COPD Foundation Community Platform Guidelines

About Our Social Platforms

Managed by the COPD Foundation, our social platforms are online social networks where members are able to share thoughts and ideas, ask questions, start discussions, read and comment on articles and blogs and communicate with peers, thought leaders and community managers.

Our top priority is to foster an environment of respect and safety. We aim to cultivate a space in which all of our members feel empowered to share their experiences and support one another in a positive manner and as such your use of the site represents your consent and agreement with our community guidelines below.

Contribute

COPD360social is a community for all things COPD. The more you contribute to the community the more it will blossom and thrive. Share your thoughts, ideas and inspirations. Help others by posting and answering questions. We want to hear from you!

Respect

Please respect all community members and be tolerant of other's viewpoints. The Community does not tolerate bullying or harassment. Members are encouraged to engage in dynamic conversation, but failure to communicate in a respectful manner will result in removal of posts and potential removal from the Community.

Language

We want our COPD Foundation social platforms to be sites that are comfortable for all to visit. Please do not post offensive language or upload any offensive material to the site. Any offensive posts will be removed from the site. Continued violations may lead to removal from the site.

Opinions

The COPD Foundation social platforms provide a platform for individuals to share their thoughts, ideas and views. Please note that content posted by you represents your own viewpoint and is not endorsed by the Foundation/ does not represent the official policies or views of the COPD Foundation.

Medical Advice

It is not our intention to serve as a substitute for medical advice and any content posted should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. While we encourage individuals to share their personal experiences with COPD and related lung health issues, please consult a physician before making changes to your own medical management plan.

Sharing Inaccurate Information

One of the purposes of our social platforms is to provide accurate and timely information regarding lung health to our membership. Posts containing grossly inaccurate, unfounded, or possibly dangerous information are subject to removal. In some cases where clarification of the information provided by a member is required, that clarification may be added as a comment to the post by one of the medical professionals who monitor the site. Repeated violations may be subject to termination of membership.

Pictures

The COPD Foundation social platforms allow members to share photos with friends. Before posting any photos, please keep in mind:

  1. Once photos are posted on the web they are public it can be difficult, if not impossible to remove them. Make sure that the photos you post are ones that you are comfortable sharing.
  2. Please be sure you own or have the rights associated with the photos you are posting. We ask that you respect copyrights and trademarks as well as others' intellectual property.
  3. Please reduce the size of the photos you are uploading to roughly 1000x1000. Images should be jpeg or png format and less than or equal to 2MB.
  4. Photos containing the following will not be allowed on the site: nudity or other sexually suggestive content, hate speech, credible threats or direct attacks on an individual or group, content that contains self-harm or excessive violence, pictures of any illegal activity, fake or impostor profiles or spam.
  5. The COPD Foundation and managers of COPD360social will not use your images without receiving approval from you first.

Display Names and Profile Photos

We encourage you to choose a non-identifiable display name as this is publicly viewable. If you choose to use a display name that may identify you, then certain information you choose to post may be identified as your data. This may also happen if you upload a photo, or likeness of yourself, as a profile picture. Prior to posting any photo or likeness of you, choosing a display name that may identify you, and/or post other information that may identify you, you should carefully consider if you wish to be identifiable on our site and to the public and want to post information that may be capable of being linked to you. This information is indexable by search engines, thus publicly available. Using your email address for your display name is prohibited and will result in removal of your membership.

Usernames and Passwords

In order to register on our website and become an account holder, you will be required to set a user name and password. Your username and password are required in order to log in to the site. You are entirely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and other account information.

Adverse Event or Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting

COPD Foundation social platforms are not a place to report an adverse event or adverse drug reaction. If you experience any difficulty with a medication or therapy, please report it immediately to your health care provider. He or she can help you determine if you should report the event to the Federal Drug Administration. Serious events can be reported by visiting: https://www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch-fda-safety-information-and-adverse-event-reporting-program/reporting-serious-problems-fda

Identity and Privacy

Please remember that our social platforms are publicly available online communities and therefore any personal information you post may be viewed by the general public. Only site members are allowed to comment on posts. Members are advised not to provide their email address, home address (including city, town, or county), phone number or other identifiable information in your posts. To provide this information could result in an invasion of your privacy, and as a result your post will be removed.

Private Messaging on the Site

Private messages are a way for friends on the site to communicate with other friends. If you get an unsolicited private message from a member you do not personally know and trust asking for personal information, asking you to communicate with them off-site, to participate in a survey, clinical study, or interview, to attend an event, purchase a product or service, asking for financial assistance or contributions, expressing political views, asking you to support a political candidate or cause or makes you feel uncomfortable do not answer the message. Please report the message to the Community Manager at COPD360social@copdfoundation.org along with the offending member's name and the content of the message.

Promotion and Spam

Contacting members in the community for commercial or charitable purposes is prohibited. Please do not advertise, solicit, recruit, or fundraise on the community forum or to individual members. Sales of goods or items, whether medical or otherwise are prohibited. The community does not endorse products, therapies, medications, devices, or interventions. Any content considered to be spam will be removed from the website and the user's profile will be deleted.

Notice of Clinical Trials or Research Studies

Any entity wishing to post notice of clinical trials or research studies including recruitment or resulting data from a study or trial or conducting any surveys, must obtain prior approval before posting will be permitted. Please contact the Community Manager at COPD360social@copdfoundation.org and provide complete text of proposed submission to include a brief description of proposed study or trial and contact information for those wishing to obtain additional information.

Participation of Commercial Enterprises

Commercial enterprises may not register or participate on the site. However, if an individual employed by a commercial enterprise wishes to register as an individual that is permissible provided his or her participation does not constitute advertising products, their business, or services they provide. Anyone violating this will be terminated from the site and will not be permitted to re-register.

Display or User Names and Email Addresses

Display names, user names or email addresses using the name of products, businesses, profanity, illegal substances, inflammatory names, reference to a political name, platform, party or issue will not be permitted.

Posting Surveys or Polls or Contacting Members to Participate in Surveys or Polls

No business, individual or organization may post surveys, request individuals to participate in surveys or recruit for non-COPD Foundation initiatives either on the site or through private messages or poll individuals on the site to facilitate a survey without prior permission from the Community Manager at COPD360social@copdfoundation.org. Violation of this guideline will result in immediate termination from the site and you will not be permitted to re-register.

Fundraising on the Site

COPD Foundation social platforms do not allow fundraising by individuals or organizations outside of the Foundation's official capacity. This also includes asking for participation in fund raising efforts such as GoFundMe. Violations will result in removal of the offending post and in some cases possible removal of membership.

Political Posts

COPD Foundation social platforms are communities for people to come together to support and educate each other in a safe environment. While the COPD Foundation advocates for public policy important to our members, certain political discourse can tend to divide and has no place in a community such as ours. Expression of political views or comments regarding past or present officeholders, political parties or political candidates will not be tolerated and the posts will be removed. Continued infractions may result in removal of membership.

Termination

COPD360social retains the right to suspend or terminate your account without prior notice.

Community Moderation

COPD360social posts are monitored by the COPD360social Community Manager as well as certified staff Respiratory Therapists.