What are the rules and expectations for participation?

    The Engage Bozeman site is moderated by a team from Bang the Table to keep the discussion flowing and to remove any offensive material.

    Comments that do not adhere to the moderation rules will be removed and you will be notified of this by email.

    Every comment is valued for its content. This discussion forum allows everyone to have a say and it brings out many different ideas and viewpoints.

    In order to play a positive part in the discussion and to give your views maximum impact we encourage you to follow the etiquette guide below.

    Etiquette

    1. It’s a good idea to read through the information on the site and the other participant’s comments before getting involved in the discussion yourself.
    2. Always respect the views of other participants even if they don’t agree with you.
    3. Be constructive. It’s okay to disagree with other forum participants, in fact we encourage debate, just keep the dialogue positive.
    4. Always keep things civil. We recognize that this can be difficult sometimes, especially when you are passionate about an issue, but it is important to keep the discussion focused on the issues rather than letting it deteriorate into personal insults.
    5. Once you’ve left your comment keep an eye on the forum to see what other people have to say.
    6. If you feel that someone has insulted you, report their comment to the moderator. Don’t perpetuate the dispute. 
    7. Stay on topic. These forums have been created for a specific purpose. Please stay within the boundaries of the subject matter.
    8. Please don't use "CAPS LOCK." ALL CAPS is the equivalent of SHOUTING and is not appropriate.
    9. Choose one discussion topic under which you would like to post each of your unique comments. Don’t cut and paste the same comment into lots of different discussion topics. These will be considered duplicates and may be removed.
    10. Don’t be a “troll”. Trolls intentionally incite annoyance or offense. They do not participate constructively in the discussion and do not add any value to the debate.
    11. Don’t bully, harass or threaten other participants. If another participant proffers an opinion that you don’t agree with, you have no right to demand that they support their position with a detailed argument. They do not have to respond to your questions. It is up to each individual to participate in the forum as much or as little as they wish.
    12. Please respect the moderators. Their job is to keep the forum safe and constructive so that everybody gets to have his or her fair say.
    13. Try to avoid using acronyms or text talk. By sticking to plain English more people will understand the points you are trying to make.

    Moderation Rules

    This site is subject to the following moderation rules:

    1. Usernames should not be defamatory, obscene, or include language or symbols which could be deemed offensive.
    2. Never post personal information about another forum participant. This Includes identifying any individual by their real name if they have not already done so or providing personal contact information.
    3. Never identify a staff member of the consulting organisation by name.
    4. Don’t defame anyone or any organisation. A comment is defamatory if it lowers or harms the reputation of a person or organisation. If you wish to accuse someone of committing a crime this is not the place to do it. If you wish to accuse anyone of wrongdoing or incompetence, this is not the place to do it. 
    5. Don’t post anything that could be considered intolerant of a person’s race, culture, appearance, gender, sexual preference, religion or age.
    6. Don’t be obscene and don’t use foul language. Lots of people from different backgrounds participate in these forums. We want them to be able to continue to do so from home, work, school, university or wherever they may be. Disguising swear words by deliberately misspelling them doesn’t make them any less offensive.
    7. Don’t personally insult or harass other participants. Always focus on the logic of the argument rather than the individuals involved in the argument. Users are entitled to choose not to enter into debate with you.
    8. Don’t post or link to any inappropriate, offensive or illegal material. Inappropriate content is anything that may offend or is not relevant to the discussion.
    9. Don’t post any advertisements, however much you believe in the service or product.
    10. Please don’t raise concerns about the moderation on the site as it disrupts the flow of discussion. You can always direct an email to us if you have questions about moderation at support@engagementhq.com.
    11. If you feel a username, comment or contribution on the site is in breach of the rules outlined on this page, you are within your right to alert our moderators. Simply locate the “alert moderator” link near the comment you believe needs to be escalated to our moderation team. Alerting a moderator will not reveal your identity to the person who posted the comment and you will remain anonymous.

