STAMPORAMA CODE OF CONDUCT
The following Code of Ethics is binding upon all members of Stamporama and governs general expectations as well as specific expectations relating to any trading, buying, and selling activities among members.
A. Stamporama’s general expectations from members:
1. No member shall knowingly defame Stamporama or its members. Nor shall any member knowingly defame any organization or person on Stamporama’s public discussion board.
2. No member is allowed to create more than one Stamporama account, or create or use more than one identity for participation in Stamporama’s activities. Especially, no member is allowed to conceal his or her prior expulsion from the club by creating a new identity or persona.
3. No member may use his or her membership to participate in illegal activities and/or to foster any illegal activities by other persons or organizations.
4. Members shall not use the membership list or any other collection of Stamporama member email addresses, for instance, from the Discussion Board, or the auction, for the purpose of sending unsolicited mass e-mails. Mass emails for the purpose of this section mean personal messages or emails not specifically directed at a member's stated interests, and/or to members who in their profile have not specifically indicated their willingness to correspond.
5. Members must adhere to all specific rules governing the participation in any of Stamporama’s activities, including, but not limited to, the rules governing the use of the Discussion Board.
B. Stamporama’s expectations with respect to trading, buying, and selling activities among members:
1. Members shall always conduct themselves honestly in their dealings with other stamp collectors.
2. No member shall knowingly misrepresent the material that they offer for sale or trade and have the obligation to fully disclose all material factors affecting the quality, genuineness, or authenticity of any item offered for sale or trade on Stamporama.
3. Members shall promptly honor any obligation entered into, including, but not limited to:
a. timely completing trading agreements;
b. timely pay debts acquired under the auspices of Stamporama;
c. promptly mail material paid for by other members under the auspices of Stamporama.
4. Members must adhere to all specific rules governing the participation in any of Stamporama’s trading or selling activities, including, but not limited to, Stamporama’s auction and approval rules, as well as the rules governing the Classifieds section of Stamporama’s discussion board rules.
C. Violations of Stamporama’s Code of Ethics
1. Any member may file a complaint against another member to report a possible violation of Stamporama’s Code of Ethics. Complaints must include all pertinent detail, stating specifically why the complaint is being brought against the member. Complaints asserting the violation of a member obligation contained in Section A of this Code of Ethics must be directed to Stamporama’s Secretary. Complaints asserting the violation of a member obligation contained in Section B of this Code of Ethics must be directed to Stamporama’s Auctioneer. All complaints must be presented by email or private message.
2. The Secretary or Auctioneer, as the case may be, will review the complaint and will try to resolve the problem informally. If the Secretary or Auctioneer find the complaint is justified, and cannot resolve the problem informally, (s)he will recommend to the Stamporama’s President the imposition of one or more of the following sanctions:
a. a written warning or reprimand;
b. the limited or permanent suspension of the member’s privileges to participate in certain or all of Stamporama’s activities;
c. expulsion from the club.
3. The President will review the facts and recommendation. If the President agrees that a sanction is warranted, (s)he will notify the member of the sanction and inform the Volunteer Committee that a sanction has been imposed against a member.
4. Complaints asserting a possible violation of Stamporama’s Code of Ethics by the Secretary or Auctioneer must be brought to the attention of the President; complaints asserting a possible violation of Stamporama’s Code of Ethics by the President must be brought to the attention of the Secretary. In these cases if the President, or Secretary, as the case may be, find the complaint is justified, and cannot resolve the problem informally, (s)he will recommend to the Stamporama’s Volunteer Committee the imposition of one or more of the sanctions enumerates in section C. 2. The Volunteer Committee will review the facts and recommendation. If the Volunteer Committee agrees that a sanction is warranted, the President, or Secretary, as the case may be, will notify the member of the sanction imposed.
5. Any member subjected to a sanction has the right to request a second review by the Volunteer Committee. The member must present the request for a second review to Stamporama’s President, by email or private message, presenting any new facts or evaluation of facts within seven days of the imposition of the sanction . The President will present the request for a second review to the Volunteer Committee. The Volunteer Committee will review the sanction imposed, and may decide to lift, modify, or uphold the prior decision. Any second review decision is final.
6. Any information relating to a member’s violation of Stamporama’s Code of Ethics, may be shared with other philatelic organizations to avert further harm, public authorities in the event of suspected criminal activity, or as otherwise prescribed by law.
To maintain a friendly environment for all to enjoy Stamporama, the following easy to follow rules governing online conduct are in effect:
1. Follow all the rules and directions found in the individual areas of the website.
2. Be considerate of others in the Discussion Boards. Do not behave in ways that can be considered to be abusive, disruptive, illegal, or otherwise detrimental to Stamporama.
3. The Management Team reserves the right to edit and/or delete any post.
4. When buying and selling in the auctions, approval books and Discussion Board Classified Ads, be honest in dealings with others, pay timely for what is purchased, and ship the items sold as soon as possible following receipt of payment.
5. Unsolicited emails and private messages, especially mass emails, are strictly forbidden. This is spam, and violations are cause for suspension. Multiple violations are cause for expulsion. The only exception is a tailored email or private message directed at a single member based either on past buying and selling with the member, or the material offered matches the material the other member lists as an interest AND the member has indicated a willingness to correspond on the member's profile page. If the chosen member does not meet those criteria, do NOT send emails or private messages with offers to that member.
6. Failure to abide by these rules may result in action being taken including suspended access to some services, or cancellation of membership.
7. Suggestions from registered members are always welcome. However, there is no guarantee that any suggestion will be implemented.
The Code of Conduct was approved by the Stamporama Management Team on February 19, 2016, and replaces all prior editions of the Code of Conduct.
The Code of Conduct was last updated on March 22, 2016.
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