Guidelines & Rules

Guidelines & Rules

The ISBER Forums are available to all ISBER members and are intended as an informational, educational, and problem-solving resource. Forums are not to be used for direct advertising of services, job postings, events, other societies, or for soliciting sales, but vendor members of ISBER may respond to inquiries for information about their products and services.

Etiquette and legal guidelines have been established to ensure the best possible experience for all Forum members and are listed below. By joining and participating in the Forum you agree that you have read and will follow the rules and guidelines set forth here.

Guidelines for Basic Etiquette:

  • Do not challenge or attack others. The discussions in the Forums are meant to stimulate conversation, not create contention.
  • Use caution when discussing products. Information posted in some Forums is available for all to see, and comments are subject to libel, slander, and antitrust laws.
  • All defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, or illegal materials are strictly prohibited. Do not post anything in a Forum message that you would not want the world to see or that you would not want anyone to know came from you.
  • Please note carefully all items listed in the disclaimer and legal rules below, particularly regarding the copyright ownership of information posted in Forums.
  • Remember that ISBER and other Forum participants have the right to reproduce postings to this Forum.
  • Please include a signature tag on all messages (you can create a signature by clicking on "My Signature" on the Forum homepage).
  • Report any misuse of the Forums by clicking on the "Report" option located on the top right of each post.

Disclaimer and Legal Guidelines:

The Forums are provided as a service of ISBER for the biobanking community. ISBER is not responsible for the opinions and information posted on this site by others. ISBER disclaims all warranties with regard to information posted on this site, whether posted by ISBER or any third party; this disclaimer includes all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness. In no event shall ISBER be liable for any special, indirect, or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data, or profits, arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of any information posted in this site.

Do no post any defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, or illegal materials.

Do not post any information or other material protected by copyright without the permission of the copyright owner. By posting material, the posting party warrants and represents that he or she owns the copyright with respect to such material or has received permission from the copyright owner. In addition, the posting party grants ISBER and users of the Forum the non-exclusive right and license to display, copy, publish, distribute, transmit, print, and use such information or other material.

Messages should not be posted if they encourage or facilitate members to arrive at any agreement that either expressly or impliedly leads to price fixing, a boycott of another's business, or other conduct intended to illegally restrict free trade. Messages that encourage or facilitate an agreement about the following subjects are inappropriate: prices, discounts, or terms or conditions of sale; salaries; profits, profit margins, or cost data; market shares, sales territories, or markets; allocation of customers or territories; or selection, rejection, or termination of customers or suppliers.

ISBER does not actively monitor the Forums for inappropriate postings and does not on its own undertake editorial control of postings. In the event that any inappropriate posting is brought to the attention of ISBER, either via e-mail or by using the "report" option located on each post, ISBER will take all appropriate action.

ISBER reserves the right to terminate access to any user who does not abide by these guidelines.