Acceptable Behaviour Policy

All users of the Delvin Village Website and the social media channels that are attached to it, are reminded that these services are primarily operated on a voluntary basis. My work is not funded by any state agency and the income generated by advertising only covers operating expenses, not my time.

There are limitations on what I can and cannot do. I have drawn up some reasonable guidelines and I would ask all users to respect them.

Advertising

UPDATE: The site is no-longer accepting advertising enquiries.

If you are a charging a fee for a product, service or activity with the intention of making an income for yourself and / or pay staff from the proceeds, an advertising fee will apply if asking me to promote you on the website - that includes social media channels.

Some people were quite blunt in their questioning of my decision to charge for advertising over the years, so here is my response:

If your intention is to make money for yourself, you should not expect a volunteer to spend their unpaid time putting content together on your behalf and promoting your business or activity without expecting to give something back in return. This site costs money to run.

Anonymous Posting

I am often asked to post items without identifying the person who contacted me. More often than not, it wouldn't be necessary for me to post their name anyway as posts are flagged "Message Received" and the source is irrelevant. However, the following applies:

If your message relates to abuse, anti-social or suspicious behaviour, illegal dumping / pollution, dog fouling or other matters, please see section below and ensure that you also report the matter to the relevant authority. You can still do this anonymously, but it is up to YOU to take ownership and I will NOT do this for you. You will need to confirm that you have done this before I will post your message.
If asking me to post about a missing or found pet, please see section below and ensure you include a telephone number or email address to include in the post. I will not publish without this, nor will I forward (or acknowledge) emails sent to me about a pet listed on the page.
If asking me to post an small ad, you must submit it using the set format here and you must include a telephone number or email address for publication.

NOTE: I do not act as intermediary. I will not forward messages and I will not report or investigate matters on their behalf.

Business & Local Enquiries

ALL enquiries (product and service info, opening times, event information, membership enquiries etc) should be made direct to the relevant party. Please check to see if what you need is listed on the site. The Directory is split into three sections to help you access the contact information you need.

Business Directory	Contains profile pages of the local businesses who sponsor this website. If a business is not listed there, it is because they do not pay the €50 annual fee I ask in return for advertising. So if a business is not listed, please do not contact me asking for their details as I will not be providing them. Please also note that I do not invite social media users to recommend commercial services that are not listed.
Community Directory	Contains information provided to me by local sports clubs and community groups. Any activities notified to me will be shared in the What's On Guide and on social media, but all enquiries should be addressed direct to the individual organisation.
Useful Contacts	Details of local representatives, garda, council and parish contacts, animal welfare groups and others will be listed here. Please direct all enquiries to the relevant party.

I will share business and community updates on the website and social media channels from time to time, but enquiries should always be addressed to the individual business or group and NOT to the website or its channels.

Family Tracing / Local Area Research

I am happy to post information on behalf of users seeking to trace their routes or learn more about the area but I do not offer this as a service. I will share these appeals on the Delvin Westmeath Facebook Page subject to the following:

The request is submitted with respect. I have previously received rambling emails that are devoid of all courtesy and where it is clear that the user expects me to "jump to it". Not going to happen!
The request must be clear and specific about who you are, what you are looking for and why
As these posts tend to be quite long in nature, your request must be forwarded ready for me to publish
You must include a contact telephone number or email address to go on your post

Lost / Found Pets

The Delvin Westmeath Facebook Page often carries details of missing or found pets. Some community pages no-longer offer this service for the very reasons why it has become necessary for me set some ground rules and expectations.

PLEASE PROVIDE ADEQUATE INFORMATION. All lost / found pet reports MUST include a photo and state the general area the pet is missing from or was found in. If there is more than one animal in a photo and it may not be immediately clear which one is missing, please clarify which one you are looking for.
INCLUDE A CONTACT METHOD. A contact number must be included for publication. Alternatively, if you have posted details on your private profile, make the post public and I can share that instead. I will not act as a messenger service between parties.
USE YOUR JUDGEMENT. If you have found a pet and you believe that it is unwell or that it may have been abused, please contact a vet or a pet rescue service instead. They can ask me to share details when they are happy that is all well with the animal. In addition, if you believe a pet is being mistreated in general, please contact the appropriate authority direct and not this website.
I DO NOT HAVE THE ANIMAL. I know you mean well, but please do not message me asking me to check for markings etc. I do not have the pet. Please use the contact method on the page to contact the owner / finder direct.
DO NOT ASK ME FOR UPDATES. Sorry, but I do not have the time to follow up on missing or found pets. If there is an update from the original source, it will be shared on the post.
SHOW RESPECT. If you see a post about a lost or found pet and cannot shed light on the identity of the owner or the pet's whereabouts, then please share the post and move along. Please do not speculate about the animal's welfare as you do not know the circumstances.
DO NOT SEND PHOTOS OF DEAD OR ABUSED ANIMALS. This has happened. If you find a deceased pet, I will post a description and state where it is, but I will not share an image and I will not view or pass on an image to check for markings etc. If an animal is being abused or has been abused, report to the relevant authority. I will NOT do this for you and I may pass your details to the gardai. Furthermore, I will ban you from the site and social media channels.

Reporting Local Issues

I will share certain information within reason and at my discretion but If you have seen something that needs to be challenged or corrected, YOU must take ownership and report what YOU have seen to the relevant authority. You are reminded that I am volunteer and that I have my own challenges to deal with.

Animal Abuse - report it anonymously here.
Anti-social Behaviour - Call local Garda patrol - 086 858 3049 or Mullingar Control - 044 938 4000. In an emergency, 999.
Dog Fouling - click here.
Fly Tipping - click here.
Littering - click here.
Water Pollution - click here .

User Conduct

It is my intention that the website and the social media channels attached to it, will be enlightening and (wherever possible) entertaining. I do not want to set formal rules governing how users interact with each other or how they respond to the content shared, but aggressive, disrespectful or troll-like behavior will NOT be tolerated from any user.

This includes:

Using vulgar / offensive language (automated filters are already in place)
Spamming posts
Posting unauthorised links to third party pages or websites
Tagging friends "for a laugh" on posts that relate to serious issues
Reacting inappropriately to comments from other users
Deliberately antagonising or goading other users
Using the page to promote an agenda / belief without showing respect for other viewpoints (calling others "stupid" etc)
Posting negative comments on sponsorship posts - if you have an issue with that sponsor, contact them direct.

I will ban offenders without a second thought and I do not care who they are. I am not obliged to tolerate disrespectful behaviour. I have enough to be doing elsewhere.