eiFamilies' Social Media Policy

eiFamilies expects its presence on social media sites to be honest, open and respectful. Refer to our Website Privacy Policy for information related to the collection, use and retention of personal information generated on our users. 

Together We Can Create an Open and Respectful Place of Exchange

eiFamilies (and any other Facebook, twitter, YouTube or any other affiliated page operated by eiFamilies on any other platform including our website and blog) encourages fair comment and discussion in its disability-related social media platforms.  We will not tolerate comments which are off-topic, abusive, obscene, defamatory, vulgar, threatening, or which invade privacy or are libelous, including as described below. Offenders will be banned from posting. We will also remove posts that include gross errors of fact. You may also suggest removal of any comment you feel violates this policy.    

Comments are Subject to Public Disclosure

All comments submitted or posted on eiFamilies' social media accounts are public.  As such, eiFamilies must record and retain these documents—please see our privacy policy for more information.  eiFamilies reserves the right to restrict or remove any content that violates these policies or any applicable law.

Comments by Others are not Endorsed

eiFamilies does not necessarily endorse, support, sanction, encourage, verify, or agree with the comments, opinions or statements posted on its social media accounts. Any information or material placed online, including advice and opinions, are the views and responsibility of those making the comments.  These comments do not necessarily represent the views of eiFamilies. By submitting a comment for posting, you agree that eiFamilies is not responsible, and shall have no liability to you, with respect to any information or materials posted, including defamatory, offensive, or illicit material, even material that violates this policy.

The Right to Report Threatening Comments

eiFamilies must also reserve the right to report any comments that imply harm or imminent danger to yourself or others. By submitting a comment for posting, you accept that eiFamilies has the right to contact the appropriate authorities to report any suspicious activities, threats or behaviors.

Editing and Deletions

eiFamilies reserves the right, but undertakes no duty, to review, edit, move, or delete any material submitted as a comment to information provided for display or posted on its social media accounts in its sole discretion, without notice. Comments submitted to these sites will be reviewed and posted on the website if they meet our comment policy. Although eiFamilies will monitor all websites on a regular basis for inappropriate or defamatory content, comments submitted after regular business hours, Monday through Friday, will be read and posted or deleted as early as possible.   Inappropriate comments will be deleted at the sole discretion of eiFamilies. While we encourage submissions from all viewpoints, we ask that all participants adhere to the following.

Terms of Participation

To ensure constructive questions and comments, please post only questions or comments directly related and relevant to eiFamilies and the topics discussed.   Do not post questions that contain threats, obscenities, and any other material that would violate the law if published, such as abusive, defamatory, or sexually explicit material.  Submissions containing the following will be deleted: Obscene or threatening language or discrimination (hate speech) based on race, sex, gender, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.  Commercial services or products, Any personal or sensitive information (phone numbers, e-mail, or postal addresses), Any endorsement of religious beliefs/practices or political parties, candidates, or group, Any posts or links intended to influence (lobby) a Member of Congress or government official on legislation or appropriation.  In the event that your original post contains an appropriate disability-related resource, eiFamilies may ask you to modify your posting by removing any portion that breaches this policy.

Appropriate URL Format

eiFamilies reserves the right to remove any URLs that pose or appear to pose a security threat to its site and other users, including, but not limited to, any URLs that have been shortened by third-party sites (i.e. bit.ly, tiny.cc). Since eiFamilies will actively check and monitor all links, users may only post content containing a full web address. The only exception to this rule are sites that limit characters, such as Twitter. Users are advised to click on third-party content at their own risk.    

External Links (Including Advertising Links)

The posting of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by eiFamilies of the linked Web sites, or the information, products, or services contained there. eiFamilies does not exercise editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. All links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of eiFamilies.    

Section 508 Compliance

Third-party social media platforms and Web sites may not be accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. Whenever possible, information posted by eiFamilies on its social media accounts will be available on the official eiFamilies site (www.eiFamilies .org) in alternative formats.    

Disclaimer

Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by eiFamilies. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of eiFamilies or its funders, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. eiFamilies assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process mentioned on its sites. 

Protecting Your Privacy

This site follows federal and state privacy laws and regulations.  We will endeavor not to disclose your information or information provided by you about your child's disability and/or services.  We do report on overall usage of our site to our funder (New York State Department of Health Bureau of Early Intervention).  That information only indicates the number of users during a specific time period, or the number of users from a particular training, webinar, learning event, or similar web activity. 

eiFamilies encourages all users to remember that they have the right to, and to make full use of the tools at their disposal.  Many social media sites allow you to  control who sees what you post. Before you post a status update, link or anything else, we encourage you to use the tools available to control who sees what you share.