Policies & Legal Notices

Ethics Policy

Overview

Paylogix purpose for this ethics policy is to establish a culture of openness, trust and integrity in business practices. Effective ethics is a team effort involving the participation and support of every Paylogix employee. All employees should familiarize themselves with the ethics guidelines that follow this introduction.

Paylogix is committed to protecting employees, partners, vendors and the company from illegal or damaging actions by individuals, either knowingly or unknowingly. When Paylogix addresses issues proactively and uses correct judgment, it will help set us apart from competitors.

Paylogix will not tolerate any wrongdoing or impropriety at anytime. Paylogix will take the appropriate measures act quickly in correcting the issue if the ethical code is broken. Any infractions of this code of ethics will not be tolerated.

Purpose

The purpose for authoring a publication on ethics is to emphasize the employee’s and consumer’s expectation to be treated fair business practices. This policy will serve to guide business behavior to ensure ethical conduct. These rules are in place to protect the employee, Paylogix, and our clients. Inappropriate use exposes Paylogix to risks including virus attacks, compromise of network systems and services, and legal issues.

Scope

This policy applies to employees, contractors, consultants, temporaries, and other workers at Paylogix, including all personnel affiliated with third parties. This policy applies to all equipment and property that is owned or leased by Paylogix.

Policy

EXECUTIVE COMMITMENT TO ETHICS:

Top brass within Paylogix must set a prime example. In any business practice, honesty and integrity must be top priority for executives. Executives must have an open door policy and welcome suggestions and concerns from employees. This will allow employees to feel comfortable discussing any issues and will alert executives to concerns within the workforce. Executives must disclose any conflict of interests regard their position within Paylogix.

EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT TO ETHICS:

Paylogix employees will treat everyone fairly, have mutual respect, promote a team environment and avoid the intent and appearance of unethical or compromising practices. Every employee needs to apply effort and intelligence in maintaining ethics value. Employees must disclose any conflict of interests regard their position within Paylogix. Employees will help Paylogix to increase customer and vendor satisfaction by providing quality product s and timely response to inquiries.

COMPANY AWARENESS:

Promotion of ethical conduct within interpersonal communications of employees will be rewarded. Paylogix will promote a trustworthy and honest atmosphere to reinforce the vision of ethics within the company.

MAINTAINING ETHICAL PRACTICES:

Paylogix will reinforce the importance of the integrity message and the tone will start at the top. Every employee, manager, director needs consistently maintain an ethical stance and support ethical behavior. Employees at Paylogix should encourage open dialogue, get honest feedback and treat everyone fairly, with honesty and objectivity. Paylogix has established a best practice disclosure committee to make sure the ethical code is delivered to all employees and that concerns regarding the code can be addressed.

UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR:

Paylogix will avoid the intent and appearance of unethical or compromising practice in relationships, actions and communications. Paylogix will not tolerate harassment or discrimination. Unauthorized use of company trade secrets & marketing, operational, personnel, financial, source code, & technical information integral to the success of our company will not be tolerated. Paylogix will not permit impropriety at any time and we will act ethically and responsibly in accordance with laws. Paylogix employees will not use corporate assets or business relationships for personal use or gain.

Enforcement

Paylogix presumes that you understand and are aware of the rules and guidelines in this Policy and will adhere to them. Any infractions of this code of ethics will not be tolerated and Paylogix will act quickly in correcting the issue if the ethical code is broken. Any employee found to have violated this policy may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment and, or appropriate legal action.

Amendments

Paylogix reserves the right to amend this policy. In case of amendments, Paylogix employees and affiliates will be informed appropriately.

Questions

If you have any questions or comments about this policy, please contact your supervisor. If you do not have any questions Paylogix presumes that you understand and are aware of the rules and guidelines in this policy and will adhere to them.

Privacy Policy

Your information belongs to you.

We do not sell your information. Period.

Your data is secure.

