Internet and Social Media Policy

1. Introduction
   1. This policy sets out standards and rules for the publication of and access to information via the Internet and similar public computer networks. It refers to all information that can be claimed to be AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. publications or as originating from within the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. This can include (but is not limited to), web sites, email, Usenet (newsgroups), and mailing lists.
2. Policy Statement
   1. The AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. wishes to actively promote and encourage the use of the Internet to disseminate information in the normal course of its operations. It is important that the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC.:
      • Maintains its high reputation in the community by ensuring that information presented is clear, accurate, professional and of a timely manner;
      • Avoids material that is knowingly false and/or defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, or otherwise breaches any law;
      • Protects its intellectual property and does not infringe copyright restrictions of other entities; and
      • Maintains the privacy of its individuals.
3. Types of Information
   1. For the purposes of this document, the types of information covered by this policy are:
      • Information on the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC.., its structure, policies and history and operations;
      • Information on the Groups, Wings, Squadrons and other units of the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC..;
      • Information on the activities of individuals and groups within the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC..; and
      • Other material as determined by the Council of the Australian Air League.
4. Use of Information and Communication Technology Devices
   1. AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC.. owned or provided ICT facilities and devices are provided to assist members to conduct AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC.. official business, education and professional development more effectively and efficiently.
   2. AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. owned or provided ICT facilities and devices shall not be used for any inappropriate purpose which may include but not be restricted to:
      • any unauthorised use that is unlawful, criminal or unethical, including usage outside permitted conditions and limitations
      • any use that bypasses established and/or official channels of communication as defined by AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. reporting relationships
      • transmitting salacious material or campaigning for personal gain
   3. No person shall use any AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. owned or provided ICT facility or device to create, download, store, view or distribute obscene, indecent, offensive or sexually explicit material or material unbecoming to common propriety, for example pornography. This shall equally apply to the use of any non AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. owned or provided ICT facility or device used at any AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. function or activity, for example; the use of a personal lap top computer by a member at a squadron meeting.
   4. Unlawful and/or criminal usage of AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. owned or provided ICT facilities and devices is defined as use which violates State or Federal law and/or Criminal Code. Inappropriate, unlawful or criminal use of AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. owned or provided ICT facilities or devices or other devices as mentioned above, will be subject to criminal and/or AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. disciplinary processes.
5. Purposes of Web Sites
   1. Each Web Site must have a clearly defined purpose relating to the role of the unit or level of the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. that it is published for, be that Squadron, Wing, Region, Group or Federal, and include information for which that unit is responsible.
   2. The following guidelines provide the appropriate material for Internet publishing for each operational level of the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC.:
   3. Federal
      1. General information relating to the:
         • History of the organisation
         • Aims and objects of the organisation
         • Structure of the organisation
         • Location of units within Australia
         • Contact information for enquiries to Groups
         • Types of membership and membership requirements
         • Uniform and badges
      2. Specific information relating to:
         • Names and contact details of Federal Staff
         • National events
         • Education, Air Activities, Field and Training information, syllabus changes and/or additions
         • AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. Manual, changes and/or additions
         • Federal Routine Orders
         • Federal Instructions
         • Federal Circulars
         • Federal documents
         • Any information deemed of interest at an organisation wide level.
   4. Group
      1. General information relating to the:
         • Location of units within their respective Group
         • Contact information for enquiries to Squadrons within their Group
      2. Specific information relating to:
         • Names and contact details of Group Staff
         • Group events
         • Group Routine Orders
         • Group Instructions
         • Group Circulars
         • Group documents
         • Any information deemed of interest at a Group wide level.
   5. Region
      1. General information relating to the:
         • Location of units within their respective Region
         • Contact information for enquiries to Wings and/or Squadrons within their Region
      2. Specific information relating to:
         • Names and contact details of Regional Staff
         • Regional events
         • Regional Routine Orders
         • Regional Instructions
         • Regional Circulars
         • Regional documents
         • Any information deemed of interest at a Regional wide level.
