Website Guidelines

The website shall operate under the auspices of the Communication Services (CS) committee of Edmonton Intergroup (EI). This committee is responsible for determining the site’s content and appointing trusted servants to manage its administration. 

  1. A web master will be appointed (or hired as needed) to manage the technical aspects of the web site and to provide consultation expertise as needed. The Web Master is responsible to the committee and the groups served. 
  2. One or two volunteer web content administrators (web admins) will be appointed to manage the day-to-day maintenance of the website content. Experience indicates that managing the site content, keeping local meeting information and other postings current can be time-consuming if only one person is responsible for doing so. This also provides some built-in redundancy in that one web admin can back up the other when he/she is unavailable to perform necessary website updates. The web master or chair positions may be able to provide the needed redundancy, if they are available and have the required experience.
  3. Keeping in mind that adherence to our Traditions and Concepts overrides the need to have technical expertise; an effort will be made to sponsor volunteers into the position of web administrator. We need trusted servants who know how we must work together in order to make a website an effective communication tool.
  4. The web administrators must have access to a personal computer and the internet. It is suggested that they have at least one year of sobriety.
  5. The web admins serve for a term of two years but may be reappointed for one additional, consecutive term of two years.
  6. The web master and web admins are authorized to make changes to the website as deemed necessary within the limitations of these guidelines.
  7. The CS committee shall regularly canvass the membership of the EI committee to ascertain whether the website is fulfilling its purpose.
  8. These guidelines may be revised upon approval of the voting membership of the EI committee at the monthly scheduled business meeting.
  9. Edmonton Central Office Society is the named owner of the domain registration for edmontonaa.org.
  10. The CS committee will employ an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to host and maintain the website. The ISP is sometimes also referred to as a web hosting company. The chair of this committee will act as the primary contact and liaison to the web hosting company. At the end of their term, the outgoing CS Chair shall provide the incoming Chair with a document containing valid server information. This shall include, but not be limited to URLs, passwords, and security information.
  11. The web hosting billing contact will be the Edmonton Central Office Manager. However, renewal of the domain name and hosting services may require assistance from either the web master or the CS Chair.
  12. The technical contact for the website’s Internet Service Provider is the web master, or the communications chair if there is no web master.
  13. Technical access to the website will be limited to the designated CS trusted servants (CS Chair, the web master, and the web admins).
  1. A website is a way of communicating to the world who we are and what we do. We must be all-inclusive, technically user friendly, and ensure confidentiality and member anonymity.
  2. The Edmonton AA website shall serve as a communication tool for Edmonton Intergroup (EI) by providing approved, publicly available information about Alcoholics Anonymous to:
    • the public (including those who need AA and are searching for help)
    • the media
    • the AA fellowship, both inside and outside Edmonton AA
  3. Edmonton AA shall present information to enable the still-suffering alcoholic to make direct, face-to-face contact with Alcoholics Anonymous, and to provide information regarding the service structure in Edmonton AA.
  4. In keeping with the 12 Traditions of AA, the website should not:
    • publish any member’s telephone number.
    • publish any member’s email address that identifies the full first and last name of the member
    • publish a member’s full name or identifiable picture
    • present any affiliation, endorsement, or link to any non-AA entity
  5. The Edmonton AA website shall be funded exclusively by EI and should not accept funds from any other source. EI will provide a fund from which the Communication Services (CS) Chair can pay for expenses other than those to the service provider.
  6. The Edmonton AA website will operate under the guidance and direction of the EI committee.
  7. Edmonton & Area group trusted servants may request changes to the group information listings on the Edmonton AA website at any time. Our primary concern here is to always display accurate meeting information at all times.
  8. Anyone may request the addition, change, or removal of group information from the Website at any time, but these type of requests may require more verification (as to the request accuracy) from the Web Administrator before posting.
  9. Announcements of AA events to be posted on the website shall be submitted to the web admins by the host of the event, using the Calendar feature “Post An Event”.
  10. In the spirit of anonymity, and keeping with the wishes of the Edmonton Central Office Society members, any submission that does not adhere to these guidelines shall not be accepted by the web administrator until amended.
  1. The Web Content Administrator (web admin), working within the Communication Services (CS) committee, is responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of the website. As a trusted servant, a web admin is authorized to make minor changes to the website, as deemed necessary, within the limitations of these guidelines. No wholesale changes should be made to web pages without consultation with the CS committee chair.
  2. The CS committee shall biannually canvas the membership of Edmonton Intergroup (EI) to ensure that the web site is fulfilling its purpose and that it is effective as a communication tool.
  3. If the website is used to distribute meeting reports, that section of the website should be password protected to limit access to those authorized to see the reports.
  4. To facilitate the operation of the website within the Traditions of AA, the CS committee (or designated proxy) will maintain E-mail accounts for all trusted servants and special workers. Each E-mail account should be set up to route communication to the servant’s edmontonaa.org assigned account and/or to their own private email account.
  5. The Communication Services committee shall:
    • be directly accountable to the Edmonton Intergroup membership
    • work within the budget assigned to the website
    • respond to the changing needs of the AA membership in Edmonton as they determine the uses of the web site as a communication tool

The public website display will include the following content:

  1. Each page header shall display the name of the website as well as clearly identified connections to the other pages and sections of the website.
  2. A map displaying the boundaries of Edmonton AA, identifying the location of the Area 78 Districts whose group members provide for the membership and support of Edmonton Intergroup.
  3. A list of AA meeting information for groups and meetings within the Edmonton Intergroup boundaries.
  4. A page where each Edmonton service committee may post relevant information.
  5. A page listing the latest DCM contact information for all active districts of Area 78 that comprise Edmonton Intergroup, keeping anonymity in mind.
  6. The Conference-approved “AA Fact Sheet”.
  7. The “Anonymity Letter to the Media” as supplied by GSO.
  8. A calendar listing of AA events and roundups within or connected to Edmonton AA, as provided by the fellowship.
  9. Links to the GSO and Grapevine websites.
  10. These Guidelines.
  11. The public Edmonton Central Office helpline phone number, the physical address, and the office hours of operation.
  12. Phone numbers for AA call centers in Area 78.
  13. In the header, a “Search” function for site navigation.
  14. In the footer: a Site Map function to assist in understanding the site organization and navigation.
  15. The following Anonymity blurb on the home page footer only: “This web site observes all AA’s practices and principles. Since anonymity ‘is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions’, we practice anonymity at all times. A web site is a public medium which has the potential for reaching the broadest possible audience and, therefore, requires the same safeguards that we use at the level of press, radio and film.
  16. The software which operates the website must be responsive, in that it displays the website on phones and mobile devices in a user-friendly fashion.

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