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Guidelines For The Website

Of The
Washington State East Area Assembly
Of Alcoholics Anonymous

The purpose of our Website is to improve communication within Area 92 and to better reach the still suffering alcoholic. These goals will be achieved with the information displayed on the web site, as stated in the guidelines for Contents and Services. These and other guidelines are presented as follows:

Contents And Services Lists types of information approved for display on the Website, some consequences of following A.A. principles and Traditions are also given.
Domain Name Registration Identifies the owner for the domain name and provides points of contact for the domain name registrar, a commercial non-A.A. entity.
Administration
And
Maintenance		 Gives roles and responsibilities for the trusted servants participating in the web site activity, including:
  • the Alternate Chairperson's administrative oversight of the Website activity, providing accountability to our fellowship,
  • a Webteam to create and maintain the Website, open to all in our fellowship who have the technical skills or the willingness to learn them,
  • and other members of our fellowship, who assist the Alternate Chairperson and the Webteam accomplish certain tasks.
Revisions Tells how these guidelines are amended, as lessons are learned and the need for Website services changes.

Contents and Services

  1. The spirit of A.A. principles and traditions will be followed at all times. This means, among other things:

    1. Anonymity will be preserved and protected: the names of individuals and individual phone numbers, postal and E-Mail addresses will not be displayed on the Website.(Traditions 11 & 12)

    2. There will be no endorsement or affiliation with non-A.A. entities.(Tradition 6)

      1. The A.A. Preamble will be prominently shown on the Home Page of the Website.
      2. The Website will not link to web sites not sponsored by bona fide A.A. service entities.

    3. Autonomy will respected: Home Groups, Districts and Intergroups/Central Offices will decide for themselves what information they do and do not want given on the Website, as well as the extent of their participation in the Area Website activity.(Tradition 4)

  2. The Home Page will identify the Website's focus on A.A. within Area 92, making it clear there is no attempt to speak for A.A. as a whole. A link to the A.A.W.S.'s web site (www.aa.org) will be provided to access general information about A.A..

  3. Copyrights shall be respected and registered trademarks, when used, should be acknowledged as such. (For example: Alcoholics Anonymous®, A.A.® and The Big Book® are registered trademarks of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. The Grapevine® and AA Grapevine® are registered trademarks of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.)

  4. Anonymous E-Mail contacts for trusted servants will be available, including Area Committee members and District, Central Office and Intergroup representatives.

  5. The following types of information are also approved for display on the Area 92 Website, other information is not allowed:

    1. Home Group meeting information: type of meeting, time and location.(Area 92 only.)

    2. District meeting time and location, mailing address, and answering service telephone number.(Area 92 only.)

    3. Central Office and Intergroup contact information, location and hours of operation.(Area 92 only.)

    4. Event information (location, time, agenda, registration form, etc.) for the following types of activities, primarily focused on events in Area 92:

      • A.A. general service functions.(quarterlies, assemblies, conferences, special forums, workshops, etc.)
      • Fellowship activities.(roundups, speaker meetings, picnics, dances, camp-outs, etc.)

    5. Area Committee reports.(elected officer reports, standing committee reports, Quarterly and Assembly meeting minutes, etc.)

    6. Area 92 Handbook and Area Motions that have been placed on the Assembly Agenda, including Pros, Cons and other background information.

    7. Links to web sites sponsored by bona fide A.A. service entities will be provided as a service to the Website visitor. It shall be made clear Area 92 does not endorse these web sites, and our linking to their web site does not constitute their endorsement of the Area 92 Website. Permissible links to A.A. web sites are:

      • A.A.W.S. (www.aa.org), commonly referred to as the G.S.O. web site,
      • The Grapevine (www.aagrapevine.org),
      • other Areas and nearby Intergroups (located in adjacent Areas), and
      • Districts, Central Offices and Intergroups within Area 92.

    8. Recommendations on how to submit information for display on the Website.(contacts, format, etc.)

    9. These Guidelines for the Area 92 Website.

  6. Districts, Central Offices and Intergroups in Area 92 wanting their own web site may use the Area’s web site hosting service.

    1. A.A. principles and Tradition must be followed at all times on these web sites.

    2. Area 92 will provide space for the hosted web site and a web address so it can be accessed (e.g., www.district3.area92aa.org or www.area92aa.org/district 3/).

    3. The District, Central Office or Intergroup shall be responsible for creating and maintaining their own web site, and they shall have a representative on the Webteam.


