Illinois Physical Therapy Association's

Standards of Conduct for use of Our Communities and Forums

The use of all of the IPTA Communities and Forums is an exclusive benefit to members of the IPTA. They are designed to facilitate the dissemination of the information and the exchange of ideas regarding the practice of physical therapy between members of the IPTA.

IPTA Communities and Community Forums

As an IPTA member, you are automatically a member of your District's community. By accessing a District's community page, you will find information about your local governance, upcoming meetings, and articles of interest. Your district also has its own private discussion forum. By choosing to subscribe to it, you will be notified when topics, messages, and comments are posted.

In addition to your District Community, you may choose to visit or subscribe to other general Community Forums, Communities of Interest, Governing Forums, and personal blogs:

Community Forums: These are open forums that all IPTA members may access. You must be an IPTA member to read or post to the Community Forums.

Communities of Interest: These forums are for IPTA members with special interests. You may need to be approved by the web administrator or forum moderator in order to read or post to certain Communities of Interest.

Governing Communities: These are private forums for the Board of Directors, committees, and workgroups. Access is limited to current board/committee/workgroup members.

Personal Blogs. As an IPTA member, you may begin your own personal blog and invite other members to view and post to it.

Forum Subscriptions

If you subscribe to a forum, you will receive an e-mail message with link to notifiy you of new postings or comments. Once you click on the link, you can read the new posting. You have the option of responding in a comment that will appear on the site for all to read, or clicking on the name of the person you would like to respond personally to.

Responding to Community Posts

Discussion that is professional and respectful in nature is expected. We welcome debate, and ask that you consider that these are public forums for IPTA members. This information shared on any of the forums is for the use of members only. Also, remember that electronic communication can often be misinterpreted without knowing the tone of voice or body language associated with the message.

Posting a Message or Comment

1. Your name will automatically appear in the "posted by” line, and it will link to your member profile when it appears on the forum.
2. Place specific information in the title line so members can decide whether or not your message is something they want to read.

Forum Courtesy

1. Messages should reflect content that is of interest to members of the IPTA.
2. Posting of personal messages to an individual should be sent only to that individual and NOT be posted to the entire forum.
3. Refrain from posting responses such as I am in agreement, way to go, etc. It only generates more e-mail for all of the subscribers.
4. Be courteous to fellow forum members. Think carefully before you post a message or response.
5. Spell check your messages.
6. Never share personal information on any of the forums.
7. Avoid monopolizing discussions or over-using any of the forums, it's always a good idea to let others respond as well.

Job announcements, notices of continuing education courses or recruitment events, and product or service advertisements or endorsements are not to be posted on any forum without the express permission of the IPTA. These requests may be sent to Colleen Flannery, IPTA Executive Director at cflannery@ipta.org. The IPTA does offer several opportunities for these types of advertisement. Visit http://www.ipta.org/ for more information.

Discussion of Wages or Reimbursement Rates is Prohibited

Any discussions regarding salary, benefits and rates is prohibited. The may be considered price fixing, which is considered anti-trust violation.

Opening Attachments

Do not open attachments through the forums unless you are confident they do not contain a virus. It is not safe to assume that either the forum moderator or the service for the website has insured messages are virus free.

Forum Moderators

A representative of the IPTA monitors all postings.

Disclaimer

Posted information is NOT intended to constitute legal or professional advice of the IPTA. IPTA does not guarantee the accuracy of the information posted or accuracy of other linked sites. The messages posted to the forums are opinions of the individuals(s) posting the message. Information posted does not constitute an endorsement by the IPTA. The IPTA makes no representations or warranties, either expressed or implied, as to any posted information and assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions contained therein. No one shall be entitled to claim detrimental reliance on any views or information posted on or through the site, or claim any duty on our part to update posted information or to protect the interests of those using this site. In no event shall the IPTA, its employees, contractors, or its board members will be held liable to you or anyone else for any decision or action taken in reliance on such information.

Further Information

Questions, comments, and concerns may be sent to the IPTA at ipta@ipta.org.

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Updated 12/29/09 IPTA