About Alberta.com's Community
A community created in Alberta's Community space can potentially be made up of web pages, Chat rooms, Message Boards, a links page, a newsletter-building section, and a calendar of events section, together with a community members listing and mailing function. At a minimum, the participating community group's site must be made up of a title/heading and at least a short paragraph of information detailing what the group is below the heading on the group's Community homepage.

The person who initially sets up the group is known as the "Creator" of that group. He or she also automatically becomes the "Community Leader" (please see "Defining key terms" for a more specific definition). This person is responsible for updating the group's Community web site, inviting new members to join the group, inviting additional Community Leaders, and liaises with Alberta.com's Community Editor.

All of the content created and posted in a community group is known as "Community Content" and becomes the sole responsibility of the participating community group. However, if any issues, concerns, or breaches of our Standards of Conduct arise, the Community Editor will communicate, via email, directly with the Community Leader(s). It then becomes his/her/their responsibility to make appropriate changes in a timely manner. Non-compliance with the Standards of Conduct and/or failure to comply with requested changes could result in the Community Editor unlisting the group (see "Public groups vs. private groups"). The Community Editor will, however, give the group as much opportunity as possible to correct any errors but can, at any time, unlist a group deemed questionable.

About Alberta Chat and Message Boards

Chat
Alberta.com's Chat is an area where users can communicate real time with other users. There are two areas where Chats are located: 1) within Alberta's "Discussion" area linked from Alberta.com's homepage and 2) within each participating community group's Community web site. It is a place for users to express how they feel, get support, and chat with other users. Users are encouraged to create both public and private Chat rooms. From time to time, it is also a moderated forum for users to chat with special event guests, from movie stars to parenting experts to sports stars and everything in between. For more about Chat, go to Alberta.com Chat Help.

Message Boards
Alberta.com organizes posted messages from our users onto virtual bulletin boards. Messages remain after posting for other users to respond to. This service is an integral part of each participating community group's Community site. We encourage you to read postings at your own pace, take time in composing your messages, and initiate new discussion topics in areas that interest you. Also, be proactive in starting your own Message Boards within your sites.

Language
Alberta.com's Community Self-Publishing tools, Chat rooms, and Message Boards allow you to talk, exchange ideas, engage in mutual community-building, and enjoy yourself in the company of people from throughout Alberta and all over the world. Like any community, however, ours only works if we all treat each other with respect.

You may not "flame," harass, threaten, or abuse others. Hate speech, or language that is racist, obscene, vulgar, or otherwise objectionable, is prohibited.

Questionable behaviour and legal boundaries
You agree not to use the service for illegal purposes or for the transmission of material that is unlawful, harassing, libelous, invasive of another's privacy, abusive, threatening, harmful, vulgar, obscene, tortuous, or otherwise objectionable, or that infringes or may infringe on the intellectual property or other rights of another. The laws of Canada ensuring protection from defamation and/or from harm through false remarks, made either verbally-slander-or through the printed word-libel, will prevail throughout Alberta's Community at all times. This also-and especially-includes any messages advocating hate to any group, religion, ethnic group, and/or gender, as outlined in Part VIII of the Criminal Code of Canada, especially Sections 264 (Criminal Harassment); 297-316 (Defamatory Libel); and 318-320 (Hate Propaganda).

Registration and identity
Throughout Alberta.com's Community-including Chat and Message Boards-you can be known by any available user name that is allowed under our language guidelines. You must, however, use your full, real name and your real email address when you register for Chat and Message Boards. This information will not be available to other users unless you choose to reveal it.

Your presence on Alberta.com's Community will not be used for purposes other than those stated on your web pages. That is, your presence in Community will not be a front for other services or purposes other than those stated outright on your Alberta Community pages. On our part, we will strive to honour our responsibilities as outlined in our Standards of Conduct, Terms of Service, Privacy, and Help and How To documents.

In addition, the impersonation of other users, especially Alberta.com or Zip2 employees, is strictly prohibited.

Using our software
You may not disrupt the normal flow of dialogue in Chat and Message Boards by causing screens to "scroll" faster than other users can type. Similar actions that disrupt the normal functioning of our community features are also not allowed. Such actions include using any component of the Alberta.com Community software for selling products or services for a for-profit initiative. In addition, all Alberta.com Community users agree not to resell the Community product (or any component of Alberta's Community) or give access to the product to a third party for a fee (i.e., subletting a listed or unlisted URL or a Community web site or any component of a participating community group's web presence on Alberta's Community).

Advertising
No unsolicited third party advertising or promotion of any kind is permitted in Chat and Message Board areas and on Community's individual group sites, whether within the actual areas of the site that the Community Leader has control over or on Alberta.com's space out of the control of the Community Leader. The exception is for banners and icons specifically branding and/or promoting Alberta.com's own initiatives, programs, and/or services.

In addition, participating community groups may mention corporate sponsorship on their calendar of events pages or homepages if (1) corporate logos and names are of secondary importance on the site: (2) if they remain unobtrusive to the general look, feel, and design of the web site; and (3) if the corporate organization in question has no say in the design of the participating community's site and/or in the placement, size, or nature of the icon or logo within the group's Alberta.com Community site. Basically, the Community space of Alberta must remain as free as possible from third-party, for-profit influence. As such, the final decision regarding corporate sponsorship and/or the display of logos and icons remains the sole discretion of Alberta.com and Alberta's Community Editor (community@Alberta.com).

Privacy caution
Giving out personal URLs is permissible, of course, unless it's done in a repetitive or disruptive manner (i.e., spamming, flamming, etc.). But do give some thought to how and to whom you give out any personal information online.

Other legal matters
Alberta.com has the right to terminate your account or take other appropriate action if you violate any of these guidelines. Click here for specific legal Terms of Service.

And, don't forget to enjoy…
Thanks for reading our Community Standards of Content and Conduct. Enjoy Alberta.com's Community! These guidelines are in no way meant to detract from your experience in the Community section of Alberta.com; they are merely to protect you and us from abuse of our free service and to ensure that the quality of the service and its content is of the highest level possible. If you have any comments or suggestions, please contact community@Alberta.com or feedback@Alberta.com.