Cyber Bridge Community Guidelines

Effective Date: January 4, 2025

Last Updated: February 20, 2025

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Welcome to Cyber Bridge! These Community Guidelines set out the expectations for all members and participants in the Cyber Bridge platform. By accessing or using Cyber Bridge, you agree to comply with these guidelines, which are referenced in our Terms and Conditions. Please read them carefully.

1. Purpose of the Community Guidelines

Cyber Bridge is an online community designed to connect public sector technology professionals across education, healthcare, and state/local government. These guidelines aim to ensure a respectful, professional, and collaborative environment for all participants.

Cyber Bridge is supported by sponsors who provide expertise, thought leadership, and resources to help members achieve their goals. This platform encourages genuine engagement between members and sponsors, fostering an environment where ideas, best practices, and solutions can be shared without the pressure of traditional sales and marketing. Together, we aim to improve how members support their organizations and communities.

2. Core Principles

a. Respect and Professionalism

  • Treat all members with kindness, empathy, and respect.
  • Avoid content that is offensive, defamatory, discriminatory, or harassing.

b. Constructive Engagement

  • Share relevant, accurate, and constructive information.
  • Encourage meaningful discussions and exchange of ideas.
  • Avoid inflammatory or divisive language.
  • Use forums actively to share insights and foster discussions. Members with ideas for improving the community are encouraged to use the Feedback tool in the portal to share their suggestions.

3. Membership Eligibilty

Cyber Bridge membership is available to current and former public sector technology professionals who meet one of the following criteria:

  • Active Public Sector Professionals: Must apply with a verified professional email address tied to a recognized public sector institution (e.g., higher education, healthcare, or government).
  • Retired Fellows: Those who have retired from an eligible public sector role may join by verifying their prior employment via LinkedIn profile or another verifiable method.
  • Sponsors: Must confirm corporate credentials and align with public sector needs. Sponsor accounts are clearly labeled with a sponsor badge indicating their support level.

4. Guidelines for Content Sharing

a. Authorized Information Only

  • Share only content you are authorized to disclose.
  • Do not share sensitive or confidential information, such as details of security incidents, without proper authorization.

b. Proper Attribution

  • Credit sources for any content or links shared.
  • Respect intellectual property rights and avoid sharing copyrighted materials without permission.

c. Prohibited Content

The following are strictly prohibited on Cyber Bridge:

  • Content that violates laws or regulations.
  • Offensive, hateful, or harassing content, including hate speech or threats.
  • False, misleading, or fraudulent information.
  • Material promoting or facilitating hacking, phishing, or malicious activities.
  • Content that incites violence, promotes self-harm, or glorifies harmful behavior.
  • Impersonation or misrepresentation of affiliations.
  • Unauthorized sharing of personal, confidential, or sensitive information.
  • Spam, unauthorized advertisements, or disruptive automated activity.

5. Responsible Use of Features

a. Private Messaging

  • Use private messages responsibly to foster professional connections.
  • Avoid spamming or sending unsolicited promotional messages.

b. Community Tools

  • Use features like comments, likes, and posts to enhance discussions.
  • Avoid repetitive, irrelevant, or disruptive content.

c. Notification Preferences

  • Manage your notification settings to customize your experience and opt out of features like private messaging if desired.

6. Account Security and Authenticity

  • Use your real name and provide accurate profile information.
  • Keep your account credentials secure and do not share them with others.
  • Report any unauthorized access or suspicious activity immediately.

7. Content Ownership

  • Members retain ownership of the content they post.
  • By posting content on Cyber Bridge, you grant Cyber Bridge a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, display, and distribute your content within the platform for purposes of community engagement and operations.
  • By participating in Cyber Bridge, users consent to the use of their publicly shared content (e.g., posts, comments) for promotional purposes within the platform. Users may opt out by contacting support.
  • Cyber Bridge does not claim ownership of your content and will not use it outside the platform without your explicit consent.

8. Sponsor-Specific Guidelines

Sponsors are an integral part of Cyber Bridge and must adhere to these additional guidelines:

  • Value-Driven Content: Provide relevant and insightful materials (e.g., white papers, webinars) that benefit the community.
  • Disclosure: Clearly label promotional or sales-oriented content as “Sponsored” or otherwise indicate its promotional nature.
  • Avoid Spam: Refrain from excessive or unsolicited outreach; respect member boundaries.
  • Removal of Violators: Repeated or serious violations may result in removal from the community without refund. See your separate Sponsorship Agreement for details.
  • Notice and Opportunity to Cure: In most cases, Sponsors whose content is flagged or removed will receive notification and an opportunity to rectify issues. However, egregious violations may lead to immediate removal.
  • Hierarchy of Terms: In the event of any direct conflict between these Community Guidelines and the Sponsorship Agreement, the Sponsorship Agreement shall govern.

9. Reporting Violations

If you encounter content or behavior that violates these guidelines:

  • Use the 'Report This Content' option available on the platform.
  • Provide a description and any relevant evidence to support your report.

Our moderation team will review the report and take appropriate action, typically within 2 business days. This may include content removal or account suspension.

10. Moderation Notifications and Appeals

  • Users will be notified via in-platform message or email when moderation actions (e.g., content removal, account suspension) are taken against their account.
  • Users may appeal these decisions within 7 days of notification by contacting support.

11. Consequences of Violations

Cyber Bridge reserves the right to take action against violations of these guidelines, including but not limited to:

  • Removing offending content.
  • Issuing warnings to the member responsible.
  • Temporarily or permanently suspending accounts.
  • Removing sponsors from the community without a refund for repeated violations.

12. Feedback and Updates

These Community Guidelines may be updated periodically to reflect the evolving needs of the community. Significant updates will be communicated to members. Feedback is an essential part of shaping these guidelines—we encourage members to use the Feedback tool in the portal to share their thoughts and suggestions.

13. Recognition of Contributors

To foster community engagement, Cyber Bridge may periodically recognize top member contributors in a special post and feature them in our member newsletter.

Contact Information

For questions or concerns about these guidelines, contact us at [email protected].