Website Guidelines

I. Statement of Purpose

A. The purpose of our website, named “The Official Website of the Louisiana Area Assembly, Inc.,” is to assist Alcoholics Anonymous groups of Louisiana in carrying the message of Alcoholics Anonymous, primarily by publishing the meeting schedule of Alcoholics Anonymous groups in Louisiana on the World Wide Web of the Internet. Our goal is to help the still-suffering alcoholic establish direct, face-to-face contact with Alcoholics Anonymous. Towards that end, we may also publish certain other information, such as listings of Central Offices and flyers announcing conventions and AA events in our region, as well as other information deemed useful by the Louisiana Area Assembly, Inc.

B. We shall be vigilant to protect the spirit of AA Traditions and shall not affiliate with any non-AA-entity Furthermore, since this site is provided solely for public information, posting of emails or other forms of public discourse will not be used on this site. Space shall be made available for groups and service bodies of Alcoholics Anonymous in Louisiana to post simple homepages within the constraints of the site, these guidelines, and the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous.

C. The website committee may provide non-AA entity links on our site for the sole purpose of providing utilities for the purpose of using this site.

II. Organization

A. The Louisiana Area Assembly, Inc. website shall be registered in the Assembly’s name with Internic, which controls domain registration on the internet, at https://aa-louisiana.org. The Area Assembly Chairperson shall be the named owner of the domain registration. Technical contact with Internic must necessarily be through our Internet Service Provider. The domain account is held in the name of the Area Assembly Chairperson who controls technical access to the site. It is the responsibility of the Area Assembly Chairperson, individually or through a duly appointed committee, to shop for the best price for services provided to enable the Website to continue to exist and to ensure that it is financially supported by the Area Assembly. The billing contact is the treasurer of the Louisiana Area Assembly, Inc.

B. The Website Committee derives its authority and responsibility from the Louisiana Area Assembly, Inc., as follows:

1) The Assembly has a Website Committee, which has direct oversight of the website.

2) The Website Committee Chairperson is appointed by the Area Assembly Chairperson and approved by the voting members of the Louisiana Area Assembly, Inc. as provided in its articles of incorporation and by-laws. The Website Committee Chairperson holds primary authority and responsibility for the oversight of the website.

3) The chairperson of this committee is responsible for the day-to-day management and implementation of the Area Assembly’s policies which include adherence to the Twelve Traditions, Twelve Concepts, and guidance provided in the AA Service Manual and currently approved revisions thereof.

4) The committee chairperson is the principal contact for the committee and shall maintain frequent contact with the chairpersons of the Public Information and Cooperation with the Professional Community Committees, Area Assembly officers, the General Service Office, and any other affected AA service entities.

5) The chairperson shall hold committee meetings at Area Assembly and Area Committee Meetings and report quarterly on the committee’s activities. He or she promulgates policy and provides oversight on operational and budgetary matters. Any interested AA member may participate in the Website Committee’s discussions. Voting privileges are limited to those authorized to vote at the assembly.

6) The committee chairperson shall designate members of Alcoholics Anonymous to serve as Webmaster and Assistant Webmasters to assist in the maintenance of the website. Maintenance of the site requires updating changing information on groups and events and implementing changes in the presentation of information posted on the website. This arrangement provides security for the integrity of the information on the Website by giving access to at least three persons who are each equally capable of correcting mistakes, posting information, or correcting any unauthorized changes in the presentation of website information. This also allows the delegation of responsibilities for administration and technical support for the site. This arrangement is designed to ensure that no one person can irrevocably alter the presentation of the message that the website is intended to carry. These three persons, plus any others selected by the chairperson, shall act as the steering committee of the Website Committee.

7) The website steering committee handles day-to-day website business primarily through email. All changes to the website structure must have prior approval of the steering committee or be approved by the Assembly. Changes to the content, specifically the calendar of events, list of flyers, and the listing of meetings may be changed by the Webmaster or Assistant Webmasters without steering committee action.

8) Submissions for inclusion on the site may be sent to the Webmaster or given to any steering committee member through email ( webmaster@aa-louisiana.org ), mail or at assembly meetings. Suggestions for use and presentation of the site likewise may be sent to the Webmaster or to any member of the steering committee for discussion and disposition. Interested AA members can subscribe to the email list by signing up to do so at a quarterly assembly meeting or by having one of their representatives [GSR, DCM, Area Officer, etc.] sign them up at such a meeting. Open signup access will not be allowed from the site (i.e., through the webmaster link) to protect the anonymity of officers and others who may be listed in minutes and other reports to be emailed from the site. No email communications/postings shall be posted on the website. All emails pertaining to website business must be sent to webmaster@aa-louisiana.org

9) All links to non-AA entities will have prior approval by the website committee. Any such link will contain a mandatory exit and a prominent notice that linking does not imply endorsement or approval.

10) Calendar entries included on the Area 27 Website shall be limited to AA-related events which occur in Area 27 or pertain to the business of Area 27.

III. Financial Considerations

A. It is the responsibility of the Chairperson of the Website Committee to monitor and record all expenses incurred in the maintenance and provision of the website including out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the steering committee members directly related to their service. An annual budget request shall be submitted to the Area Assembly for approval. Expenditures shall be limited to approved, budgeted expenses of the committee.

IV. Committee Displays/Demonstrations

A. A display of the website at the regular business meetings of the Area Assembly and the State Convention is desirable and recommended to enable members of the Area Assembly to be familiar with this service vehicle and informed of its current presentation. If a computer display of the website cannot be provided as recommended by these guidelines, a printed version of the information displayed on the website shall be maintained by the Chairperson of the Website Committee for review and inspection by members of the Assembly and other interested persons who do not have access to online services.

V. Revisions

A. These guidelines may be revised upon approval of the voting membership of the Louisiana Area Assembly, Inc. at a regularly scheduled business meeting.