PEERCONNECT’S TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT

 PeerConnect is a one-stop knowledge hub offering Communities of professionals virtual platforms to connect for sharing (“SHARE”), consult with colleagues (“CONSULT”), collaborate for product development (“COLLABORATE”), collect documentation (“COLLECT”), and tap Community knowledge to benefit people (“ENGAGE”).  It is a product of Smarter Development, an S-Corporation registered in New York, USA.

Smarter Development authorizes entities the right to set up and operate PeerConnect’s virtual platforms on condition that they adhere to the Terms of Engagement specified herein.

1. Definitions

  • A “Community of professionals” (or “Community”) is an affinity group of persons working in a common occupation (a “Community of Practice”) or toward a common purpose (a “Community of Interest”) who would benefit from interacting with each other for the purpose of enhancing their individual effectiveness and collective influence.

  • A “Community champion” is an individual affiliated with an entity who is in a position of sufficient influence in a Community of professionals to act as the Community’s Convener.

  • An “entity,” in this context, is a governmental, not-for-profit or for-profit organization or organizational division with a legal authorization to hire staff and receive and spend funds to carry out a program of activities.

 

2. Organizational Features

Communities utilizing PeerConnect’s virtual platforms have the following organizational elements:

  • A Community “Leaflet” – describing the Community’s identity in terms of its focus, issues discussed, types of professionals who should join, and leadership.

  • Community members – professionals who have joined the Community’s virtual group.  The group can be an e-mail group or a social network, and is “closed” – member interactions are only viewable by other member of the group.

  • A Community Convener – bringing together and ensuring support for the Community’s interactions using PeerConnect’s virtual platforms.  The Convener also arranges for the services of PeerConnect on behalf of the entity they are affiliated with, either directly or through an intermediary entity serving as a secretariat.  As the Community champion, the Convener provides the Community with legitimacy and visibility.

  • A Facilitator or Facilitation Team – the professional or professionals who manage Community interaction, reporting to the Community Convener directly or to the head of the intermediary secretariat. Responsibilities entail encouraging Community membership and active participation, managing the virtual platforms, moderating the interactive groups (SHARE and CONSULT), arranging for virtual and face-to-face events, maintaining and producing content for the Community’s website, social networks and promotional material, providing translation services, tracking performance and impact, and servicing the Advisory Group.  The Team would also prepare CONSULT “Consolidated Replies” (synthesized threads responding to member queries,) and index knowledge assets in the COLLECT repository.

  • An Advisory Group – a small but representative group that speaks on behalf of the Community members, which meets periodically to guide Community direction, encourage membership growth and participation, commission discussions and small-group assignments on priority issues, monitor performance and impact, and ensure financial sustainability.  The Community Convener also convenes the Advisory Group and implements any decisions taken. 

3. Roles

PeerConnect performs an enabling function.  It makes its expertise, virtual platforms, systems and processes available to a Community Convener to introduce and operate any or all of PeerConnect’s suite of services for promoting the Community’s effectiveness and influence.

The Community Convener performs an executive function.  They are responsible to PeerConnect for properly setting up and running their Community’s PeerConnect virtual platforms, and to the Advisory Group for ensuring the continuing value of the Community to its members.

4. Responsibilities

4.1     Responsibilities of PeerConnect.  In carrying out its role, PeerConnect, in consultation with and under the direction of the Community Convener, will:

  • Draft the Community “Leaflet” to capture the Community’s identity.

  • Determine and set up the most appropriate PeerConnect virtual platforms, systems, processes and branding elements (logos and style sheets); and assist with preparing the look-and-feel of the Community’s public and internal interfaces.

  • Advise on the profiles of the Community’s Facilitator/Facilitation Team and Advisory Group; assist in vetting Facilitation Team candidates; and provide the Facilitation Team with the skills training needed for facilitating Community interaction over its interactive platforms (SHARE and CONSULT).

  • Provide guidance and advice to the Convener, Facilitation Team and Advisory Group for managing/overseeing Community operations, for a prespecified duration.

  • Provide on a continuing basis the Community’s virtual platforms and systems administration to ensure operating continuity and security, and maintenance of the global COLLECT repository.

4.2     Responsibilities of the Convener (representing the entity they are affiliated with).  In carrying out their role the Convener will:

  • Adhere to the design elements of PeerConnect’s virtual platforms, systems, processes and branding elements, including the supporting data model and metadata.

  • Finance the cost of setting up Community operations, reflected as payment to PeerConnect (see below).

  • Finance the ongoing cost of operating the PeerConsult platforms – the Facilitator/Facilitation Team, facilities, equipment and communications, and translation expenses, and a proportion of PeerConnect’s costs of maintaining its software licenses, data storage and IT administration, as well as optional expenses for face-to-face Community events and meetings of the Advisory Group, and for promotional material and events.

5. Other Conditions

5.1     Compensation to PeerConnect.  PeerConnect is being offered on a not-for-profit basis to interested Community champions.  PeerConnect’s fee would be based on an estimate of the cost of the services specified above, supplemented by a percentage to cover a proportion of PeerConnect’s overhead administrative and staff costs, software licenses, promotional material and events, and continuous improvement of the product.  Entities continuing PeerConnect installations would pay a recurrent charge for maintaining the platform licenses, data storage, and IT administration.

5.2     Retention of the content. PeerConnect, through its COLLECT platform, maintains a publicly accessible document repository of reference material and knowledge products generated by all Communities using PeerConnect platforms, such as Consolidated Replies, knowledge assets and documentation provided through SHARE and CONSULT.  All material in the repository references the person providing it and the Community from where it was provided.

5.3     Ownership of content posted.  Unless otherwise indicated, content provided by Community members to any of PeerConnect’s platforms is freely accessible under PeerConnect’s Creative Commons copyright regime “Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike” (CC-BY-NC-SA) to all members and to public visitors to the COLLECT repository.  Documentary material offered by members, such as articles or books, retains the copyright regime it was published under.  While the Facilitation Team will take measures to flag proprietary material prior to posting, it is ultimately up to the contributor to ensure non-infringement.

5.4     Ownership of products developed.  Community members can be commissioned by a sponsor to form a team (an “Action Group”) to use the COLLABORATE space for developing products identified from queries and discussions on PeerConnect’s interactive platforms.  For products with commercial potential the Action Group sponsor would be able to receive permission from the PeerConnect Team to take ownership of the product, which would be granted on condition that proceeds it generates are shared with or that it provides a demonstrated direct benefit to the Community.  The specific arrangement on how this would be done and what portion of the proceeds or benefits would be shared would be subject to negotiation on a case-by-case basis. 

5.5     Infringement.  While both PeerConnect and the Convener would enter into an agreement in good faith and strive to address any shortcomings perceived, either PeerConnect or the Convener can deem the other party to have failed in its adherence to these Terms of Engagement.  Under these circumstances PeerConnect, on its part, can withdraw the use of its virtual platforms and the other services to be provided under its responsibilities.  The Convener, on their part, can withhold any compensation owing or request reimbursement of costs incurred in the current phase of support.