State-of-the-art-encryption and data security policies keep passwords, banking information, credit card numbers and email addresses safe.
Your peace of mind is our top priority, and we’ve kept our customers’ accounts and data secure and protected for over a decade.
That means we take every precaution not only to comply with Payment Card Industry (PCI) security standards, The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act (GLB), but to surpass them, offering an unmatched, comprehensive data security service.
Passwords, bank information, credit card and personal information data are encrypted and passed via Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). All information is housed in physically secure locations.
We take security seriously. We have a defense-in-depth approach to security, with layered firewalls, network-based intrusion detection, rigorous software quality assurance, and vulnerability assessments.

We are keeping a safe watch around the clock.

Our dedicated operations team monitors all hosts and services for integrity and availability, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Vulnerability scans, security reviews, up-to-date security patches – it’s all part of the job we do.

For more information:

Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection compliance resources http://business.ftc.gov/privacy-and-security

Security Policy

Paylogix places extreme value on its client relationships. We recognize that it is a vital obligation when clients entrust us with their data. In order to protect client data, we are committed to secure and reliable client application operations.

Paylogix Security Policy on File Transfers Using FTP

It is the policy of Paylogix to use industry standard best practices whenever possible to maintain data center operations securely and reliably. The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of these practices and the policies employed by Paylogix on file transfers using FTP. Serving as an easy and effective method by which to transfer files over a network, FTP has become a standard that is both accepted and widely accessible to users across almost every network and operating system in use today.

FTP Servers

Paylogix maintains an FTP file server to facilitate client data transfer. The FTP server is behind a firewall, and the server housing the encryption key is on a network behind a firewall not directly accessible via the Internet.

FTP User ID And Password Protection

Access to the FTP server is maintained by assigning authorized users a user ID and password-protected directory. All access to the FTP server is authenticated (no anonymous access is allowed). FTP software is configured to not allow authorized users to view or access any directory structure other than their assigned directory.

FTP PGP Encryption

Paylogix’ preferred method of receiving data is PGP encrypted files. PGP® or Pretty Good Privacy® is a powerful cryptographic product family that enables people to securely exchange messages, and to secure files, disk volumes and network connections with both privacy and strong authentication. Client data that is deposited on the Paylogix FTP server is moved to internal Paylogix networks prior to decryption. FTP servers are monitored for deposited files on a regular basis. The Account Team conducts file deposit monitoring either automatically via a scheduler or on a regular schedule.

PGP Key Protection

The Paylogix public key for PGP encryption is shared with clients that PGP encrypt data for transmission to Paylogix FTP servers. The Paylogix® provided private key for PGP Encryption is stored on a network file server, separate from the FTP server, and protected by native operating system security features in addition to a Secure ID. The private key “pass phrase” is only provided to Paylogix FTP Administration personnel whose job responsibility includes the decryption of client data files. Any employee who shares the private key “pass phrase” with an unauthorized person is subject to disciplinary action up to and including discharge.

Copyright, Trademark, & Disclaimer Notices

The Paylogix® Web Site is an online information service provided by Paylogix®. Although the information is available to anyone, Paylogix® retains copyrights on all text and graphic images. Therefore, you may not:

Distribute any of the contents (text or graphics) of this site without the express written permission of Paylogix®;
Include the information on your own server or in your own documents without Paylogix®’s permission;
Modify or re-use the text or graphics located on Paylogix®’s web site.

You may print copies of the information for your own personal use or store files on your own computer for your personal use only. Paylogix® reserves all other rights.

Copyright Notice

Trademarks

The Paylogix® brand, the Paylogix® name and the “x” logo are registered trademarks of Paylogix®, LLC. The names of other companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Paylogix®, Consolidated Billing®, Common Remitter®, Single Point Billing®, Exchange Builder®, Pro-Enroll™, Cash-Q®, and DocuServ® are trademarks of Paylogix.

The names of other companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Links to Third Party Sites

Some of the links in this area allow you to leave the Paylogix® Web Site. Linked sites are not under the control of Paylogix® and Paylogix® is not responsible for the contents of any linked site. The links are provided for convenience only.

Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Paylogix® respects the intellectual property rights of others and is committed to complying with U.S. Copyright laws. Our policy is to respond to notices of alleged infringement that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (““DMCA”) provides recourse for owners of copyrighted material who believe their rights under U.S. copyright law have been infringed on the Internet. If you believe your work has been copied and is accessible on this site in a way that may constitute copyright infringement, please provide notice to our Designated Agent. The notice must include the following information as provided by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. 512 (c) (3):

A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed;
Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works at a single online site are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works at that site;
Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit the service provider to locate the material;
Information reasonably sufficient to permit the service provider to contact the complaining party, such as address, telephone number, and, if available, an electronic mail address at which the complaining party may be contacted;
A statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law;
A statement that the information in the notification is accurate and under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed;
The Designated Agent for notice of copyright infringement claims may be reached as follows:

BY MAIL: R. Pfadenhauer 1025 Old Country Road Suite 310 Westbury, New York 11590

BY PHONE: 516-408-7800
BY EMAIL: copyright@paylogix.com

Counter notification to Claimed Copyright Infringement

If a copyright infringement notice has been wrongly filed against you as a result of mistake or a misidentification of the material, you may file a counter notification with our Designated Agent. The counter notification must provide the following information:

Physical or electronic signature of the subscriber;
Identification of the material that has been removed or to which access has been disabled and the location at which the material appeared before it was removed or access to it was disabled;
A statement under penalty of perjury that the subscriber has a good faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification;
The subscriber´s name, address, telephone number and email address, and a statement that the subscriber consents to the jurisdiction of the Federal District Court for the judicial district in which the address is located, or if the subscriber´s address is outside of the United States, for any judicial district in which the service provider may be found, and that the subscriber will accept service of process from the person who provided notification or an agent of such person;
Paylogix® will terminate all account holders and subscribers who are repeat infringers of intellectual property laws.

Website Terms

Access and use of this website is subject to the following license agreement. Paylogix is willing to grant you access to this website only on the condition that you accept all of the terms of this agreement. Read the Acceptance of Terms carefully before accessing this website. By clicking on the “I Agree” button, you are agreeing to the Acceptance of Terms. If you do not agree to these terms, click on the “I Don’t Agree” button.

Acceptance of terms

Paylogix, L.L.C., a New York Limited Liability Company (“Paylogix”) provides this Paylogix.com web site (“Web Site”) to you. This agreement is made between you and Paylogix, the provider of the products and services at this Web Site. The Web Site, all services such as access to on-line tools, information, and your statements (“Services”) and text, pictures, graphics, logos, button items, images, works of authorship and other information and all revisions, modifications, and enhancements thereto (“Content”) are subject to the following terms and conditions, which may be updated from time to time.

YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THIS WEB SITE AND THE SERVICES PROVIDED ON THIS WEB SITE ARE SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND ALL APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT (“HIPAA”)). PLEASE READ THESE TERMS CAREFULLY. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ANY OF THESE TERMS OR CONDITIONS, DO NOT ACCESS OR OTHERWISE USE THIS WEB SITE, THE SERVICES, OR ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THIS WEB SITE.

BY CLICKING “I ACCEPT” BELOW AND USING THIS WEB SITE, YOU AGREE TO ABIDE BY EACH OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET FORTH BELOW, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THAT YOU WILL USE PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION ONLY IN AN APPROPRIATE MANNER AND IN COMPLIANCE WITH HIPAA. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT, IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION, AND WITHOUT NOTICE, TO UPDATE AND/OR REVISE THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS. YOUR CONTINUED USE OF THIS SITE FOLLOWING THE POSTING OF ANY CHANGES TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF THOSE CHANGES. PLEASE CHECK THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS PERIODICALLY FOR CHANGES.

