We want MEC’s online communities to thrive as vibrant and respectful spaces that spark inspiration and meaningful conversation. We're committed to ensuring our online spaces maintain a culture of mutual respect, just like our in-person communities.
The MEC Community team engages with an awesome mix of people from across Canada, and they follow a set of principles to encourage respectful communication. The principles work. We love them and we’re happy to share them here with our online communities:
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Shift judgement to wonder: Try a new perspective and try shifting a feeling of judgement to wonder. Go with curiosity before judgement!
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Don’t yuk my yum: Respect other peoples’ choices, experiences and feelings.
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Controversy with civility: This is a reminder that civility doesn’t need to be left at the door when there is a controversial topic being discussed.
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Own intent and impact: this one is a reminder that we’re each accountable for our words and actions. It sounds like this: “My words and actions have an impact regardless of my intent. At the same time, I try to be mindful of my own feelings and acknowledge how I react when I’m confused, frustrated or just stayed up too late.”
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Step up/Step back: We want you to include your voice, but also remember to make space for other voices. For example, if your voice/experience has been heard more compared to others, step back or help to elevate others in the conversation.
Here are some reasons why we may hide comments or suspend users from MEC online communities:
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Spam: User is posting the same information repeatedly, taking up space and blocking meaningful conversation.
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Disrespectful language: We have zero tolerance for disrespectful language.
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The spreading of misinformation: We have zero tolerance for spreading harmful, misinformation online. We understand that propagating misinformation online can be deeply damaging to those impacted.
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Trolling: Online trolls attempt to normalize hostile conversations. Anonymity empowers trolls and unfortunately can encourage disrespectful behaviour because of the assumption that trolls cannot be traced. With our amazing communities in mind, we have made the decision to limit hostile conversations in MEC spaces, just like we do in person.
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Breaking laws or rules: Please be aware of the laws, rules and regulations put in place to protect and keep communities safe.
We believe that open, respectful, dialogue is the foundation of a great community. So, if we notice disrespectful comments, the spreading of misinformation and/or spam-like posts, we will hide the content and potentially suspend individuals indefinitely from being a part of the MEC online community. Our hope is that everyone feels welcome at MEC and people aren’t discouraged by antisocial behaviour, online or offline.
Thanks for taking the time to read through our commitment to keeping MEC spaces safe, respectful and inspiring.
MEC rules of conduct
MEC (Mountain Equipment Company) is Canada’s go-to place for outdoor gear, know-how and inspiration. When we’re not outside climbing, skiing, hiking, camping, biking, running or paddling, we’re finding ways to inspire and enable people to get outdoors. Our social media communities are one of the ways we do just that.
We welcome a lively and courteous discussion as long as you follow the guidelines of our online community commitment and any specific standards or rules applicable in the online community you are taking part in (such as Facebook's Community Standards).
Comments are not pre-screened before they are posted. You may not contribute, post or transmit unlawful, defamatory, or threatening material that would constitute or encourage criminal offences, or violate any law. We reserve the right to remove any content we deem inappropriate for any reason whatsoever and we reserve the right to block users who violate our online community commitment.
