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

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 are quite blunt in their questioning of this, so I will be equally as blunt in 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.

Click here to find out how you can advertise.

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:

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

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. 

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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. 
  5. 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. 
  6. 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.
  7. 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.