Use of services; Indemnification

In consideration of your use of the Content and Services, you agree to provide true, accurate and current information as prompted by this Web Site. By registering on this Web Site, you represent and certify that you are (a) eighteen (18) years of age or older, (b) able to form legally binding contracts under applicable law, and (c) (if you are using this Site or Services on behalf of an entity) authorized to bind such entity hereto. If any information you provide is untrue, inaccurate or not current, or if Paylogix suspects that such information is untrue, inaccurate or not current, Paylogix, at its sole discretion, has the right to suspend or terminate your use and refuse all current or future access to the Content and use of the Services or suspend or terminate any portion thereof. Further, you agree that Paylogix will not be liable to you or any third party if Paylogix modifies, suspends or terminates your access to the Content or Services for any reason, which Paylogix may do in its sole discretion. You agree to use the site solely for the purposes for which the Services are intended and solely in compliance with the Terms and Conditions and any other agreement between yourself and Paylogix.

You agree that your use of the site, Content and Services will comply in all respects with the confidentiality and other provisions of all applicable laws and regulations, including without limitation those of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, and regulations from time to time promulgated there under (“HIPAA”).

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Paylogix and its affiliates, parents, subsidiaries, and their respective employees, agents, contractors, officers, directors, successors and assigns from all liabilities, claims, damages and expenses, including without limitation attorneys’ fees and costs, that arise from your use or misuse of this site or a breach of your representations and warranties.

Passwords/User ID protection & use

To obtain use for the Services, you will be assigned a password and user ID upon completing the registration process. You agree to maintain the confidentiality of your password and user ID and are fully responsible for all activities using your password or user ID. You agree that under no circumstances will you provide your password or user ID to a third party. You agree to immediately notify Paylogix of any unauthorized use of your password or your user ID or any other breach of security, and to log off from your account at the end of each session. Paylogix cannot and will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to comply with this Section.

Copyrights, trademarks & intellectual property

You acknowledge and agree that all Content is the copyrighted work of Paylogix or third party content suppliers and is protected by copyright laws. You acknowledge that Paylogix, Paylogix.com, the Paylogix logo, all page headers, custom graphics, and button icons are service marks, trademarks and/or trade dress of Paylogix and that all other trademarks, product names, company names or logos on the Web Site are the property of their respective owners. In addition to complying with all applicable laws, you agree that you will not use, sell, reproduce, transmit, edit or create derivative works from any such trademarks, service marks, trade dress or other logos from this Web Site. You acknowledge that Paylogix has expended substantial time, effort and funds to create and deliver the Services and compile the data contained therein. The Services and data are and will continue to be Paylogix’s exclusive property.

Proprietary software

All software used in connection with this Web Site (“Software”) is the property of Paylogix or its suppliers and is protected by U.S. patent and copyright laws. Any use of the Software other than as required to navigate and to utilize the functionality offered through this Web Site is prohibited. You agree not to copy, distribute, publicly display, modify, decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer or otherwise attempt to discover the source code of the Software.

Connection requirements

You are responsible for providing and maintaining, at your own option and expense, all hardware, software and communication lines required to access and use this Web Site. Paylogix reserves the right to change the requirements of the hardware, software and communication configuration at any time.

Modification of services

Paylogix may, at its sole discretion, modify or discontinue any of the Services or Content or a portion thereof, with or without notice. You agree that Paylogix will not be liable to you or any third party for any modification or discontinuance of any of the Services or Content.

Disclaimers

Information contained on this Web Site has been prepared by Paylogix as a convenience to its users and has been compiled based upon information provided to Paylogix by users of this Web Site and by third parties. Paylogix has used reasonable efforts in collecting, preparing and providing quality information and material, but makes no warranty or guarantee about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained in this Web Site. The information contained on this Web Site does not constitute legal, tax, accounting or other professional advice. Users relying on Content from this Web Site do so at their own risk and are encouraged to seek professional advice when appropriate.

