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 and Misinformation

• 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

• Do not attempt to sell of dangerous/illegal goods or services

• Do not provide legal advice unless you are licensed to do so.

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

• give something away and then ask for it back

Changing Covenants, Deed Restrictions and Neighborhood Association Bylaws

• Covenants and Deed Restrictions can only be modified per instructions within each's plats official documents. Enforcement of Covenants and Deed restrictions is done by the courts per a legal challenged by any neighbor within each plat and not the Neighborhood Association, its Board of Directors, nor ARC. The Neighborhood Association does not retain lawyers in any official capacity, nor has it ever, nor does it intend to do so. Any post or comment that misleads Neighborhood Association members as to what Covenants and Deed Restrictions are, how they can be changed, how they are enforced, or suggesting that neighbors just ignore the content legal documents expressly prohibited.

• Bylaws are how the Neighborhood Association operates, are proposed according to operating  procedures, and are voted upon at the annual meeting. Bylaws do not supersede Covenants and Deed Restrictions within each plat. Any post or comment that misleads Neighborhood Association members regarding Bylaws or changing them are expressly prohibited.

• Any comment or post about sheds must be respectful, truthful, legally sound, and proactive. Discussing sheds in a way that misleads Neighborhood Association members or inflame Board members who don't have anything to do with legal interpretations of Covenants and Deed Restrictions by ARC in regard to sheds in any way is expressly prohibited.

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!