Constitution 2001/1

The International Federation of Online Clubs and Aquatic Societies

I Focas

THE organization dedicated to the promotion of the fishkeeping hobby worldwide

DISPLAY THE IFOCAS LOGO PROMINENTLY ON YOUR SITE - SHOW YOU CARE ABOUT OUR HOBBY

.....Welcome to IFOCAS.This our main a site has recently changed hosts, so we hope you will all change your site links to reflect this move. It is now 2008, our 8 th birthday. We have a membership group for every fishkeeper, group, business and aquarist, whether individual or commercial.........If fishkeeping is your speciality then we are sure you will find something of interest to you on our site. All world directories of clubs and aquatic bodies are just one click away, but while you are here why not join us - it's really easy.... There has been a slight delay in uplisting new members' details recently due to the sheer volume of new members - but do not worry - if you have received your entry codes you are a member even if the public listing is a little delayed

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE! January 2008. IFOCAS now has over 9,200 aquarist members in 2910 organizations spanning over 50 countries and is globally the largest and most influential hobbyist fish group. Last year our site upgraded and moved so do not forget to change your links and bookmarks. DUE TO OUR GROWTH THE SITE IS CURRENTLY BEING MODERNISED SO PLEASE ACCEPT OUR APOLOGIES FOR ANY CURRENT PROBLEMS WHICH ARE EXTREMELY TEMPORARY

ALL ABOUT IFOCAS

FISH CLUBS OF THE WORLD

REGIONAL:

UNITED STATES CLUBS

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U.K. CLUBS

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CANADIAN MEMBERS

PAN-WORLD CLUBS

LOCAL FEDERATIONS

IFOCAS MEMBERS

MEMBERS BY CONTINENTS

MEMBERS ONLY SITE AREA

VALUABLE LINKS TO OTHER SITES

ANNUAL REPORT APRIL 2006 - CLICK HERE TO READ A COPY

	U.S.A.Clubs and Societies by State		*World Aquarium Club list (excluding U.S.A.)*
	*United Kingdom group list by Counties*		*Worldwide Business & Commercial List*
	*Specialist Groups. North America*		*Members Events Calendar*
	*Public Aquariums worldwide*		*Independent Approved Aquatic consultants list*
	*5- Star Retailers*		*Web Rings*
	*Home*		*Trophies and Awards*
	*Useful Volume Calculator*		*E-mail Us*
	*Constitution*		*Membership Application Form*

The International Federation of Online Clubs and Aquatic Societies

IFOCAS is a democratically constituted federation operating worldwide under the following constitutional guidelines

The Constitution. English Translation.

ALSO PUBLISHED IN GERMAN, FRENCH AND SPANISH

The basic constitution of the Federation is as delineated below. We intend that this remain as simple as possible and any and all matters requiring arbitration will be voted upon by the membership.

1. In all matters the electoral system of one member one vote will prevail. The persons named in the original membership application will be accepted as being delegated to cast this vote. Changes can be made by confirmed email.. All Members of all Membership Categories are eligible to vote.

2. Changes to any conditions or rules will be made by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast. The webmaster will control any actual voting procedures and his/her decision on such procedures is final and binding.

3 Proposals for changes will be submitted to members bi-monthly within six weeks of receipt. Voting forms will be emailed where required. Forms should be returned within 30 days. Late receipts will be invalidated. Abstention votes will be allotted to the majority proposal. Results will be posted on the Federation website.

4. Federation information and material will be forwarded to the name and address supplied on the original application form

5. All Grades of Membership are subject to the following conditions

CONDITIONS OF MEMBERSHIP

There are Four types of membership

1. Full Participating Membership. For Societies, Clubs, Aquatic Groups and Public Aquaria that maintain a web presence

2. Affiliate Membership. For Societies, Clubs, Aquatic Groups and Public Aquaria that do not yet maintain a web presence and for our sponsors.

3. Commercial/Trade Membership. For companies and manufacturers, traders and commercial aquatic organizations

4. Experienced Aquarist Membership. Open only to individuals in areas where no current organization is present and communication via groups is impracticable. Membership of this grade is not automatic and individuals will firstly be referred to their nearest IFOCAS member prior to an application being considered .

Participating and Trade/Commercial Membership is currently free but dependant upon the following conditions

	All Participating Members are expected to maintain a regularly updated website and give clear contact and communication details on their site. Participating Members who do not update their websites at least quarterly will be notified and if the site continues to remain outdated, transferred to an Affiliate Member status. This will incur a small subscription charge to cover postage and communications.
	All participating members are expected to respond to enquiries without undue delay
	Members requiring publicity for events are expected to supply accurate details as soon as the event status is ascertained
	Members requiring publicity for new products to be forwarded to the full membership list should provide the publicity material plus one sample of the product at least one month prior to such a circulation request
	Recorded membership details will be available for the use of all other Members upon written request unless a specific request not to do so has been received
	Membership Lists are and will remain in the public domain and are posted and updated regularly in the members' section of our website.
	Members are expected to promote each other wherever possible. The I FOCAS logo may be used on any members website or publicity material. Artwork is also available if required.
	Members are expected to display the membership badge or logos available on their main websites. It is not a condition of this clause that this logo will be linked to our site, but it would be promotionally helpful to all.if a link could be included
	Members may withdraw from membership at any time by sending an email request to I FOCAS. Such a request will be rechecked prior to membership being closed.
	This Federation is pro-active and members are actively encouraged to sponsor each other and their products.
	Any complaints against the organization or its members will be published for review. The complaints page is in the public domain.
	New Emergency Rule 1. To be ratified by the membership as soon as possible. This rule is also valid until ratified or not. Members breaching CITES or even alleged to be breaching CITES regulations will be suspended immediately without appeal until such times as the full membership can discuss and vote on the suspension..

These conditions will be added to or subtracted from as development of the Federation progresses,

PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR AN APPLICATION FORM

I / WE HAVE READ THE CONDITIONS OF MEMBERSHIP AND WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FEDERATION'S ACTIVITIES AND EDUCATIONAL PROMOTIONS

I FOCAS is a Federation devoted to the promotion of fishkeeping worldwide