SOCIAL NETWORKING NETIQUETTE

Kidney Health Australia - Website Mission Statement
We are proud to present our websites - www.kidney.org.au and www.kidneycancer.org.au - which are provided for all people living with and/or affected by kidney disease.

Kidney Health Australia's social networking areas onsite within www.kidney.org.au include your Kidney Blog (no registration required) and YAP Space areas (registered users only).

Kidney Health Australia's external social networking areas - Facebook page - KIDNEY HEALTH AUSTRALIA, our Twitter area - KidneyHealth discussions and YouTube - KidneyHealthAus videos and educational playlists are presented to provide our users from the kidney community, with an opportunity to gain emotional support, share experiences with others with a similar lifestyle and chronic health conditions.

Kidney Health Australia's Social Networking Netiquette
All social networking areas described above, both onsite at www.kidney.org.au and externally, are reviewed regularly by paid staff who are members of our Health Team and may be moderated if any entry does not comply with our Rules of Conduct and Terms of Use. Ensure you read our guidelines below to understand your agreed responsibilities. Also refer to our Privacy Policy defining the confidential management of your information.

Compliance and agreement 
Please note: by using, joining and commenting within any Kidney Health Australia social networking area, you agree to accept and comply with our Terms of Use and Rules of Conduct. Your continued use of any of these areas constitutes your agreement to any modified Terms of Use and Rules of Conduct.

SOCIAL NETWORKING - TERMS OF USE

• We remind you that others may read and use your comments. Any comments made within any of our social networking areas, should be designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her existing physician.
  
• Internets users commenting in any of our social networking areas must behave with respect and honesty at all times. 
  
• Any health professional employed by Kidney Health Australia who gives medical information as a platform user, must identify their status as a medical professional and be identified. However, this is not the primary purpose for providing our social networking areas to users and will not generally be provided.  
  
• Our moderators are paid and qualified staff who are members of our health team and will abide by these Rules of Conduct and Terms of Reference.
  
• Kidney Health Australia reserves the right to erase, without notification, any comment they would judge inappropriate. Infringements noted should be reported to chatroom@kidney.org.au
  
• Kidney Health Australia may change at any time the Terms of Use and Rules of Conduct. These changes will appear on this page which are always available for your perusal.
  
• Information provided on www.kidney.org.au or offered by a health professional on any Kidney Health Australia social networking area, should not be used in place of consultation with, or advice of, your physician or other healthcare provider.

SOCIAL NETWORKING - RULES OF CONDUCT

Your conduct should be guided by common sense, basic netiquette:

• Please use good judgment when you interact on any social networking platform. We strongly encourage you to interact safely online: do not give anyone your last name, home or email address, phone numbers etc. Do not ask anyone for private identification information.
• Our social networking areas are not intended as a forum for lay medical advice. We caution you strongly to refrain from offering any health advice or suggesting treatment options. This is the role of an expert health professional who would be aware of the user's entire medical history.
• It is strictly forbidden to mention, advertise or promote cures, treatments, or any products.
• In any communication or posting, always be polite and courteous. Always respect the opinions and practices of others.
• We ask that you do not argue or openly debate with anyone who has posted online.
• Use of rude or abusive language, blatantly insensitive remarks, or purposely annoying comments is not acceptable.
• You should not SHOUT: do not use all capital letters when posting messages as the use of all capital letters in any posting is considered shouting and very poor manners.  

INFRINGEMENTS 
Any infringements of the guidelines above may be reported to chatroom@kidney.org.au. If reported for 'inappropriate behavior' in any social networking areas, any user may be banned or blocked permanently. Kidney Health Australia reserves the right to remove or ban any profile from any of its social networking areas, for violating any of the above guidelines, or for any other behavior that is deemed to be inappropriate.

DISCLAIMER
All material posted in any Kidney Health Australia social networking area is reviewed by paid qualified staff and may be moderated. Note that a user's personal ID and contact information, health information which is not evidence-based, or product promotions or suggestions, must not be displayed. We encourage free and creative expression, however in any environment where people are given this freedom, conflict may arise. If an author uses language or materials that offend it will not be displayed. Do not post content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive to another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable. Treat other people's privacy as you would your own.