The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System does not discriminate against any views; however, we do reserve the right to delete comments posted to our social media accounts that:
- Are violent, obscene, profane, hateful or racist
- Are sexually explicit or sexually harassing
- Threaten, harass, or defame any person or organization
- Spread misleading or false information/accusations
- Are inappropriate or offensive
- Are irrelevant or off-topic
- Suggest or encourage illegal activity
- Are copied and pasted multiple times
- Solicit, advertise, link to, or endorse any financial, commercial or nongovernmental agency
In short: We don’t edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. Please be respectful of others. Do not abuse the privilege of participating in our public, family-friendly forums. Repeat violators of any of these guidelines risk being blocked from commenting on all U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System social media websites.
Reporters are asked to send questions to the IOOS’s Public Relations through their normal channels and to refrain from submitting questions as comments via social media outlets.
We recognize that the Web is a 24/7 medium and your comments are welcome at any time. However, given the need to manage federal resources, moderating and posting of comments will generally occur during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Comments submitted after hours or on weekends will be read and posted twice per week or as time is available during business hours.
We encourage public interaction and communication about the content we post on our social media accounts. However, this does not imply that the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System agrees with or accepts the content, opinions, or views expressed within any public comment. The person who posts a comment is solely responsible for the content of the comment.
To protect your own privacy and the privacy of others, please do not include phone numbers or email addresses in the body of your comment.
Facebook is a social networking website where users can connect and interact with other people. The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System Facebook page features new content every month to keep you up-to-date with IOOS news and information. Please note that you are subject to Facebook's privacy policy when visiting our Facebook page.
We encourage fans to write on the U.S. IOOS Wall; however, any content posted to the Wall that violates our Comment Policy will not be edited to remove unacceptable content; the comments will just be deleted.
Facebook is a third party Web service used by the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (part of the Department of Commerce) for outreach. Use of Facebook requires a free membership; the Department of Commerce does not endorse membership on Facebook, nor does the Department of Commerce have any control or responsibility for privacy on Facebook.
Twitter is a microblogging service to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of short, frequent posts. We typically tweet once or twice a week to keep you abreast of what's new in the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System. Please note that you are subject to Twitter's privacy policy when visiting our Twitter page.