The guiding principles for SER Connect are: be respectful, be kind, and be helpful and constructive. These guidelines are meant to make the online member community safe and enjoyable for everyone. Please keep in mind that SER members come from across the globe, have different backgrounds, speak many different languages, and engage with restoration in many different capacities. By participating in the SER online member community, you agree to follow these guidelines. Please note that these guidelines do not cover everything included in the SER Code of Ethics or SER Code of Conduct, which apply to all SER members, CERPS/CERPITS, staff, and board, including when posting in the online member community. Please familiarize yourself with the Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct as violations will result in immediate expulsion from the online member community.
Be Respectful: The SER online member community is a safe space for members of the restoration community to engage with each other. The online community does not allow: personal attacks or threats, degrading remarks, harassment, hate speech or imagery, sharing personal details of others without their permission, profanity, and obscene/graphic words or images. This list is provided as an example and is not exhaustive. Additionally, self-promotion and spam posts are not permitted (please post all employment, internship, and volunteer opportunities in our Jobs, Internships, and Volunteer Opportunities thread).
Be Kind: Restoration is a young and dynamic field, and as the field evolves, valid disagreements may arise. We encourage lively discussion and debate around both controversial and non-controversial restoration topics. We aim to create a safe space for debate that allows members to express their opinions without fear of personal or professional retribution. The online member community will be a more enjoyable and useful place for debate when everyone participates in a constructive and respectful manner. Please give your colleagues the benefit of the doubt, engage on ideas, and do not jump to negative conclusions.
Be Helpful and Constructive: This community is intended to be a resource for SER members on topics related to ecological restoration and restoration ecology. Content that you submit should be relevant to the discussion and group, accurately reflect your understanding of the topic, and be your information to share (this also applies to copyrighted materials). Please give credit where credit is due by citing your sources.
Please do:
- use the discussion forums to share knowledge, ask questions, and build your reputation as an expert
- include your name and affiliation in postings
- be polite and respectful in your posts and replies
- keep it clean (i.e., no profanity or obscenity)
- give credit where credit is due by citing your sources
- search before posting a question, it may have been answered already
- report illegal or inappropriate postings you find within a community to membership@ser.org
Please do not:
- talk about fees, it invites charges of violating antitrust laws
- share Confidential Client Information
- post defamatory, abusive, threatening, offensive or illegal materials - don't post anything you don't want the SER member community to see
- post promotional messages (e.g. solicitations, products/services, firm/business acquisitions, programs not affiliated with SER)
- post unnecessary messages to the whole group; instead, send appreciative notes directly to the sender rather than posting to the whole group
- send angry, critical, sarcastic, or emotionally charged messages
SER will:
- create new groups as requested when there is sufficient interest by members
- respond to user complaints about specific postings
- remove a posting if it violates the SER Code of Ethics or SER Code of Conduct
- remove a member from a forum who violates the SER Code of Ethics or SER Code of Conduct
- occasionally display, copy, publish, and distribute information posted within the forums for the purposes of marketing and encouraging member usage
SER will not:
- review postings for technical accuracy
SER maintains the right to remove any posts that do not adhere to these guidelines. Please note that SER will not edit posts, pay for postings to the online community, or review postings for accuracy. If you have questions or concerns about the online member community please contact membership@ser.org
If you need to report an incident or if you do not feel comfortable or safe please see SER’s Incident Report Guidelines. You may also report illegal or inappropriate postings you find within the community to membership@ser.org.
Users acknowledge that information posted in the online member community will not be treated as confidential, and that any information shared may be downloaded, reproduced, and disseminated by other users or SER without the knowledge of the person who originally created the post. Please be mindful about what you choose to post.
SER Connect is a benefit provided to SER members. Opinions and views expressed within the online community are solely those of the author and do not represent SER.
