This social media policy (Policy) is a legal agreement between you and SSA. "You” refers to any user of SSA’s services, including, without limitation, the Shareholder Services Association (SSA) LinkedIn® group(s) (Group) services, SSA’s membership or user of the website located at www.shareholderservices.org (Website). Please also see SSA's Privacy Policy.

By utilizing any of the services listed above you agree to be bound by the terms of this Policy. If you do not agree, you should cease using SSA’s services.  

Social networking sites including, but not limited to Facebook®, Twitter® and LinkedIn® (Social Networking Sites) are an important part of personal and professional communication for millions of people.

Social Networking Sites are an important part of a business’s reputation and the line between personal and professional or business communication is no longer clearly defined. This Policy has been developed to set forth the standards that you must use when using Social Networking Sites in order to maintain the high standard of quality for the SSA and protect the SSA from loss of credibility with the public or any diminishment of its reputation.

You are solely responsible for any information you submit to a Social Networking Site or the Website, such as blogs, tweets, photographs, comments, replies, disclosures, opinions, video or other communication (Content) and any liability resulting from your posting of inappropriate, libelous, defamatory, obscene or proprietary information. All posted and/or displayed Content on a Social Networking Site or the Website is deemed to be publicly disclosed by you. You do this at your own risk and indemnify and release SSA from any claims resulting from your Content.

SSA owns and maintains the Group, the Website and any other Social Networking Site on behalf of SSA, as well as any corresponding electronic pages and content. SSA’s purpose for maintaining the Group is to promote best practices and proper compliance, facilitate communication and networking with shareholder service professionals and to provide education and information to the members of the Group.

SSA has the sole discretion to remove any Content at any time, without liability to SSA or prior approval from you. SSA periodically reviews the Website and any of its Social Networking Sites to ensure you are not posting Content that is objectionable, infringing, defamatory, false, misleading, offensive or otherwise in violation of this Policy. Irrespective, SSA may remove any Content it wishes at any time. SSA reserves the sole right to remove Content and to disable your right to provide any further Content.  

You must adhere to the following guidelines when using Social Networking Sites or the Website and posting Content:

• Content must be deemed beneficial to the public and/or members of SSA.
• Content must not be deemed advertising, promotion or solicitation, unless otherwise approved in writing by the SSA Executive Director or President or their designee.
• Content must be lawful and may not contain content that is objectionable or offensive.
• You may not disclose any confidential, proprietary or trade secret information of SSA or any other third party you have an obligation to.
• Content must adhere to the guidelines, terms of use, privacy policies and other agreements of the Social Networking Site(s).
• At no time should Content be posted that constitutes an anti-competitive agreement, discusses pricing or market allocation, shares competitively-sensitive information or disparages vendors, suppliers or other members.
• You may not make any forward-looking commentary about SSA.
• You may not make any public disclosures on behalf of SSA without SSA’s written consent.
• You may not display, use, copy or make derivative works of any trademark, copyright or other intellectual property of SSA without prior written consent from an authorized officer of SSA.

No copyrighted works of SSA or any other third party may be reproduced in violation of the law. If a work is copyrighted, regardless of the use of ©, you must seek out and receive express written permission of the copyright holder to reproduce the copyrighted work in order to avoid violation. This also includes all copyrighted works held by SSA. In order to get permission to copy or reproduce SSA’s copyrighted materials, contact SSA’s Executive Director.

You must have prior authorization and consent by each person or person(s) contained in a video or audio file before uploading any such content to the Social Networking Site or the Website.

You must disclose any material connection between you and any company that you provide an endorsement, testimonial or blog about. You are not permitted to make any such statements without full disclosure of any material connection, like gifts, employment, free product samples, etc.  

SSA will comply with all applicable laws governing equal employment opportunity. SSA will lawfully use the Content, regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, disability, sexual orientation, membership or activity in a local commission or age.

If you are an employee of SSA, your Content cannot violate any terms of the policies, procedures and contracts listed below (these documents are incorporated into this Policy).  Any violation of these documents or this Policy could result in termination.

• Anti-harassment;
• Any company confidentiality policies, including third party agreements you are a party to;
• Any non-disclosure agreements;
• Discrimination policies; 
• Employee handbook(s);
• Security policies;  
• Intellectual property guidelines;
• Internet and email usage requirements;
• Privacy policies;
• Non solicitation limitations;
• Trade secret guidelines and
• Work equipment usage policies.

Pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. Sec. 512(c), SSA’s Designated Agent for notice of claims of copyright infringement can be reached through the contact information contained below. Service of repeat infringers of copyright or of users about who repeat claims of copyright infringement are received will be no longer be allowed to post Content.

Designated Agent for Claimed Infringement:

Name:  Christy Docauer

Title:   SSA Executive Director
Address: 600 Highway 169 South, Suite 1101, St. Louis Park, MN 55426
Phone:  763-253-4311
Email:  support@shareholderservices.org
Web address:www.shareholderservices.org

You acknowledge and agree that upon receipt of a notice of a claim of copyright infringement, SSA may immediately remove the identified materials from the Social Networking Site or Website without liability to SSA or any other party and that the claims of the complaining party and the party that originally posted the materials will be referred to the United States Copyright Office for adjudication as provided in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.  

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