US Community Guidelines Template

Welcome to the [community name] Community for support of [insert condition]!

We’re very glad you have chosen to be a part of our community. The [community name] community - offered by the [organization] and HealthUnlocked (HU) - supports individuals affected by [insert condition]. Whether you are an individual who has been diagnosed, a care-partner, family member, or friend, we hope this community is a safe and supportive place for you to share your experiences and find information and support.

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The guideline highlights:

Be kind, respectful, and understanding of one another
Post from your own experience - “For me, this worked…” rather than “You should do this…”
This is a space for emotional support - keep the medical advice to the professionals
Only share third-party information from credible sources and site your source
No political content - Let's focus on individual health experiences
This community should not be used for commercial or personal promotion - no selling, no fundraising, no spam
If you see something you’re concerned about, use the reporting functionality to flag it to the moderation team

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This community is moderated by [organization] and HealthUnlocked.

The [community name] community is part of HealthUnlocked, a network of over 200 conditions and wellness communities from organizations you know and trust. By using HealthUnlocked (HU) you are accepting these posting guidelines and agree to HealthUnlocked’s site Guidelines and Terms of Use. Members of the [community name] should read HU’s Guidelines in conjunction with the [community name] Community Guidelines outlined below.

HU Terms of Use: https://support.healthunlocked.com/article/147-terms

Below are the [community name] Community Guidelines, which are aimed at creating and maintaining a safe and supportive community for all of our members. Many of HU’s guidelines are repeated here.

Professional Health Information:

The [community name] Community strives to provide useful, up-to-date information on matters of concern to individuals with [insert condition] and other members of the [insert condition] community. The information posted on this site should not be used as a means of diagnosis, determining treatment, nor replace the relationship between you, your doctors and other healthcare professionals. For diagnosis and treatment options, you are urged to consult your physician.

Community Atmosphere:

The [community name] Community is a safe, supportive, informative, and friendly community for people affected by [insert condition]. Your participation in this community should be with respect, honesty and in the spirit of supporting and learning from fellow members.

Please note that while [organization] is an organization based in the United States, members may be located worldwide. As such, details on approved medications, treatment protocols, healthcare, insurance, and other related topics may differ and should always be verified depending on your specific location.

Posting Content (Posts/Questions/Replies/Private Messages):

Content posted by individual members does not represent the views of the [organization] or HealthUnlocked.

Posting content on this community is taken as your agreement to post information that is true and accurate to the best of your knowledge, and is primarily drawn from personal experience. You are encouraged to post content about your own experience with [insert condition] (or that of a loved one), ask questions, and offer support and advice.

Content should never be abusive, derogatory, sexually explicit or suggestive, or deliberately misleading. If you believe someone else’s content violates this rule, please report it via the “Report” option. Content that is felt to violate this policy will either be edited or removed. All reports are read by admins and moderators and it is their judgement on what action, if any, is taken.

Neither [organization] nor HealthUnlocked is responsible for any offence or injury that a member may draw from another member’s content.

Any content posted on this community can be read, used, reproduced, and cited by other members of the site. You have the option to delete content you posted.

When you post third-party information, such as information about new treatments, you are asked to provide references and links to sources wherever possible. Please ensure links are to a reputable site.

Moderating Content:

Content posted on this community is moderated by [organization] and HealthUnlocked. Moderation occurs only after content is posted.

Moderation helps maintain a safe, positive environment for all members of the community. Content may be edited or removed to ensure that the community remains supportive and responsive for all members.

The community is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Moderation occurs after posting and primarily between the hours of [9 AM and 5 PM EST Monday through Friday].

Solicitations:

Please note that [organization] does not endorse or recommend any specific products, services, therapies, or activities mentioned by any third party (individual or company).

Online Safety:

In this community, there may be discussions of health-related issues and sharing of personal information.

Please note that the [community name] Community is an open site, meaning that any posts are searchable by internet search engines and can be shared via social media platforms. The default setting of posts allows them to be visible to individuals who are not members of the community. If you would rather your content was not searchable, you can change the visibility of your post by selecting "Only followers in my community" before clicking submit. This will result in only the post title and first line of text being visible to those who are not members of the community. However, doing this will limit the number of people who will find and benefit from the information you have shared. We suggest members leave posts open for everyone to find if they are comfortable doing so to ensure more people find communities and benefit from the wealth of information on HealthUnlocked.

For your own safety, you should not disclose personal information such as your full name, email address, home address, telephone number, or any other information which could directly or indirectly identify you.

For more information on general online safety guidelines please visit:

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0272-how-keep-your-personal-information-secure