Co-op funding is subject to approval by the carrier or benefit provider company. Paylogix can not guarantee Co-op funding approval. The information provided on this site about Co-op participating carriers or benefit provider companies is for general informational purposes only. All information is provided in good faith, however we make no representation, warranty, or guarantee of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this site. Under no circumstance shall we have any liability to you for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of this site or reliance on any information provided on the site. Your use of the site and your reliance on any information on the site is solely at your own risk.

This site does not contain insurance or employee benefit advice. The insurance or employee benefit information is provided to general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We so not provide any kind of insurance advice. The use or reliance of any information contained on this site is solely at your own risk.

Paylogix may provide you with planning and educational tools, including calculators. Such tools and calculators may allow you to model “what-if” scenarios, the results of which are illustrative and are based on the information and assumptions identified. There is no guarantee that the results shown are necessarily accurate or will be achieved. In addition, these tools and calculators are not part of any planning report for which you may have paid a fee, even if the tools and calculators include information derived from or contained in a report. Paylogix makes no warranty regarding the accuracy of such calculators available for use on this Web Site.

YOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT YOUR USE OF THIS WEB SITE, THE SERVICES AND CONTENT IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. ALL SERVICES, CONTENT AND SOFTWARE ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” OR “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS. PAYLOGIX AND ITS SUPPLIERS EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. PAYLOGIX AND ITS SUPPLIERS MAKE NO WARRANTY THAT (i) THE SERVICES, CONTENT AND SOFTWARE ARE ACCURATE, TIMELY, UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE; (ii) THE RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF THE SERVICES, CONTENT OR SOFTWARE WILL BE RELIABLE; (iii) ANY ERRORS IN THE SOFTWARE WILL BE CORRECTED; (iv) THE SERVER THAT MAKES THE SITE AVAILABLE IS SECURE AND FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS; AND/OR (v) USE OF, AND CONTENT AT, THE SITE (AND/OR ANY LINKS TO THIRD PARTY SITES) WILL BE FREE OF VIRUSES, WORMS, BUGS, TROJAN HORSES OR THE LIKE, DEFAMATORY, HARASSING, OBSCENE OR OTHERWISE OBJECTIONABLE CONTENT.

Limitation of liability

YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT PAYLOGIX AND ITS SUPPLIERS WILL NOT BE LIABLE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES EVEN IF PAYLOGIX OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF THOSE DAMAGES, RESULTING FROM YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE WEB SITE, SERVICES, CONTENT OR SOFTWARE, AND/OR ANY USE OR RELIANCE ON ANY LINKED WEB SITE OR ANY OTHER MATTER RELATED TO THE SERVICES OR CONTENT. IF, NOTWITHSTANDING THE ABOVE, LIABILITY IS IMPOSED ON PAYLOGIX, THEN YOU AGREE THAT PAYLOGIX’S TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY OR ALL OF YOUR LOSSES OR INJURIES FROM PAYLOGIX’S ACTS OR OMISSIONS UNDER THIS AGREEMENT, REGARDLESS OF THE NATURE OF THE LEGAL OR EQUITABLE RIGHT CLAIMED TO HAVE BEEN VIOLATED, SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT OF FEES COLLECTED FROM YOU BY PAYLOGIX DURING THE SIX (6) MONTH PERIOD IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE ALLEGED BREACH BY PAYLOGIX OF THIS AGREEMENT.

SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

THE FOREGOING LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY SHALL APPLY TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW AND SHALL SURVIVE ANY TERMINATION OR EXPIRATION OF THIS AGREEMENT OR YOUR USE OF THIS SITE AND/OR THE SERVICES. YOU SPECIFICALLY AGREE THAT ANY CLAIM AND/OR CAUSE OF ACTION RELATING TO THIS SITE AND/OR THE SERVICES MUST BE BROUGHT WITHIN ONE (1) YEAR AFTER THE INITIAL DATE OF THE EVENT THAT GIVES RISE TO SUCH CLAIM OR CAUSE OF ACTION.

