Conditions of Use and Guidelines for the VillageHub (VH) for all users v3.0
Email list etiquette
When
posting to email lists remember that it is difficult to judge nuances when
reading an email. Here’s a few tips:
● Remember that to new owners, your
emails are an introduction to yourself. You will be judged by how you behave on
the VillageHub lists.
●
Think
about being 30% nicer to people on the list than you would be face to face. It
is notoriously difficult to read nuances of expression in an email and people
will often ready them more negatively than you have written them if the tone is
at all negative.
● Try not to email in anger or in the
heat of the moment. Consider writing your message and then wait an hour or so.
If you still feel the need to send it, the go ahead. Often you’ll find you can
take some of the heat out of a message without changing your intent, or may
come up with a new way of expressing your ideas that makes more sense.
● Think about who might read your
email and whether a phone call or reply just to the originator is better.
● Think about the size of attachments
before sending them to a list. Some lists have restrictions on the size of
attachments you can send out. Perhaps you could host attachments on the VH
website and link to them in your email instead?
● Keep emails small. Ensure you reduce
the size of pictures before sending them. If you are not sure how to do this
search the internet for the procedure. All standard email applications have
methods to do this. Please educate yourself on how to use your email system
before using it.
1 Guidelines
● Members (“Users”) must sign-off
their emails with their name and address or phone number so others know
the email was from. Those representing a committee should sign-off with the
title/role they are performing for clarity.
● Members should not email the whole
list, when they only seek a response from an individual.
● Members should not be aggressive,
abusive, defamatory, inflammatory (or generally write things they would not say
directly to an individual in person).
● Members must not use or forward
emails or content from the VH externally without permission from the content
owner.
● Members should not state things as
fact without evidence/references and whenever possible phrase things as their
own opinions, to avoid people directly disagreeing with them on specific
points, because everyone interprets information differently.
● Members should not use the VH to air
their grievances. The VH is not a Body Corporate and cannot resolve such issues
for people. Members should contact their representatives or official bodies
(e.g. the body corporate, caretaker, PBC etc if they have specific issues).
● Members should not post excessively.
Excessive posting on the same subject reduces value of the email thread.
● Members must use the Google Account system
to change their Profile’s information and must notify VH administrators if their Profile’s
email address has changed, so the email address for all relevant subscribed
groups can be updated.
The
community expects members to adhere to these conditions if they wish to use the
service, which is a privilege and not a right.
If anyone
ever has a query in relation to the use of the VillageHub or VH administrators,
they should contact the administrators via support (at) villagehub.com.au or
directly anytime, and the Administrators will try and resolve the concerns
directly.
In the
second instance, the PBC will happily accept any feedback, as the financial
administrators of the VH for Ecovillage owners.
VillageHub
Administrators will always aim to:
● Send out regular reminders to help
new and existing members focus their communications.
● Remind people if they are close to
breaching the guidelines.
● Moderate people’s membership of
groups if they breach the guidelines. This has only very rarely been used in
the past and has had the desired effect of keeping the VH focused for the
overall benefit of members.
● Close down an email list
temporarily, if it becomes over-used or misused.
● Treat everyone fairly and without
bias.
Moderation
of a person’s VH account is only to ensure future emails comply with the rules
and guidelines. Moderation is only applied once the Administrators/Moderators
have discussed the complaint/issue and decided on the appropriate course of
action. Moderation is used sparingly and although every case is different, the
administrators will always aim to apply this process:
1st breach
– warning given
2nd breach
– moderation of the account for that mailing list for 3 months. The user can
still post to lists but emails are reviewed before being sent out to everyone
on the list.
3rd breach
– account is suspended for 3 months with no postings permitted
4th and
continued breaches - account closed/suspended for 12 months.
Email List usage – use the appropriate Email Group (List)
When
posting to the VillageHub email lists, remember that each list has a specific
purpose. Cross posting to get a wider audience is not necessary and acts to
decrease participation in the lists, and inappropriate use causes people to
want to leave the list.
These are
the main Groups used on the VH:
1 Owners – For Owners of Ecovillage Lots
only. This group is not open to tenants or other parties. The group can be used
for factual discussion on issues relating to lot rules and regulations etc. Remember
that Body Corporate issues should be directed to your Committee for action, and
can be discussed at face to face meetings, and that Committee Members may not
be on this email list.
Appropriate
topics: Body corporate specific issues, camphor laurel tree removals, road
upgrade timing, telecommunications tower, canvassing community against local
developments, etc
Inappropriate
topics: Detailed financial or legal issues. Events (use Locals or Noticeboard
instead), personal attacks or Group Event notices.
2 Locals – Use this group for local
information about what’s on in and around the Ecovillage, as well as general
information such as items for sale. It is not for non-Ecovillagers. Any Lot
Owner or Ecovillage resident can join this group.
Appropriate
topics: discussion on weed killers, business opportunities, Ecovillage farm
plans, Avoid the cow on the bridge tonight, Dance on at Palm Beach school
Friday night, local outages/issues with internet/phone provision (may affect
residents as well as owners).
3 Noticeboard – Only use this group to
post essential and important information to all people on the Hub. To avoid the
chance of people leaving this group (because of too many general low value
emails) this list should be used sparingly. This list is moderated to ensure
only high quality and important information is sent. For this reason emails may
take a few hours to arrive out to everyone (as an administrator has to find
time and login and check the message first).
Appropriate
topics: Urgent items for all residents e.g. WTTP Issues, Fire Warnings, Major
event notifications, Health Warnings, Developer announcements, Lot changes.
Inappropriate
topics: Body Corporate specific issues, minor event notifications, low value
content, non-Ecovillage specific info, repetitive reminders.
We welcome
feedback on the guidelines and processes used and how to improve the Hub
anytime.
Thanks for
your understanding and compliance with the above guidelines.
2 Conditions of Use
Your use of
this VillageHub Website, lists and features constitutes your agreement to be
bound by these Terms and Conditions of Use and Guidelines above and below:
This
VillageHub Website, including all of its features and content (the “Website”)
is a service made available by the Principal Body Corporate (“PBC”) CTS 35580,
or other owning entity over time. All content, information and software provided
on and through this Website (“Content”) may be used solely under the following
terms and conditions (“Terms of Use” and “Guidelines”). The Website utilises
products and services by Google Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No.
200817984R), (“Google”) and are bound by the Google Apps for Work (Online)
Agreement. Ecovillage lot ("Ecovillage Lot") includes lots of the PBC and lots in a subsidiary community titles scheme.
1. Website Limited License. As a user of
this Website you are granted a nonexclusive, non-transferable, revocable,
limited license to access and use this Website and Content in accordance with
these Terms of Use. Provider may terminate this license at any time for any
reason.
2. Limitations on Use. The Content on this
Website is for your personal use only and not for commercial exploitation,
unless by permission of PBC. You may not decompile, reverse engineer,
disassemble, rent, lease, loan, sell, sublicense, or create derivative works
from this Website or the Content. You may not copy, modify, reproduce,
republish, distribute, display, or transmit for commercial, non-profit or
public purposes all or any portion of this Website, except to the extent
permitted above. Any unauthorised use of this Website or its Content is
prohibited, unless approved in writing by PBC.
3. