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Online Community Guidelines

The Massachusetts Society of CPAs (MassCPAs) was incorporated in 1900. Since then, we’ve guided and helped generations of accountants. As we move forward, we’re committed to continuing to serve our members by increasing the value of CPAs, safeguarding the CPA designation and ensuring that the Society’s pro-CPA agenda is advanced.

At MassCPAs, we help you:

Learn from leading industry experts;
Connect with peers, government officials and prospective clients; and
Prosper in the accounting profession.

Our online communities are composed of MassCPAs' members, students, discussion leaders and Society staff who collaborate on answers, solutions and ideas about the issues affecting the profession.  We’d love to hear about the member services and products you love – and the ones we can make even better. We invite you to make your mark here, but we do have a few rules. For everyone’s sake, we are committed to enforcing these guidelines, as well as the MassCPAs' Terms of Service.

As some of our online communities are public forums, we cannot be responsible for views expressed other than our own. Our pages are moderated by MassCPAs' employees. We’ll make every effort to respond in a timely manner, however, we can’t guarantee a response to every comment. If you need immediate attention, please contact the Society directly. Finally, we reserve the right to delete comments or posts that don’t contribute to the conversation. This includes posts that we deem are abusive, inflammatory, spam or otherwise inappropriate.

To get the most out of your MassCPAs experience...
  1. Ask questions.
    Be fearless when it comes to asking for advice and resources. The Society is composed of 11,000 individuals, each with their own unique story and skillset. They can help you unlock possibilities for your professional career.
  2. Share what you know.
    Everyone is a teacher and a learner. Contribute to our community by sharing your expertise and insights.
  3. Be constructive.
    As professionals, we all have something to teach, to share. Our goal is to foster a healthy conversation without personal attacks.
  4. We can work together.
    Businesses and organizations may not utilize MassCPAs online communities to advertise or promote upcoming events or services, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work together! We have many options for you to tell over 11,000 CPAs and accounting professionals about your products and services here. Posts that advertise services, events and/or products are considered a violation of our community guidelines and will be removed by a group administrator.
When posting...
  1. Don’t be afraid to say hello.
    Don’t be afraid to post a simple hello to the community to introduce yourself. Tell us who you are, which MassCPAs' Committees you’re involved with, or what fields of the accounting profession you’re specifically involved in. Also be sure to tell us about the challenges you face in your professional career today – we want to know this information so we can help!
  2. Be original.
    If you’re sharing media (pictures, audio, videos, PowerPoints, etc.), only share content that you own or have expressed permission to share.
  3. Follow up.
    Sometimes a little follow up is needed to help the community get the best response for you. If new details emerge, or if you can provide additional information that you may not have included in your original post, feel free to follow up with whatever may be helpful.
  4. Share the wealth.
    If you’ve found a particular service or resource that has been exceptionally helpful, please share it with the community! Such resources may include MassCPAs' Committees, or MassCPAs' Consultation Service.
Being social
  1. Give feedback.
    Let users know if you share similar experiences or if you also have a similar question/issue. Leaving constructive feedback or asking additional questions for those who respond is also encouraged.
  2. Be nice to people.
    We’ve all learned this before in grade school, and the rules still apply today – we believe this rule is important and the only way our online communities will grow and help us all achieve success.
  3. Don’t spam.
    Spamming is when you post content that is irrelevant to the topic. This includes announcements, requests to be followed, product reviews and solicitations.
  4. Help us help you.
    We welcome your ideas and insight on how we can better your member experience. Feel free to post ideas and what you’d like to see the future MassCPAs look like. We do ask, however, that you refrain from posting direct comparisons to specific products or services, or posting solicitations to competing products.
  5. This is for you.
    Use this community to help you further your career. Share ideas, learn new skills and get to know us – and your fellow members.
Privacy
  1. Keep personal stuff private.
    While some of our online communities are private and exclusive for MassCPAs' members, please keep in mind that these are still virtual communities and as such, should be treated us open spaces. We at the MassCPAs value your privacy and vow to never disclose your email address. Please don’t share your email address with others on this platform, as we cannot be held accountable for actions resulting from shared information.
  2. Some things shouldn’t be shared.
    You should never share your password with anyone. MassCPAs staff will never ask for it, but if you’re having trouble with your MassCPAs account and/or using our website, please contact us.
  3. Flag/report inappropriate comments and users.
    Please don’t take matters into your own hands: this is our community and as such, we rely on your input and help to make it a resource. You can help maintain the community by flagging inappropriate comments and reporting anyone that is rude or infringes upon you or someone else’s privacy. Please contact Kara Kieran at kkieran@masscpas.org.