Discussion Boards Usage Policy

Discussion Boards are for GSB alumni only.

Access to GSB online services is a privilege, and the Stanford GSB reserves the right to revoke an alum's or student's access if they do not abide by the following policy.

Choose the most appropriate discussion board for your posting because many alumni are subscribed to multiple boards to avoid frustrating them with multiple messages about the same topic.

  1. Post questions and information that benefits alumni directly, not friends and family.
  2. Board postings should NOT promote personal business, solicit investments, or promote special interests (fundraising, political, non-profits, etc.) because alumni view such postings as inappropriate.
  3. If you feel a board posting violates the usage guidelines, flag the posting as "inappropriate." If a posting is flagged 5 times it will be no longer be viewable.
  4. No Flaming. Refrain from responding "Reply to All" to the email version of what you believe to be an "inappropriate" web posting. If you feel a message is inappropriate for the board, instead, log into the board and flag the posting as "inappropriate."
  5. When replying to discussion board postings by email, please do not "REPLY TO ALL" unless you intend to send your message to ALL board subscribers and post to the discussion board.

Actions on Complaints

We reserve the right to investigate suspected violations of the policies listed above. If we become aware of possible violations, we may initiate an investigation that may include gathering information from you or any user involved and the complaining party, if any, and examination of other material. We may suspend the provision of our Services, temporarily or permanently remove the material involved from our servers, cancel posts, provide warnings to you, or suspend or terminate your access to the site.

We will determine what action will be taken in response to a violation on a case-by-case basis, at our sole discretion. We will fully cooperate with law enforcement authorities in investigating suspected lawbreakers. Copyright violations should be reported to: security@stanford.edu.

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Discussion Board Descriptions
and Usage Guidelines

Alumni have asked that NO POLITICAL MESSAGES be posted to ANY Discussion Board.

It is not appropriate to solicit investments of any kind.

We've adopted the following usage guidelines for the Discussion Boards, which are designed to keep them a valuable resource for members.

Class Boards
Each class will determine the type of content appropriate for their board. Typically it is news, events, and opportunities of interest. If you want to post to your class and it is not listed, please contact Barbara Daines at daines_barbara@gsb.stanford.edu. Choose how you receive board postings in "My Profile."

Chapter/Regional Boards
Chapter and Regional discussion boards share information about chapter events, networking opportunities, local alumni business news or events, and other subjects of interest to local alumni. Note: Commercial announcements offering services or expertise should be posted to the Business News board.

It is NOT appropriate for job postings by recruiters/headhunters or commercial announcements about services or expertise you have to offer. Please use Business News for commercial announcements.  If your inquiry is not appropriate for any of these industry groups, use Business Advice/Networking.

Industry Boards & Business Advice/Networking
Industry specific boards are great for "I'm looking for a resource for..... does anyone have an idea?" and public service types of announcements (e.g. speakers, etc.). It is not appropriate to solicit investments of any kind. It is also NOT appropriate for job postings by recruiters/headhunters or commercial announcements about services or expertise you have to offer. Please use Business News for commercial announcements.  If your inquiry is not appropriate for any of these industry groups, use Business Advice/Networking.

Bay Area Boards
Alumni-Bay Area can be used for local alumni events and industry networking opportunities and discussions regarding professional development services. For all other communications to Bay Area alumni, use Bay Area-Classifieds. Bay Area Rentals and Real Estate has been expanded to include real estate sales. If you have job opportunities, do not send them to Bay Area Groups, but instead use the free GSB Job Board.

Career and Business Boards
The Business/Career discussion boards share ideas, challenges, experiences, and news around business, ethical issues, careers, and networking. The Resume discussion board is designed for communicating about potential job applicants. Instead of posting resumes to the board, post highlights about the candidate, and include a contact for more information.

Business News
Use this board to share business announcements, your services or expertise, such as "We've just launched a new business, please check us out on the website" or "If anyone is looking for an OB Consultant, please call me." It is not appropriate to solicit investments of any kind.

Special Interest Boards
Have questions about parenting, your dog, or need a golf tip? Special interest boards are great for sharing information or asking for help from alumni with your particular passion. Use Business News for commercial announcements and remember not all of our alumni use the discussion boards, so post job opportunities on the Career Management's GSB Job Board.