Social Media Guidelines for CAP Events

The CAP welcomes and encourages the use of social media at CAP events by attendees. This includes the use of social media before, during, and after CAP events, such as the CAP annual meeting. As a courtesy to other event attendees as well as to faculty and presenters, attendees at CAP events should follow accepted social media etiquette. While this guideline represents the CAP’s position, each meeting attendee is ultimately responsible for obtaining permission from individual faculty and presenters for repurposing or reproducing content at CAP events that is not owned by the CAP.

The CAP believes that all social and educational discourse during its events must be conducted showing respect for all individuals and views, upholding the human dignity of others, and encouraging the civil and thoughtful discussion of new and opposing ideas. If you voice a complaint or disagree with another post, please do so in a polite and constructive manner. The CAP asks that CAP event attendees using social media comply with the following guidelines:

Do:

• Follow us on Twitter @pathologists
• Use the event hash tag (ie #pathologists)
• Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/capathologists
• Follow us on LinkedIn College of American Pathologists
• Blog or tweet about the meeting and CME sessions (without sharing proprietary information or data).
• Take photos, video, and audio recordings for personal use only in public spaces throughout the meeting site.
• Show courtesy and consideration of others as you engage in social media activities on site.
• Engage with other members—schedule meet-ups, plan to meet at one of the scheduled events, check into events to see who else is there.
• Provide feedback to CAP staff—discuss topics of interest, comment on the sessions and format, etc.
• Be respectful in tone and content in your social media posts—remember that your posts are public and live forever.
• Consider sitting near the back of the room if tweeting or blogging to avoid distracting session presenters or other attendees.
• Mute your cellphone/laptop/tablet volume to avoid embarrassing disruptions.
• Leave room for retweets!

Don’t:

• Use video recording, audio recording, or other recording devices in courses, workshops, and poster sessions—it is strictly prohibited.
• Capture, transmit, or redistribute data presented at the meeting—this may preclude subsequent publication of the data in a scholarly journal. Please do not jeopardize your colleagues’ work.
• Post derogatory, demeaning, inflammatory, offensive, disrespectful, hateful, or otherwise inappropriate comments; don’t engage in rudeness or personal attacks.
• Use photographic or other recording devices at CME sessions;such use is prohibited unless you obtain prior permission or are an approved member of the press.

CAP staff and authorized photographers, videographers, and writers will capture content from selected sessions, lectures, workshops, etc, and the CAP will share much of that content via social media.