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Westwood Blog Community Guidelines

by Dave Atkins

Westwood Blog is a service of Dave Atkins Media, Inc. These Community Guidelines describe your responsibilities as a participant. They complement the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service which describe Dave Atkins Media, Inc.'s responsibility to you.

The goal of Westwood Blog is to connect and inform the community by providing a place where conversations about issues of interest can happen. The web site is neither a newspaper nor a personal opinion blog—it is a community conversation.

We ask that participants strive to practice the following values:

  • Respect – begin with the presumption that other participants share a genuine interest in the good of the community but have a right to argue about how to achieve that.
  • Identity – do not impersonate. You may use a username that is not your real name, but use it consistently.
  • Tolerance – accept that a diversity of viewpoints is healthy.
  • Responsibility – post material that you honestly believe will add value to the community.

As the site grows, the community standards will evolve, but the follow list should illustrate the general standards:

Acceptable Uses

  • To ask questions about public issues or advocate a position. Example: “Why I support the Library Override.”
  • To promote your campaign for public office by posting your platform as an article inviting commentary.
  • To promote your business indirectly in a way that adds value to the community. Example: a Realtor posts an article about the current housing market in Westwood and links to her properties. An Insurance Agent posts an article about teen driver discount programs.
  • To post links to your local business or organization through the list of local links.
  • To post a job listing.

If you have any doubts or questions, please contact the Editor. Chances are, if you are comfortable asking the question, it is probably OK.

Un-acceptable Uses

  • To promote products or services without disclosing your interest in the service.
  • To manufacture links to another online business through superficial comments to articles (e.g. “comment spam”)
  • To promote a product or service with no connection to Westwood.
  • To harass or annoy particular residents.
  • To post copyrighted content (e.g. copy-and-paste from a newspaper article—link instead).
  • To post profanity, obscenity, etc.
  • To post personal rumors and gossip.
  • To post links to any multi-level marketing, network marketing or other “personal opportunity scheme” that invites residents to become your distributor/agent/etc.

If you have any questions about these guidelines, please Email the Editor.