Facebook Group House Rules

Keep it relevant and be courteous

In order to maintain a relevant, enjoyable and courteous Facebook Group we require users to abide with the following…

I Basic Rules By posting on our Facebook group page, users must agree to the following common sense rules:

  • No Offensive Posts/Flaming – Personal or discriminatory attacks in the form of name calling, insults, harassment, defamation or other extreme or inappropriate comments are not acceptable.  Please report these using the “Report to Admin” tab in the right hand top corner of the offending post.
  • No Impersonation – No offensive user names.  We have zero tolerance for anyone who deliberately or maliciously posts something while pretending to be someone else. This will result in an automatic and permanent ban.
  • No Spam or Irrelevant Advertising – No posting of pyramid schemes, chain letters, irrelevant commercial advertisements or anything illegal.  We have no control over Facebook adverts.
  • No Modifying Posts – Posts must not be modified AFTER others have responded specifically to them. This renders replies to posts irrelevant.

II Reporting Offenses and Accessing Penalties We monitor our Facebook page closely but ask Members to report posts by using the “Report to Admin” tab in the right hand top corner of the offending post.

III Rules Enforcement We use a “three strikes and you’re out” warning system. The course of action can range from a warning to blocking from the group in extreme cases. We will use the following means to maintain order:

  • The moderators will generally issue informal ‘calls to order’ – regarding posts or comments which we feel are potentially offensive.  If we receive formal ‘written’ complaints via Private Message we will investigate the matter closely and issue a formal warning if necessary.
  • If the offending person has a total of three warnings within a 6 month period, they will be suspended for a period of 3 months after which they may join the group again. Any repeat behaviour may lead to a permanent ban.
  • Anyone who strongly disagrees with an action taken by us is asked to please state your case to Admin via private message and we will deal with you fairly.
  • Spammers will be automatically blocked and their posts deleted.

IV Helpful Suggestions The following are suggested ‘best practice’ for posting, use them to make your Facebook Group experience more enjoyable:

  • Treat Each Other With Respect – We understand some topics can become the centre of heated debates, not everyone will have the same opinion and there will be simple misunderstandings. Whichever situation applies, please treat each other with respect. Avoid name calling and resorting to offensive posts.  Please try to quickly clarify misunderstandings or if not possible, simply agree to disagree and move on.
  • Keep it Factual & Cite Sources – If you make a statement, please let people know if it’s just an opinion, an interpretation or if it’s a direct quote use ‘in my opinion…’ or ‘according to …’ or similar.  Cite sources used so that others can make an informed opinion.
  • Stay on Topic – This is the Horsmonden Facebook page, so the topics of discussion should be relevant to Horsmonden. Please stay on topic with threads too and avoid going off on a tangent.

Enjoy the Horsmonden Facebook Group!