entered in the Vision Community Calendar form and not posted to the Open Forum.
Use caution when discussing products. Information posted on the lists and in the libraries is available for all to see, and comments are subject to libel, slander, and antitrust laws.
Job postings are only allowed in Scientific Section communities if they link, and relate, to an existing job post on ARVOjobs. All job posts within ARVOConnect without a connected ARVOjobs listing will be removed.
All defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, or illegal materials are strictly prohibited. Do not post anything that you would not want the world to see or that you would not want anyone to know came from you.
Do not post false statements or share incorrect or misleading information.
Do not post any messages or content that violates or inappropriately encourages the violation of any municipal, state, federal, or international law, rule, regulation, or ordinance.

Please note carefully all items listed in the disclaimer and legal rules below, particularly regarding the copyright ownership of information posted.

Remember that other participants have the right to reproduce postings to this site unless you specify otherwise.

Post your message or documents only to the most appropriate lists or libraries. Do not spam several lists or libraries with the same message. All messages must add to the body of knowledge. We reserve the right to reject any message for any reason.

Do not post anything that contains software viruses, spyware, or any other computer code, files, or programs that interrupt, destroy, or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment.

Discussion Group Etiquette

Include a signature tag on all messages. Include your name, affiliation, location.

State concisely and clearly the topic of your comments in the subject line. This allows members to respond more appropriately to your posting and makes it easier for members to search the archives by subject.

Only send a message to the entire list when it contains information that everyone can benefit from.

Send messages such as "thanks for the information" or "me, too" to individuals – not to the entire list. Do this by using the "Reply to Sender" link to the left of every message.

Do not send administrative messages, such as “remove me from the list”. Instead, use the web interface to change your settings or to remove yourself from a list. If you are changing e-mail addresses, you do not need to remove yourself from the list and rejoin under your new e-mail address. Simply change your settings.

The Legal Stuff

This site is provided as a service for the members of The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology is not responsible for the opinions and information posted on this site by others. WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES WITH REGARD TO INFORMATION POSTED ON THIS SITE, WHETHER POSTED BY THE ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH IN VISION AND OPHTHALMOLOGY OR ANY THIRD PARTY; THIS DISCLAIMER INCLUDES ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH IN VISION AND OPHTHALMOLOGY BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, 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.

You agree to release and indemnify and hold harmless The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and its directors, officers, employees, members, volunteers, agents, successors, and assigns, from and against any and all claims, proceedings, damages, injuries, liabilities, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and litigation expenses), relating to or arising from your use of this site, any breach by you of this ARVOConnect Rules & Etiquette document, or any other matter for which you are responsible hereunder or under law.

You may not post any defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, or illegal materials. In addition, you may 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 with respect to such material or has received permission from the copyright owner. In addition, the posting party grants The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and users of this site the nonexclusive, perpetual, and irrevocable right and license to display, copy, publish, distribute, transmit, print, and use such information or other material. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (the “DMCA”) provides recourse for copyright owners who believe that material appearing on the Internet infringes their rights under US copyright law. The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology reserves the right to remove any material on the site which allegedly infringes another person’s copyright.

Messages shall not be posted 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.

The contents and data contained within ARVOConnect may not, in whole or in part, be reproduced, copied, mined, disseminated, entered into a computer database or used as part of or in connection with the preparation or revision of a mailing, telephone, fax, email or other marketing list.

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology does not actively monitor the site for inappropriate postings and does not on its own undertake editorial control of postings. However, in the event that any inappropriate posting is brought to the attention of The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology we will take all appropriate action.

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology reserves the right to terminate access to any user who does not abide by these guidelines.