Terms of use


Terms of use for the UK Tree Care mailing list

When you use the UK Tree Care mailing you are agreeing to be bound by the following terms of use:

Summary

The Terms of Use, together with the Posting Guidelines, set out the minimum standard of acceptable behaviour expected on the UKTC. Their aim is to help make the UKTC a friendly place where healthy debate can prosper by ensuring courteous and professional behaviour. The main points are:

  • You must be polite at all times
  • You must not use profane language
  • You should keep posts ‘on topic’
  • You must not use the UKTC for advertising, other than by purchasing an advertising package
  • You must not post anonymously or pretend to be someone else
  • You must not infringe copyright by posting other people’s writing, images or other work
  • You must not post in a way that is illegal
  • You should ensure your posts comply with the UKTC’s “Posting guidelines”
  • You agree to any posts you send being made available publicly in the list’s archive

1. Introduction

1.1 Why we have Terms of Use

The UKTC can be likened to a restaurant or café-bar. It is not a particularly posh place—no ‘black tie’ requirement, you may wear jeans if you wish, even keep your chainsaw boots on, but a certain standard of behaviour is expected. It is expected because the proprietors want ALL their guests to feel comfortable when they are here, and they want the place to look attractive to other potential guests walking by. If a guest becomes leery and offensive they are asked to leave.

The purpose of these Terms of Use, together with the list’s Posting Guidelines, is to set out the standard of behaviour expected whilst you are here.

1.2 Nature of the agreement

The UK Tree Care mailing list (UKTC) is administered by and the system on which it runs is owned by Chris Hastie (the administrator). Membership and use of the UKTC indicates your acceptance of an agreement between yourself and the administrator to be bound by these Terms. If you do not accept these terms you should unsubscribe from the UKTC by sending email to uktc-unsubscribe@lists.tree-care.info

The administrator may vary these terms from time to time by posting them to the UKTC and placing them on the UKTC’s website.

The use of the UKTC other than in accordance with these terms may constitute an offence under section 1 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990.

2. Acceptable Conduct

2.1 Purpose of the UKTC

The UKTC is a forum for discussion on all aspects of trees and their care and maintenance. The list is open to both professionals involved in tree care and interested amateurs. It is not restricted to people in the UK, but it is hoped that the emphasis within the group will be towards topics of direct relevance to tree care in the UK. The aim of the forum is to promote a better understanding of arboriculture through active debate and the exchange of information. Whilst some light heartedness helps make a readable list please keep your messages to the UKTC on topic and at all times maintain courtesy and respect to all who may read the mailing list.

2.2 Responsibility for posts

You are responsible for the content of all messages that you post to the list. The administrator accepts no responsibility whatsoever for the content of any message except those posted by himself.

Taking responsibility for what you say means being honest about who you are. You must be honest and open about your identity. It is not acceptable to subscribe or post from an address which purports or suggests that you are somebody else or attempts to hide your identity.

Subscribers whose identity is not clear may be challenged by the administrator or moderators and failure to convincingly reveal their identity will result in them being barred.

2.3 Courtesy

You must be polite at all times and respect others points of view and differing levels of knowledge. The intention of the list is the dissemination of tree related knowledge for the mutual benefit of members. It should provide for informed debate and not be a forum for bickering.

2.4 Language

The UKTC archive is made available to the public and reflects upon the public image of arboriculture as a profession. It is also delivered to the inbox of many family computers. The use of foul or profane language in messages is not acceptable.

2.5 Commercial promotion and advertising

The UKTC should not be used for commercial promotion. Advertising of products, service or events is prohibited, other than paid advertising in accordance with section 5 of these terms. If you breach this condition you may be charged at the list’s currently advertised advertising rates in addition to being subject to other sanctions as set out in section 6 of these terms.

The use of fake identities to post reviews or testimonials will be considered contrary to this provision. However, genuine reviews by customers with no connection to the company supplying the product being reviewed will not.

2.6 Legality

You must only post in a way which is legal in England and Wales. In particular you must not infringe copyright.

In deciding whether or not a post contains content that is not legal it will be assumed that the list’s subscribers include both consumers and businesses. One effect of this is that the content of your posts must not in any way contravene the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 or the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008.

2.7 Posting guidelines

All posts to the UKTC are expected to comply with the current Posting Guidelines which are available from the lists website at http://www.tree-care.info/uktc/postingguide. The administrator reserves the right to use technical means to enforce compliance with these guidelines.

3. Responsibility for virus checking

You are responsible for ensuring that your computer is adequately protected against viruses. The administrator does not guarantee to check messages sent through the UKTC for viruses and accepts no liability whatsoever for any loss or damage caused by a virus transmitted through the UKTC.

4. Archive

Any message that you send to the UKTC may be archived and the archive may be made available to the public via the World Wide Web, Internet News (Usenet) or other means. In posting a message to the UKTC you will be deemed to have agreed to copies of that message being stored and made available to the public. Users of corporate systems that attach confidentiality disclaimers should particularly note that messages sent to the UKTC will NOT remain confidential.

5. Privacy and Advertising

5.1 Privacy of your personal data

The administrator undertakes not to sell or reveal your name or email address to any third party unless required to do so by law. You should understand, however, that if you post a message to the UKTC your name and email address will be contained within that message, which will be passed to all other members and made available in any public archive. The list’s privacy policy is described in more detail in the list’s Privacy Statement, available on the list’s web site. Continued membership of the UKTC will be deemed to indicate your agreement to that privacy statement.

5.2 Sponsor’s messages

The UKTC is provided without charge to members, but not without cost to the administrator. In order to cover these costs a brief message from sponsors may be added to messages sent through the list.

5.3 Dedicated advertising messages

Additionally we may from time to time allow sponsors to send whole messages through the list. Messages that are wholly from sponsors will be clearly identifiable as being from uktc-sponsor@lists.tree-care.info. If you do not wish to receive these messages you can unsubscribe from the UKTC at any time by sending email to uktc-unsubscribe@lists.tree-care.info

6 Breach of Terms

If a user of the UKTC behaves in a way that may offend other members or potential members, reflect badly on arboriculture or otherwise breach these terms of the posting guidelines, the administrator reserves the right to take the following actions:

  • MODERATION.
    In the first instance the user will be placed on the moderation list. Any message posted by the user will have to be approved by at least one of the moderators before being transmitted to the other members. The need for only one moderator to approve a message equates to requiring a unanimous decision in order to censor.
  • SUSPENSION or BARRING
    Users who persistently breach these terms may, at the administrator’s discretion, have their account suspended or barred.

The administrator reserves the right to announce on the list any sanctions which have been taken against a subscriber and the reasons for those sanctions, or to publicise any breach of the terms without taking further sanctions.