    Sanctions

    Breaches of the moderation rules will be dealt with as follows:

    1. Usernames that breach the moderation rules will be changed by moderators and you will be informed of the change
    2. Removal of comment – any comment that, in the view of the moderator, breaches the rules will be removed.
    3. Temporary Suspension – a participant who repeatedly and flagrantly flouts the moderation rules may be suspended from access to the site for period of up to one week determined by the moderators. The period will reflect both the severity and consistency of the breach.
    4. Permanent Blocking – a participant who continues to violate the moderation rules following reinstatement after a period of suspension may have their access to the site permanently blocked.
    5. Automatic Blocking – a participant who posts or links to inappropriate, offensive or illegal material will be immediately blocked from the site. 


    Why is the City of Bozeman engaging online?

    As a part of our efforts to broaden and deepen community engagement, we asked residents how we could make it easier for them to participate. Many people said that it works best for them to participate in their own time rather than having to attend a scheduled meeting. Engage Bozeman is just one more tool in the toolbox to help you engage in local issues, and helps the City of Bozeman be more inclusive, transparent, and innovative.  

    Why is registration required?

    We know, one more log-in to create is a bit of a hassle, but registering for the platform provides some important benefits for you and for the City. 

    First, it allows us to stay in touch! If we need to communicate with you about new updates on the platform, important events or meetings not to miss, we will let you know via email. We promise to communicate sparingly and respect your inbox! 

    Second, it allows us to understand who we are hearing from, and who we aren't hearing from. One of our main goals is to track which voices are not heard by decision makers and city staff. For example, if we see that renters under 35 in Bozeman aren't participating in conversations around housing, we can better tailor our outreach efforts to reach that community. 

    How do I sign up for specific project updates?

    You can receive email updates for projects you're interested in by going to that project page, scrolling down and clicking "subscribe." 

    What happens to my input/comments/feedback?

    All comments and input are compiled and used by project teams to inform decisions about city projects, programs, or policies. Often, the feedback you provide on Engage Bozeman is used in conjunction with other face-to-face activities such as meetings, open houses, or surveys. All comments made through this website may be presented publicly and/or become public records for anyone to read. 

    City Commission is typically the decision making body for a given project. Your input is included in staff reports and/or City Commission presentations as one of several criteria that City Commission and other relevant decision makers consider. 

    All feedback provided during community engagement will be considered; however, this does not mean that every suggestion will affect the project or be adopted as proposed. 

    Our commitment is to clarify the decision making process and the criteria that decision makers are considering in addition to your input. We will inform you of the outcome that was reached for a given project and why input was or was not reflected in the outcome.



    How is my privacy protected?

    The City of Bozeman only has access to the information that you voluntarily fill out in the registration form and the input you provide through the engagement activities on the Engage Bozeman site (ex: surveys, forums, mapping activities). You are identified by your chosen screen name on the Engage Bozeman site. 

    When reporting what we heard on a given project to decision makers, input from engagement activities on the site may be considered public information. Demographic data will be reported in anonymized form to help us understand participation across identities and lived experiences. 

    The City of Bozeman may use your email to contact you with updates and to invite you to participate in engagement events or activities. The EngageHQ platform which hosts Engage Bozeman uses email addresses for registration verification as well as automated notifications relevant to the use of the services. For more information, see the EngageHQplatform Privacy Policy.

    Please note that you are able to browse any publicly accessible sections of this website completely anonymously without registering. 



    Who do I contact if I am having trouble using Engage Bozeman?

    This website is supported through a range of browsers. These are:

    • Microsoft Edge 17 and above
    • Chrome 70 and above
    • Firefox 66 and above
    • Safari 12 and above

    If your browser is not on the list above and you are experiencing issues navigating the site, we recommend you update your browser to its latest version.

    If upgrading your browser does not help or you are running into other issues, please email us at support@engagementhq.com

    If you are unable to resolve the issue, or if you have general feedback on the site, you can email Dani Hess, Community Engagement Coordinator at dhess@bozeman.net