Hill Farms Neighborhood Community

Online Community Membership Code of Conduct

As a   University Hill Farms Neighborhood Association member, you  will be able to join and participate in the official  Community under the  following conditions:

Be a Good Neighbor

• Respect your neighbors, always

• Do not air your dirty laundry: handle personal disputes between your immediate neighbors directly

• Do not flame or insult other members directly or indirectly

• Do not use abusive language or swearing

• Do not post content that is not appropriate for children or an office environment

Discrimination

Do not make discriminatory statements that could offend an individual or group of people

• Race or physical appearance

• Religion or creed

• Gender or Sexual Orientation

• Age or experience

Selling Goods and Services

• Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) products/schemes are expressly prohibited, which includes free samples, meetings, trials, etc. (Girl Scout Cookies are okay)

• Do not post events or services with personal commercial interests

• Do not post on or behalf of a business unless there is some community benefit to our neighborhood (e.g, a fundraiser or donation of proceeds to a charity or community group)

• If you have any personal financial benefit you must disclose it

Politics

• Politics are allowed! Do feel free to post about political issues that impact living in Madison, Wisconsin.

• Do feel free to post about international political issues with humanitarian concerns

• Do not post messaging or visuals intended to offend or belittle or undermine free discourse

  • False or Misleading Statements

  • Character attacks that cannot be backed by direct quotes or news articles

In Response to Potentially Illegal Neighborhood Activity

• Report and leave enforcement of illegal activity to the proper authorities

• Do not seek to identify a member of the neighborhood or community for the purpose of shaming or harassment (Wisconsin Statute 947.0125(2)(f))

• After finding something worth more than $100 and posting about it, take it to the Madison Police Station or, if found on school grounds, to that school’s office (Wisconsin Statute 170.08)

• Do not make threats or advocate violence, harassment, or intimidation, even as a joke

Combating Fake News

• Do not post potentially false or misleading information that cannot be corroborated with official or known factual sources

• Do not post sensational or unnecessarily alarming news stories that upset other members and do not necessarily pertain to the group

• The sale of dangerous/illegal goods or services

• Report content that does not break our rules for any reason

• give something away and then ask for it back

Posting and Frequency

• Do not post private posts from another group that cannot be seen by all members

• Do not repost the same post more than once in a two-week period. Commenting on your original post may have a similar effect and is allowed. Note: exceptions given for Official Neighborhood Association Activity and important civic activities such as voting and public event.

Administration of the Community

• Administrators will be chosen by the University Hill Farms Neighborhood Association Board

• Administrators pledge to do the minimum and participate as normal members of the community

• Posts that violate the above rules:

  • Will be removed at the moderator’s discretion

  • Offenders will be notified of reason for removal and allowed to respond

  • If reversal is justified and offensive portions can be corrected, the moderator may reinstate (if not too much time has passed per application limitations) or allow the post to be reposted

• Members who do not follow the above guidelines will be subject to the following policies:

  • Repeatedly posting content that is against the rules may result in Post Approval for the member by Group Administrators at a  last resort before removing the member

  • Depending on the  egregiousness  of the offense, members may be muted for a period of 30 days and/or removed from the group entirely

  • A member who has been muted, had post approval turned on, or removed from the community may appeal the decision at the next board meeting

• Do not publicly complain about the enforcement of the above group rules. Handle it like an adult and talk to us first.

• If you report something, please explain why!