Website Guidelines

1. The Website should be a tool in the accomplishment of our primary purpose: to stay sober and to help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety. To this end, the Web site should be used to disseminate information to members, as a contact point for Public Information work, and as a means of reaching out to the still suffering alcoholic.

2. We must always keep in mind that a Website, by its nature, is always open to the non-member and the potential newcomer. We must always-present information on the Web site in such a way that it will not confuse people who are unfamiliar with AA as to what AA is and what it does.

3. Use only first names and last initials; no full names.

4. Do not display any information about an individual that might be used to identify them, for example, “John P., Owner of the Iguana Roti Shop”.

5. Do not link to unaffiliated (non AA) sites where the nature of the linked site might cause confusion regarding affiliation. (Map sites are specifically excluded from this prohibition as their use has become so ubiquitous on the Web, and their nature is such, that no one would mistake their use for affiliation.)

6. No endorsement of non-AA literature or use of quotes from such literature. AA literature includes Conference approved books, pamphlets, tapes and videos, “The Grapevine”, “Box 459”, etc.

7. Where use is made of copyrighted, Conference approved literature or other materials on which AAWS, or Grapevine, or any other AA entity holds the copyright, always obtain permission for use (if required) and include copyright notices.

8. In the on-line meeting list, if a group meets in a rehab or other institution where a risk of seeming affiliation exists, don’t use the name of the institution in the meeting address, replace it with the street address (and building description, if necessary). For example: “157 Regent Street, in patient cafeteria”.

9. List institutional meetings on a separate page with a non-affiliation statement on that page. Do not list restricted meetings.

10. To avoid the conflict between appearing to endorse practices of which we do not approve which other AA services entities may use on their Web sites, and harming the spirit of the First Tradition by not linking to some sites while linking to others, we will provide links to no AA Web site other than that of AAWS and The Grapevine.

11. Exceptions can be made on the Events Calendar, where events and links to those events’ websites may be posted, as long as they are AA related and clearly marked as being inside AA Intergroup Guyana.

12. Include the disclaimer that the site is not approved by the General Service Office of AA and does not represent the views of AA as a whole or of any AA entity except the AA Guyana Intergroup.