Rules of Conduct

Senior Planet values the unique contributions of visitors and does its best to keep the site open and inviting to all users. Commenting on articles or other posts, in a thoughtful, civil, and respectful manner is encouraged. Comments will appear after they have been reviewed for adherence to the rules outlined below.

To see our privacy policy, click here.

Senior Planet does not permit or endorse any expression that is disrespectful of any individuals, groups, beliefs, opinions or ideas. Senior Planet also disallows the posting of personally identifiable information of either the commenter or of others. Therefore, any comments that are deemed to violate the following rules will not be allowed to appear or will be removed.

Senior Planet visitors may not:
  • Post or link to any slanderous, defamatory, abusive, baiting, harassing (including personal attacks and “name calling”), obscene, profane, vulgar, sexually explicit, threatening or illegal material, or any material containing expressions of bigotry, racism, ageism, or hatred in any form whatsoever.  This, and all other rules applies to material in any format (e.g., text, graphic, symbol, photo, video).
  • Negatively characterize the participants or messages that appear on one page, on another page.
  • Post the content of any personal email sent to you without the sender’s prior express permission.
  • “Spam” by posting the same message on one or more pages that are not related to the topic of the post.
  • Post hyperlinks to any webpage or site unless relevant to the comment or the subject of the comment, and in conformance with these rules.
  • Post any message intended to promote a business or commercial product or service; or post a message that is intended to encourage others to vote in a contest.
  • Post any message that is politically partisan or seeks to influence the outcome of an election to political office or pending legislation.
  • Publicly post or otherwise share personally identifiable information of oneself or of another, such as an address, email address, phone number, Social Security number, or other sensitive information, such as passwords, etc.
  • Post or transmit any material that violates the rights of others, infringes a person’s intellectual property rights (such as copyrights, patents, or trademarks), or is otherwise unlawful or encourages unlawful activity. Posting or transmission of any material that violates any federal, state, or local law or regulation is prohibited.

The Senior Bill of Rights

As a Senior Planet participant, you have rights!

Health and Information Disclaimer

The material provided on the Senior Planet website by its editors, contributors or participants is offered with the understanding that neither Senior Planet nor other contributors are engaged in rendering financial, legal, medical or other professional services on the Senior Planet website. If expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

The Information You Give Us

We collect from you only the personal information that you provide us when you sign up for a Senior Planet email newsletter. Currently, we use this information solely for the purpose of sending you the emails that you’ve requested. We may also use your email address to inform you about Senior Planet events, services and news. In the future, we reserve the right to share your information with trusted third parties with whom we share our mission. However, we will never sell individual personal information to anyone without your advance permission or unless ordered by a court of law. If you have any questions about your account and personal data or have concerns about your privacy, please contact us immediately.

User Generated Content

Senior Planet has no obligation to prescreen user information contributed to the Senior Planet website, however, Senior Planet does have the right to edit, refuse to publish or remove any content that at its discretion it deems abusive, defamatory, unlawful, or in some other way unacceptable, which can include determinations based on the rules posted in the Rules of Conduct section or upon other bases.

By uploading or otherwise submitting user information to Senior Planet, you grant Senior Planet a royalty-free, non-exclusive, perpetual license to use, modify, create derivative works from, store, transmit, distribute, publish, copy, publicly display and publicly perform any user information in any format or medium now known or later developed, with or without attribution. You also grant Senior Planet a license to use and exploit your username in connection with such user information. You represent and warrant to Senior Planet that you have the right to upload or otherwise submit such user information to us and to grant Senior Planet the licenses granted in this section.

Blogger Opinions

Senior Planet invites bloggers to post content on its website. The views and opinions of these bloggers are strictly their own and do not reflect the views and opinions of Senior Planet or Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) from AARP.

Copyright

The content provided on the Senior Planet website may not be copied, reproduced, republished, displayed, performed, used to create derivative works, uploaded, or posted without the written permission of Senior Planet or Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) from AARP. You may download, display and print the content, solely for informational and non-commercial, personal use.

Product and Website Recommendations

The Senior Planet website provides links to other websites for the purpose of offering its users convenient access to additional content. The inclusion of links to websites does not imply sponsorship or endorsement. Senior Planet also provides content describing products and services. Senior Planet does not accept payment for any recommendations of a website or of product on its website.

Grievance Procedure

The OATS Commitment:
OATS is committed to excellence. If, for any reason, you are not satisfied with your experience (site, lab, trainer, etc), you have the right to discuss your concerns with the OATS trainer and have the problem addressed promptly and in a confidential manner. If you are not satisfied with the result, you may contact us by emailing info@seniorplanet.org or calling 888-713-3495.
You may also file a complaint regarding your satisfaction with any service, staff member, or other participants by submitting your complaint by emailing or calling the contacts above. You have a right to have your grievance heard privately and addressed promptly and should be contacted within one week of filing your complaint; you should expect a decision within three weeks. You may appeal any decision to the OATS Board of Directors if you are not satisfied by contacting us at info@seniorplanet.org. If you are located in New York City, you may appeal the Board’s decision by contacting the NYC Department for the Aging by calling 311. To the extent possible, all information relating to your complaint or grievance will be treated in a confidential manner.