Code of Conduct

Community Rules & Etiquette and Privacy Guidelines

Thank you for being part of the AACC Artery (Artery). The Artery is provided as a service for the members of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Inc. (AACC). To ensure the best possible experience for all members, we have established these guidelines for participation in the Artery (Guidelines).

By joining and using the Artery, you agree that you have read and will follow these Guidelines. The Artery is a great medium with which to solicit the advice of your peers, benefit from their experience, and participate in ongoing conversations. If you have any questions about the Artery or the Guidelines, please contact Anne-Margaret Olsson, AACC Online Community Manager at aolsson@aacc.org or 202-420-8733. Technical questions on association management issues should be directed to our helpdesk.

The Rules

  • Participants are encouraged to use the Artery for professional and informational purposes to benefit their practice.
  • Post materials and information that are on topic and relevant to the Artery.
  • Do not post commercial messages or use the Artery to contact members for marketing or sales purposes. This includes, but is not limited to, job openings/opportunities, firm/business acquisitions and education programs not affiliated with AACC. Do feel free, nonetheless, to discuss specific products or services; just remember that your comments are made in the public domain. As such, you are responsible for your comments just as if this were a live discussion or a printed publication.
  • Discussion of fees is prohibited.
  • This is a discussion area, where opinions and differences of opinion are welcome. However, challenging or attacking others is not appropriate.
  • Do not post any defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive or illegal materials.
  • Do not post any information or other material protected by copyright without the permission of the copyright owner. Please note carefully all items listed in the disclaimer and legal rules below, particularly regarding the copyright and permitted uses of information posted.

GUIDELINE ENFORCEMENT

  • AACC does not pre-screen, verify or edit the content posted by users in the Artery. However, AACC reserves the right to monitor any and all information transmitted or received through the Artery. AACC, in its sole discretion and without further notice to you, may review, censor or prohibit the transmission or receipt of any information which AACC deems inappropriate or that AACC determines violates the Guidelines. AACC has the sole discretion to enforce the Guidelines.
  • Participants who suspect that unauthorized or illegal activity is occurring in the Artery are recommended to report such activity to AACC at aolsson@aacc.org. AACC will investigate any complaints of possible violations that come to staff’s attention and take any action that AACC believes is appropriate, including, but not limited to issuing warnings, removing content and terminating accounts and/or subscriptions. However, because situations and interpretations vary, AACC also reserves the right to take no action.

DISCLAIMER AND LEGAL RULES

  • You agree to provide information that is accurate, true and complete and agree to notify AACC of any changes in your contact information, including by emailing the changes to custserv@aacc.org.
  • You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password, and you are responsible for all activities that occur under your web ID and password. If you become aware of any unauthorized use of your password or of your account, notify AACC immediately at custserv@aacc.org.
  • The Artery is provided for the purposes of discussing matters and posting materials related solely to laboratory medicine and for no other purpose.
  • The content posted on the Artery may contain links to third-party web sites or refer to third-party products. AACC does not have control over such web sites or products, and AACC is not responsible for the availability or content of such web sites.  AACC does not endorse, sponsor or approve and is not responsible for such web sites and such products.
  • AACC accepts no responsibility for the opinions and information of others.
  • AACC disclaims all warranties with regard to information posted, whether posted by AACC or any third party; this disclaimer includes all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
  • In no event shall AACC 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 posted on the Artery. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE ARTERY IS PROVIDED TO YOU “AS IS, WITH ALL FAULT” BASIS.
  • If advice is received through the Artery, the user should consult a professional advisor for more detailed information.
  • 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 AACC the nonexclusive right and license to display, copy, publish, distribute, transmit, print and use such information or other material. 
  • Once you have made a posting, you cannot withdraw or retract the license and consents.  By posting on the Artery, you acknowledge that the material is not confidential and agree that other users of the Artery may copy, use, transmit, modify, distribute and display the content you post.
  • If you own intellectual property and believe it is being infringed on the Artery, please let AACC know by filing a complaint as set forth below. In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. §512), any notification of claimed copyright infringement must be sent to AACC’s Designated Agent with the following information:
    1. A physical copy or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed;
    2. Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed or if multiple copyright works at a single online site are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works at that site;
    3. Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or could be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit AACC to identify the material;
    4. A statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that the use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
    5. A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
  • Messages should 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.
  • AACC reserves the right to terminate Artery access to any user who does not abide by these Guidelines

MISCELLANEOUS

AACC reserves the right to make changes or modifications to the Artery and the Guidelines. Display of notice of changes on the Artery shall constitute effective notice on the day AACC places the changes, and your continued use of the Community thereafter shall constitute your acceptance of such changes or modifications.

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