   6. Wing
      1. General information relating to the:
         • Location of units within their respective Wing
         • Contact information for enquiries to Squadrons within their Wing
      2. Specific information relating to:
         • Names and contact details of Wing Staff
         • Wing events
         • Wing Routine Orders
         • Wing Instructions
         • Wing Circulars
         • Wing documents
         • Any information deemed of interest at a Wing wide level.
   7. Squadron
      1. Specific information relating to:
         • Names and contact details of Squadron Staff
         • Results of squadron education / field examinations
         • Squadron events
         • Squadron specific involvement in recent events
         • Squadron Routine Orders
         • Squadron Instructions
         • Squadron Circulars
         • Squadron documents
         • Any information deemed of interest at a Squadron wide level.
6. Approval and Monitoring
   1. Prior to the establishment of any website, approval MUST be obtained from the Officer Commanding (OC) of the unit concerned. The purpose of this is to prevent sites being created by enthusiastic members, parents or lay members – who then lose interest or leave the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC., leaving an orphaned site presenting an un-professional image for the organisation.
   2. Application for approval will be made to the Federal Training Commissioner (FTC) using the form for this purpose as provided on the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. website. The FTC or delegate will maintain a register of all AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. sites. This register will detail the unit name, Internet address and contact details for the Webmaster. All units must notify the FTC of these details immediately a web site is made accessible on the Internet. While the role of actually creating and maintaining the website would be delegated to an appropriately skilled individual, responsibility for the content ultimately lies with the OC who will be responsible for monitoring the compliance of the website on an on-going basis.
   3. A Webmaster shall be appointed for each website. The Webmaster will ensure that information on the Web Site is kept up-to-date, and look after the day-to-day running of the website. In the event that this person ceases membership of the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. or the unit then another Webmaster will be appointed and contact details advised to the FTC.
7. Copyright
   1. No information published by the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. or software available for download shall breach the Australian Copyright Act, 1968 or International Copyright Treaties that Australia is a signatory of.
8. Privacy
   1. The AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. shall do its utmost to protect the privacy of its members and visitors on any AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. web sites.
9. Minimum Requirements for AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. Web Sites
   1. Contact Details – At minimum an e-mail link for contact with the Webmaster or point of contact, phone number, postal address or combination of the above.
   2. Last Updated Date – The date the individual page, or the entire Web Site was last updated.
   3. Copyright Notice – Whilst not required for a work to be protected in Australia (copyright is automatic) it serves to remind people that the work is protected by copyright.
   4. Privacy Statement – With the advent of technology like 'cookies' and the publicity given to intrusion of computer systems and the like, Internet privacy is a major concern, and the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. believes that its policy on the submission of details to the site is important.
10. Timeliness
    1. Webmasters should ensure that information on a Squadron or other web site is accurate and up to date.
11. Information and Resources
    1. Information on the primary AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. website should be linked to, rather than maintaining a local copy on a separate website. This means that Webmasters do not need to ensure that the current copy is always available. A good example would be the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. Manual.
12. Links
    1. All AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. web sites should contain a link to the main AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. website.
    2. External links may be displayed providing they are appropriate and meet the aims and objects of the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC..
13. Advertising
    1. Since the Council of the League provides free web hosting and sub-domain addresses to all units of the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. it is felt that sponsorship or advertising on AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. websites is not required. Units may however, create a "credits" page/s thanking the organisations that have supported the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC.. Examples would be RSL Clubs, local councils and so on.
    2. AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. websites shall not provide additional advertising on their web sites without approval from the Federal Training Commissioner.
14. Compatibility and Accessibility
    1. Web sites should be designed to work across all major Internet browsers (Netscape TM, Internet Explorer TM, Opera TM etc) and meet the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) specifications for Hyper Text Mark-up Language (HTML). Pages that force users to use a particular brand and version of browser, at a high screen resolution or download the latest browser plug-ins in order to view the pages will discourage visitors from viewing site. If web masters feel they must use the latest technology they should also provide plain HTML or "Lite" versions of their pages.
