As specified in the Terms of Use, participants agree to comply with this policy, which may be revised from time to time.

Overview

COPA strives to provide a constructive environment for discussion of the ownership, operation, and enjoyment of Cirrus aircraft, in accordance with our mission statement. Above all, we are committed to the safe operation of Cirrus aircraft. We present information via our website, magazine and other media to promote discussion among, and for the entertainment of our members. Naturally, we want members to find the COPA forum, blogs and wikis useful and enjoyable.

This policy describes a standard of behavior intended to improve the online experience for all COPA members. By and large, they are based on commonsense notions of good manners and mutual respect. Naturally, we recognize that online interaction brings up unique problems, problems that, for instance, are not seen in face to face interactions. When conflicts arise, we rely foremost on our members' goodwill and good sense to maintain decorum. The guidelines form a basis for adjudicating the more resistant issues. Keep in mind though, as with all participatory media, the ultimate nature of the online experience depends on you: COPA members and contributors.

Civility

1.  COPA participatory media (forums, wikis, blogs, etc.) are designed for the exchange of, and the debating of ideas. Personal attacks ("flaming") are not tolerated. Personal attacks are defined as any attempt to short-circuit the debate by diverting attention to the shortcomings of the other parties in the debate rather than their arguments. We encourage you to challenge other points of view but please do so in a respectful and thoughtful manner. Think before clicking on the "send" button: is this something you'd say in person to a colleague?

2.  COPA materials are often read by families of members. Explicit, obscene or vulgar language is not appropriate and COPA may remove any material containing such language. Similarly, writings that solicit or offer (whether directly or implicitly) sexually explicit, X-rated, or similar "family unfriendly" content may be deleted without notice.

3.  As a matter of policy, COPA does not preview or approve member content. However, your participation grants COPA the right to modify, or delete, material to conform to these guidelines. For instance, a misplaced post will be relocated to the appropriate forum without notice.

Intellectual property

4.  Member contributions are intended to be shared within COPA. Do not copy, reproduce, or post them outside the COPA community without express permission from COPA or the author

5.  Do not publish copyrighted materials on COPA unless you are the copyright holder. Examples include photographs, news articles, etc. If you don't own it, post or embed a link to the content but do not copy or upload it.

6.  By contributing material to COPA online media, you (1) represent that the content of your post is your own material and you have the right to post it, and (2) you grant a nonexclusive license to COPA to reproduce your material in any manner it sees fit, in any media or form, including the right to edit or alter your material without limitation. For example, the material you submit may used alone or be combined with other material and reproduced on a website, in a magazine article or in any other media. COPA has no obligation to attribute the content to you in any such reproduction.

Forum posting best practices

7.  Use meaningful subjects. Make it easy for readers to decide whether or not to read your post. Subjects like "Need help" or "Look at this!", or that are intentionally vague in order to attract attention, are considered bad form. Unclear subjects may be modified by a Website Editor to improve clarity.

8.  Post in the appropriate forum. Read the forum descriptions and choose the forum appropriate to your topic. Posts placed in the incorrect forum may be relocated without notice. Individual forums may have additional guidelines.

9.  Avoid duplicate posts on the same issue. Post your message only once in the most appropriate forum. The desire to reach the largest possible audience is not a valid reason to clutter up the forums. Essentially duplicate posts and the associated thread may be removed without notice.

10.  Provocative political commentary belongs only in the Hot Section forum. If you insert it into other forums you risk having your post removed.

11.  Use "Conversations" or email for personal messages. You may be pleased to see one of your friends post after a long absence. A forum message such as "Hey Vlad, long time no see!  How are things with the family?" does not add meaningfully to the discussion. Send Vlad an email, start a conversation, or put comments on their profile instead.

12.  Posts that constitute advertising, of either personal or business nature, must be made on the Marketplace forum.  When a thread becomes predominantly marketing-oriented, perhaps due to participation of a vendor, it may be relocated to the Marketplace forum. Individuals affiliated with aviation-related organizations are requested to list their affiliation in the footer of their personal profile.

13.  Discussion about Cirrus Service Centers is great, but make sure you also enter your comments to the Service Center Feedback database, where it will easily retrieved by members months or years after your Forum post has been forgotten.

14.  Before posting, please ask yourself: "Will this post help my fellow COPANs with the safety, understanding, utility or enjoyment of their airplane?" If you can answer "yes" to this, then please post. If not, then please refrain from posting, or post it on the "Non-aviation" forums. Similarly, before replying, ask yourself: "Does my reply offer meaningful advice or contribute to the conversation significantly?" If you can answer "yes" to this, then please reply. If you cannot, refrain from replying.

15.  Respect the privacy of fellow members. Certain personal information is available on the online member database. Do not post additional contact or other personal information without permission. This includes information gleaned from Internet searches or aviation tracking sites.

16.  When discussing public figures, e.g., actors in our ecosystem (such as CFIs, vendors or air traffic controllers,) accord them the same respect as you would a fellow COPA member.

Forum moderation

17.  Forum software allows readers to flag offending posts through the "Report Inappropriate Content" facility. Moderators may remove the offending language or the post or the thread containing it, inform the originator of an offending post, ask the author to delete the post, or propose another conflict resolution approach.

18.  Forum moderation performed by COPA volunteers is largely dependent upon member notification, and cannot be considered definitive or consistent.  Prior posts that have not been deleted cannot be assumed to be in conformance with COPA policy, and do not establish a precedent with respect to any moderation issue.

19.  Discussion of COPA policy on moderation may take place on the COPA Organization forum. Reposting of material deleted or quarantined by moderators, or discussion of pending moderator action is not allowed.

20.  Failure to comply with the guidelines, or a recurrent pattern of offenses may result in being banned from COPA. Members removed as a result of this policy shall have their most recent annual dues payment refunded pro-rata.

21.  If you feel that you are being attacked or harassed, avoid retaliating, use the "Report Inappropriate Content" feature and contact a moderator. 

Your Identity

22.  COPA policy requires that registered users and members accurately identify themselves by using their true first and last name, which will appear in all posts and in their profile, and their true address, which will be visible to others only as specified in the User Profile and in accordance with the Privacy Policy.  The use of pseudonyms or "handles" is not permitted.