Purpose:
The Maryland Retired School Personnel Association (MRSPA) maintains a website
www.mrspa.org to serve as a professional resource to its members. The following policy
guidelines aim at assuring that information on the site is accurate,
authoritative, objective, current, unique, and dynamic.
Decision-making:
Decisions about the directory, content, services, and links to be included
on the site will be made by the Website Editor and the MRSPA Executive
Director. They will attempt to assure that all material is reliable, in
compliance with these guidelines, and error-free. As appropriate, they may
involve the Public Relations Committee in decision-making about the
website, its content, and its format.
Content: The
content of material included on the site is to be professional in nature.
That content should be informative, current, and of practical use to
retirees or pre-retirees. Any educational articles to be included should
address current professional and instructional trends and practices. The
site may also include information such as:
a brief statement about the mission
and history of MRSPA
current MRSPA officers and an e-mail
link to the MRSPA office
committee members and current
activities
MRSPA news
announcement of upcoming MRSPA
events
travel and service opportunities
for members
updates on member benefits
legislative and pension system
updates
retirement information and advice
a membership invitation with
application
the current newsletter
training opportunities and
career-related information for members
local chapter news of interest to
MRSPA members.
Style:
Narrative material presented on the site should be in a friendly,
informative, practical style rather than technical and academic.
Contributors should:
use active voice
ensure that material is gender
inclusive and bias free
use lists and bulleted items in
lieu of extensive narrative
adhere to commonly accepted
conventions of language
use internal references rather than
footnotes
avoid jargon, and
spell out acronyms and
abbreviations when first used.
Length/Format:
Articles should range from 100 to 500 words. Authors may submit material
for consideration via e-mail, as either an MS Word file or pasted into the
body of an e-mail. When submitting for the first time, authors should
include identifying information as well as contact information. Articles
may be edited for space or clarity.
Criteria for Selection:
Material to be included on the site will be selected by editorial criteria
such as the following:
audience appeal and interest
practicality and usefulness
content
currency, and
professional relevancy
Conditions:
The following conditions will govern placement of material on the website.
The author must have given
permission to post an article on the website.
No compensation will be given for
material posted on the website.
Names of those in photographs for
the website will be included unless otherwise requested in
writing.
No commercial endorsements will be
provided other than established MRSPA service providers.
Submission of material implies
acceptance of MRSPA website policies.
All website material becomes the
property of MRSPA.