Links to third parties

This Web Site may contain links to Web Sites maintained by third parties. Such links are provided for your convenience and reference only. Paylogix does not operate or control in any respect, and is not responsible for, any information, software, products or services available on such Web sites. Paylogix’s inclusion of a link to a Web site does not imply any endorsement of the services or the site, its contents, or its sponsoring organization.

General provisions

Entire Agreement

These terms and conditions, the Privacy Policy, and other policies Paylogix may post constitute the entire agreement between Paylogix and you in connection with your use of this Web Site, the Services, and the Content and it supersedes all prior or contemporaneous communications, promises and proposals, whether oral, written or electronic. Paylogix may update these terms and conditions from time to time by posting revised terms and conditions on this Web Site, without notice to you, and your subsequent use of the Web Site is governed by those new terms and conditions. The terms and conditions are effective until terminated or modified by Paylogix. In the event of termination, the copyrights, trademarks, and intellectual property, disclaimers, limitations of liabilities, and jurisdiction provisions set forth in these terms and conditions will survive. In the event of a conflict between any other notice, policy, disclaimer or other term contained in this Web Site, these terms and conditions will control (provided, however, that in the event that a provision contained in an fully executed written agreement between Paylogix and you is contrary to any provision hereof, the provision in that fully executed written agreement shall govern). If any provision is deemed to be unlawful or unenforceable, it will not affect the validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions. The section headings are for convenience only and do not have any force or effect.

Governing Law

These terms and conditions are governed by the laws of the State of New York without regard to choice or conflicts of law provisions. You hereby consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the courts in Nassau County or Suffolk County, New York in connection with any legal action arising in connection with these terms and conditions and/or the use of this site, and you hereby submit to the jurisdiction of any such court.

Notice Regarding Foreign Use

Paylogix makes no representation that the content on this site is appropriate or available for use in locations outside the United States, and accessing the content from territories where such content is illegal is prohibited. Those who choose to access this site from locations outside the United States do so at their own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws.

Community Guidelines & Comment Policy

We want everyone to feel at home posting comments on The Paylogix Post. We don’t know what your home is like, but we know how we expect people to behave when they visit ours. That’s why we reserve the right to delete comments and ban users as needed to keep the comment threads here civil and substantive.

OUR NO. 1 HOUSE RULE IS SIMPLE: DON’T BE A JERK.

Want to be the kind of commenter we’d love to bring home to mom? Here’s what we like to see in comments:

Weigh in with smart, informed ideas that contribute further to the article or story.
Give us useful, constructive criticism. Spot a typo or an error? Let us know and we will correct it.
Demonstrate and share your experience, intelligence, wisdom, and humor we know you possess.
Don’t feed the trolls. You know how you sometimes have to just ignore the crazy stuff that your Father-in-law says for the sake of harmony and your own sanity? Same goes here. If comments are getting weird, please don’t make it worse. Down vote and flag comments instead.

Although we can’t be everywhere at once, here are some of the kinds of comments we’re going to do our best to curtail:

Promoting your own brand, product, or blog. You may submit your press releases here.
Impersonating authors or other commenters. We can’t believe we have to say this, but: Don’t do that. It’s weird.
Comments that make it clear you didn’t read the article. Enraged that we didn’t mention X in a story about Y? Slow down, Speedy McFingerson. If you’d made it past paragraph two, you’d see a very well thought-out discussion of that X you hold so dear.
Comments that are completely out of left field. Sometimes discussions veer off a bit, but are still related to the original subject. That is fine. Hijacking the conversation to promote off-topic commentary is not.
Threats — no matter how vague — against the author or other commenters. Again, we can’t believe that we need to say this.
Racism, sexism, homophobia, you get the drift. Call us the PC Police, fine, but don’t say we didn’t warn you when you get banned or deleted. This also CLEARLY falls under the, “rule #1 don’t be a jerk,” policy stated above.
Trolling. If you’re a climate denier just out for a good trolling and are not contributing meaningfully to the conversation, we’ll be pushing you back under the bridge, where you will likely drown from rising sea waters.

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