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Terms and Conditions

Privacy

Servers: We make reasonable efforts to protect the security of your information through the privacy settings provided on this webpage and detailed below. However, our website is not located on a secure server and we cannot guarantee the security of any information submitted to us.

Roles: Users of the website are grouped into different roles. These roles determine what website content they will see. The roles are as follows:

Website Administrators: Those who keep the website in good working order. These individuals include the current NVBMA executive board as well as 4-5 consultants who maintain the website.

VBMA Student Member: A member in good standing at any VBMA chapter.

VBMA Alumni: A graduate who was in good standing with any VBMA chapter.

Representatives of Diamond Sponsors: These are select representatives of our Diamond level sponsors (>$50,000 contributors) who are granted access to the site. Our current Diamond Contributors are Hill’s Pet Nutrition and Live Oak Bank.

Professional Advisors: These are individuals who are professional advisors of the VBMA on a national level, usually there are 1-4 individuals that fulfill this role. They are often members of AVPMCA (Vet Partners).

Industry Professionals: These are individuals who are involved in the veterinary industry, pharmaceutical industry, nutrition industry, etc. who are not VBMA members, alumni, diamond level sponsors, or professional advisors.

Anonymous users: these are individuals who come to the website and do not register and do not sign in. They can view material that we say in this document that any individual visiting the site can see.

Sending E-mails:
The e-mails you send via our website may not be secure. Accordingly, please use discretion when sending e-mails through our website and refrain from sending any confidential information.

Receiving E-mails:
No one but Website Administrators will have direct access to your e-mail address unless you give it out or place it on a non-confidential part of your member profile.

While they will not have your e-mail address directly, e-mails from groups you belong to may be sent to you via a program on the website. You can shut this off by doing one of the following:

  1. click on “My Account” on the left hand menu in the white part of the website
  2. then click on the “Edit” tab in the window that appears
  3. scroll down to “Organic Groups Settings”
  4. If you wish to shut off e-mails from all of your groups select “Never send email notifications” scroll down to the bottom of the page and click “submit”
  5. If you wish to shut off e-mails only from particular groups
    1. Select “”selectively send email notification based on the checkbox for each of my groups “my membership page” scroll down to the bottom of the page and click “submit”
    2. Go to the group page of the group you do not want to receive e-mails from (you can access these groups from the “Chapters” tab or from “Groups” on the left hand menu – then click on the name of the group you want to edit settings for)
    3. A menu will appear on the left hand side of the screen that says the name of the group, below that there is a link that says “My Membership” click on this link.
    4. If the page says “E-mail Notifications: your personal profile is configured to: Always receive email notifications” then you have not accomplished step 5a. Click on “personal profile” to return to your personal profile, begin again from step 3.
    5. If you see two options “enabled” and “disabled” click the radio button to the left of “disabled” and make sure the black mark appears within it.
    6. Then click “submit”

Those who can access your user profile, while they will not have access to your e-mail address directly may send you an e-mail via your contact page. You can turn off this setting by following these steps:

  1. going to “My Account” on the left hand menu
  2. then click on the “Edit” tab in the window that appears
  3. scroll down to “Contact Settings”
  4. Click the check box next to “personal contact form” until there is no longer any mark inside of the box.
  5. Scroll down the page and click “submit”

Comments
Comments you make on forums, blogs, or any other part of our website are accessible to any individual visiting our website.

If you do not want your comments to be viewed by any person do not post them on the website.

Images & Videos
Any images you submit will be visible to any individual visiting our website. If there is an image posted that has you in it and you wish it not to be posted please contact us (link to Cyndie’s contact page) and we will remove the image.

If you do not want images to be available to these groups, do not post them on the website.

Blog Viewing
Any blogs you submit will be visible to any user visiting our website.

If you do not want your blogs to be available to these groups, do not post them to the website.

Chat Rooms
Members that are allowed to access and view chat rooms and chats and may read anything you post on there are:

  • Website Administrators
  • VBMA Student Members
  • VBMA Alumni
  • Representatives from our Diamond Sponsors
  • Professional Advisors

If you do not want these groups to be able to access your chats, then do not use the website chatroom.

Uploaded Files
The following individuals will be able to view publicly uploaded files:

  • Website Administrators
  • VBMA Student Members
  • VBMA Alumni
  • Representatives from our Diamond Sponsors
  • Professional Advisors

If you do not want files to be viewed or used by these groups, do not upload them to the website.

User Profiles
The following individuals will be able to view your user profile (all information except for contact information):

  • Website Administrators
  • VBMA Student Members
  • VBMA Alumni

Simply do not fill in any field you do not feel comfortable with these groups seeing.

User Profiles – Contact Information (E-mail and Phone Number)
This information will only be directly accessible to Website Administrators.

If you feel uncomfortable with administrators having access to this information, simply do not fill it in.

Use of Information:
We will not sell or otherwise knowingly distribute your information to third parties.

Outside Links
We are not responsible for the privacy policies of any website outside the domain “www.vbma.biz” that we link to.

Confidential Medical Information:
If you are required to keep any medical information confidential then do not post it anywhere on this website or send any such information in an e-mail on a contact form on this website.

Change of Privacy Policy:
We reserve the right to change this privacy policy at any time.