AFN COLLEAGUE CAFE CODE OF CONDUCT

Welcome to the Academy of Forensic Nursing (AFN) Colleague Cafe, and we are glad you have joined our discussion here! This area of our website is for AFN members only, and it was established to facilitate the sharing of professional ideas and information between our members.  To facilitate the best possible experience for all our members, we have established some basic guidelines for participation.

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Simply by entering and participating in the Colleague Cafe, you agree that you have read and will follow our rules and guidelines.  You also agree to reserve all discussions, shared files, and content to that best suited for this forum, which is related to forensic nursing and healthcare.  This is an excellent forum to share ideas, solicit the advice of your peers, benefit from the experiences of your peers, and participate in an ongoing conversation.

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Please take a moment to review the following guidelines prior to engaging with your peers in the AFN Colleague Cafe. In order to facilitate a climate that encourages civil and productive dialogue in our Cafe, AFN reserves the right to suspend or terminate the access of any member to this lounge for the violation of any of these rules without notice. If you have questions or concerns, or to report improper conduct or offensive posts or behavior, please contact our leadership team at the following email address: afn@afnmail.org.

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RULES & GUIDELINES

• A clearly and concisely stated subject should be placed in the subject line of each post you initiate on any discussion board.

• Post your discussion to the most appropriate discussion board.  Please do not post the same message on multiple discussion threads.

• Include your name at the end of all posts.

• 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. 

• All defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, or uncivil conduct, as well as the sharing of illegal content are strictly prohibited.

• Any posts or comments are subject to libel, slander, and antitrust laws. 

• Be respectful of your peers.  The discussions and comments are meant to stimulate meaningful and respectful dialog. Please do not attack your peers.  It is okay to disagree with them, but all members should do so with respect.  While it is also okay to have an opinion, we are responsible for practicing forensic nursing in accordance with the best available evidence, and one of our goals at AFN is to help our members keep up with the ever-changing, evidence-based best practices.  For that reason, AFN members should avoid the dissemination of inaccurate or old information or offer practice advice that is not supported by the best available evidence.  If there are disagreements with a practice issue, please support your discussion with the best available, scholarly evidence.  

• Please do not publish posts recounting healthcare experiences that include names or other potentially identifying information about the organizations, care provider(s), or patient(s) involved. Use discretion in discussing potentially sensitive situations, keeping in mind that information created electronically could be archived, reproduced, and shared with persons outside the original posting site.

• Do 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 AFN and users of this site the non-exclusive right and license to display, copy, publish, distribute, transmit, print, and use such information or other material.

• Discussion posts that 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 may violate the law and are prohibited.

• Do not advertise any commercial products on any discussion board or anywhere else on the AFN website where others may be able to see it.  Use caution when discussing any type of commercial product anywhere on the AFN website.

• Carefully review all items listed in the terms and conditions and legal disclaimers posted on the website, particularly regarding the copyright ownership of information posted. 

• AFN reserves the right to delete any discussion post for any reason.

• AFN reserves the right to terminate access to any user who does not abide by these guidelines.