Website Guidance Policy

Guidance Policy for the www.TragerMATA.com website Adopted Feb 21, 2010

Purpose of Website

Mid-Atlantic Trager® Association (MATA) values the contribution that a website can make to our regional practitioners and those they serve. The MATA website has three important roles:

• To promote the practice of and knowledge about The Trager Approach in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania;

• To provide information about The Trager Approach and its practitioners to prospective clients and students, the wider community, and the world;

• To act as a communication channel among regional practitioners, the MATA board, and the larger Trager community.

 Website Structure

The MATA website is http://www.tragermata.com. There are two main sections to the site:

• The published site, which is available to anyone in the world with Internet access.

• The members only site, which is available to current members of MATA with user names and passwords to the site.

 Definitions

MATA --Mid-Atlantic Trager Association

USTA –United States Trager Association

Member–MATA-region practitioner or student in good standing

Site Administrator –a board appointed position

Web Management Group –the Site Administrator and at least one other person appointed by the MATA board

MATA board –the current board members of MATA

Ownership

The domain name and website contents (except as noted within or governed by copyright) are owned by MATA.

 Advertising

The web site carries no advertising. There are no paid sponsorships. The 'search' function on this website does not include any advertising content.

 1. Access

The Site Administrator has full access to the website; by default, all pages are locked for editing by the Site Administrator only. The Site Administrator has full control over adding pages and page content on the site.

 2. Names, Pictures, and Content

Names

• Practitioner names will be published on the public site as furnished by USTA to MATA.

• Practitioner names on the Members Only site may include diminutives and nicknames.

• Any user may request a change or alteration to the use of his or her name at any time.

 Pictures

• Images of people will only be published on the site when the Site Administrator has a completed Photo Release Form (including faxed, printed out from email, or photocopied) from that individual.

• Images of children will not be labeled with their names; permission (Photo Release Form) from the child’s guardian is required.

• Images of people will only be shown in photos where they are suitably dressed.

 Content

• Content must relate to the website purpose.

• Service marks will be used according to USTA policy and descriptions of Trager will accurately describe the work.

• Personal user information (i.e., addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses) will be listed on the site as authorized by the member and furnished to MATA via the USTA or directly by the MATA-region member.

• All members will be given the opportunity to submit information to appear on the website (subject to approval as set out elsewhere in this policy).

 Fees

The use of the web site is free for non-commercial use. When posting information of a For-Profit nature, fees may be imposed by the Website Management Group.

 Corrections

If you are aware of incorrect information on this web site, please send corrections/all related information, including a link to the page, to the Site Administrator.

  Browsers

This site performs best with current versions of most browsers. It has been modified to work with older versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6 and higher. If you have disabled JavaScript, you may have difficulty with the dynamic menus.

 3. Privacy

The privacy and appropriateness of content for practitioners and others who appear on or are referred to on the site is important.

• Only individual member information supplied by USTA (practitioner consent given) or individual information supplied directly by the member in writing will be published on the site.

• Members have the right to refuse permission to publish their image or any individual information on the site. Those wishing to exercise this right should express their wishes in writing (fax, email, or mail) to the Site Administrator, clearly stating whether they object to individual information, images, or both being published to the Published site, Members Only site, or both.

• Any person named on a web page can ask for her/his details/image to be removed.

 4. Content Oversight

• Oversight for the content of the website is the shared responsibility of the Site Administrator, MATA board, and the Website Management Group.

• Routine information approved by the Site Administrator may be placed on the website without further review.

• Information traditionally produced or provided by MATA to its members or the public, e.g., News Releases, Legislative Alerts, announcements, class and instructional information, TragerMATAs issues, images, etc., may be placed on the website without further review.

• Information not approved through established procedures (points 2&3 above) will be reviewed for approval by the Website Management Group.

• Website design encompasses architectural structure of the site and is the responsibility of the Site Administrator. Website style shall be in keeping with the overall style elements of MATA. The Site Administrator shall create a style for the Website and maintain a standard application for the development of the Homepage and all other pages.

Linking from/to the Website:

At this time, it is impossible to control links to our website initiated from another website. The following policies govern the establishment of links from the MATA website to another entity.

 The public section of the MATA website may link to MATA members, Trager-affiliated organizations, for-profit organizations, and not-for-profit organizations.

 The Members Only section of the MATA website may link to various sites nominated by a MATA member as useful for MATA members. Any member may request the removal of a link.

 Members

The website will consider links in the public section of the website only to active members. Members interested in having the website link to their personal/professional Homepage should submit the URL to the Site Administrator. Requests will be reviewed regularly by the Website Management Group. The requesting member will be notified in a timely fashion. The website will provide a disclaimer assuming no responsibility for content displayed on a member website, however the assumption is that members will operate in an ethical manner and that content will be appropriate in nature--service marks used according to USTA policy and descriptions of Trager accurately describing the work.

Trager-affiliated Organizations

The website may link to Regional, National, and International Trager organizations when such links are to the benefit of members and the public.

 For-Profit Organizations

All requests from For-Profit Organizations will be reviewed by the Website Management Group for educational value and member appropriateness. For-profit organizations must meet the following criteria for a link to be considered:

• Have educational value to the membership and the public.

• Claim no endorsement by MATA for their products or organization.

A fee for this link may be assessed at the discretion of the MATA board.

 Not-for-Profit Organizations

Links will be placed to not-for-profit organizations that provide information on topics of interest to members and consumers. Organizations may request a link in writing through the Site Administrator. Requests will be reviewed by the Website Management Group.

 5. Monitoring

• The Site Administrator will check material before it is uploaded to ensure that it is suitable and complies with the MATA website guidelines and with copyright laws (as far as is possible).

• New pages will be tested for errors immediately after installation.

• The web pages will be regularly reviewed (at least monthly) for accuracy and will be updated as required. It will be the responsibility of the Site Administrator (with the assistance of MATA members) to ensure this happens.

 6. Maintenance and Editing

Optimally two people should have the knowledge to maintain and edit the site, and they must pass on their knowledge to a successor at the end of a term of office.

 7. Policy Authorship

This policy has been created based in part on the relevant guidelines of

• British Educational Communications and Technology agency (www.becta.org.uk)

• The Knight Foundation (www.knightfoundation.org/home/privacy.dot)

• American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (http://www.aacap.org) the effectiveness of our service to the community and to humanity as a whole.