    2. Consideration should also be given to disabled visitors – who may visit using specialised browsers for the visually impaired. Some tips for creating accessible web sites include;
       • Images & animations - Use the <alt> attribute to describe the function of each visual
       • Image maps - Use client-side MAP and text for hotspots.
       • Multimedia - Provide captioning and transcripts of audio, and descriptions of video.
       • Hypertext links - Use text that makes sense when read out of context. For example, avoid "click here."
       • Page organisation - Use headings, lists, and consistent structure. Use CSS for layout and style where possible.
       • Graphs & charts - Summarize or use the <longdesc> attribute.
       • Scripts, applets, & plug-ins - Provide alternative content in case active features are inaccessible or unsupported.
       • Frames - Use <NOFRAMES> and meaningful titles.
       • Tables - Make line-by-line reading sensible. Summarize.
       • Check your work - Validate. Use tools, checklist, and guidelines at www.w3.org/TR/WCAG.
15. Removal of Non-compliant Web Sites
    1. Since the public display of accurate and appropriate material is in the best interest of all members of the league it is essential that members will comply with the procedures detailed in this document. Where any member of the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. publishes unauthorised material relating to the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. then the discipline procedures of Section Five of the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. Manual may be applied.
16. "Unofficial" and Personal Web Sites
    1. No member of the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. shall create a web site described as an "Unofficial" web site for a particular Squadron. The AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. Internet Policy provides for the creation of Squadron Web Sites, free hosting and sub-domains on the "airleague.com.au" domain. Therefore there is no need to have "Unofficial" sites presenting un-professional views of the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC..
    2. Individual members may create there own personal web sites that make reference to their involvement in the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. and include some basic information about the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. and their Squadron, however the information should be 'in passing' and not the dominant theme of the web site. For example a member may state their membership of the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. in a personal website however they should not place detailed information regarding the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. on a personal website. Where any member of the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. publishes inappropriate material relating to the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. then the discipline procedures of Section Five of the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. Manual may be applied.
17. Web Hosting and Domain Names
    1. The domain "airleague.com.au" has been registered by the AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. and is administered by the Council of the Australian Air League. The Council of the Australian Air League provides web hosting and email for the Federal website and all units. These facilities are provided to all units free of charge to encourage units to create their own website. Units wishing to apply for websites and email should apply to the Federal Training Commissioner on the appropriate form.
18. Registration of Domain Names
    1. Sub-domains of the main Air League website are available to all units wishing to establish an Internet so therefore units should not register their own domain name. If a unit feels is has a compelling reason to register a domain name it should submit an application to the Federal Training Commissioner who shall decide if such a move is warranted.
19. Online (discussion board) participation guidelines
    1. Web based discussion is similar to normal face-to-face discussion in that it is a personal exchange of information. Therefore, it is important to observe the everyday courtesies that would be expected in normal conversation.
       • Be polite and careful to clearly convey your message.
       • Be aware of other person's views.
       • Be aware of cultural differences.
       • Be careful not to offend with the use of humour.
       • Do not use sarcasm.
    2. The AUSTRALIAN AIR LEAGUE INC. requires that users of its discussion board/s observe the following criteria when posting messages.
       • Not to post any material which is knowingly false and/or defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, or otherwise violative of any law.
       • Not to post any copyrighted material unless you own the material, or the copyright owner is correctly cited in the material. (The rules of copyright and plagiarism apply to electronic discussion groups just as they do in other forms of communication).
    3. The Webmaster or his/her delegate will caution any member who breaches the guidelines contained (above) in this document and the offending post will be removed from publication. Further transgression will result in the immediate withdrawal of the member's access and the matter reported to the FTC for further action as deemed appropriate.