Domain Name Registration

  1. The Website shall be registered to "Washington State East Area Assembly of Alcoholics Anonymous" with a domain name of area92aa.org. (available as of July 5, 2001)

  2. The "Alternate Chairperson of the Washington State East Area Assembly" or delegated representative shall be the Administrative Contact for the Website’s domain name.

  3. The "Treasurer of the Washington State East Area Assembly" or delegated representative shall be the Billing Contact for the Website’s domain name.

  4. The Technical Contact shall be the Internet Presence Provider (IPP) who maintains the primary domain name server for the Area Website.


Administration and Maintenance

  1. The Alternate Chairperson of the Washington State East Area Assembly shall have direct oversight on all matters pertaining to the Website. In some instances this will require access to the Internet. However since Internet access is not a prerequisite for the service position, the Alternate Chairperson may seek help from our fellowship in performing some tasks. Specific responsibilities for the Alternate Chairperson include, but are not limited to, the following administrative duties:

    1. verify the Website adheres to these guidelines and A.A.’s Traditions,

    2. ensure Website expenses do not exceed the credit line specified in the Washington State East Area 92 Handbook,

    3. mediate differences of opinion regarding the information displayed on the Website and the services it provides,

    4. give Website status reports at all Washington State East Area Assemblies and Quarterlies, additional reports in the Area Newsletter are also encouraged, and

    5. update these Website guidelines to reflect lessons learned and the conscience of the Washington State East Area Assembly.

  2. The Webteam is open to any Area 92 A.A. member with the technical ability, or the willingness to learn the necessary skills, to create and maintain the Website. Webteam members will need access to an Internet-ready computer, as well as the personal time to complete the tasks they volunteer for in a suitable time frame. Webteam members shall also be familiar with all the guidelines contained herein, to help ensure their spirit and intent are followed at all times.

    Webteam members shall distribute the responsibilities for creating and maintaining the Website among themselves, and shall keep the Alternate Chairperson informed as to the Webteam's organization and operation. Each member of the Webteam shall have full and equal access to the Website, including file transfer privileges. All Webteam members should be included on all E-Mail communications concerning the Website.

    Overall responsibilities of the Webteam include, but are not limited to, the following technical duties:

    1. select cost-effective options for an Internet Presence Provider (IPP) and domain name registration services,

    2. design, create and make changes to the Website,

    3. help ensure the Website can be found on the World Wide Web,

    4. forward E-Mail correspondence to trusted servants not on-line, or those choosing not to receive E-Mail,

    5. maintain a backup copy of all Website files, excluding backup of hosted web pages,

    6. record and analyze metrics (requests for pages) to help assess Website utility,

    7. change the password as needed to limit Website access,

    8. respond to questions and concerns regarding Website technical matters, and

    9. provide the Alternate Chairperson information on the Website to assist in creating periodic status reports.

    10. For those AA service entities in Area 92 wishing to display more information than that stated in the Contents and Services section of these Guidelines, the Webteam:

      • shall upload hosted web pages and updates, notifying the author that this was performed, and
      • will provide limited technical support and guidance to help A.A. service entities create their own web page or web site.

  3. Members in our fellowship without the specialized skills needed to develop and maintain the Website can also participate in the Website activity. There are a wide range of non-technical tasks that could be done, including:

    1. gathering information to be presented on the Website,

    2. helping to enter information (such as meeting schedule information) into an on-line database,

    3. assisting the Alternate Chair's oversight of Website activities,

    4. as well as making suggestions on how the Website could be improved.

  4. Area Committee Members, Districts, Central Offices, Intergroups and Home Groups participating in the Website activity:

    1. shall have the responsibility of verifying the accuracy of any information they provide,

    2. may request the removal of any or all of their information from the Website at any time, and

    3. shall inform the Webteam of any changes to their information in writing or electronic format.

    The Webteam will transform the information identified in the Contents and Services section of these Guidelines to Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) for presentation on the Website, however the service entity will be responsible for providing HTML formatting of any other information to be displayed.


Revisions

These guidelines may be revised upon approval of the voting membership of the Washington State East Area Assembly at an Area Quarterly or Assembly.

Motion Overview | Guidelines | Handbook Changes
Budget Considerations | Hosting Requirements | Changes From Last Year's Motion

Pending Area 92 Motions | Passed Area 92 Motions | Failed Area 92 Motions

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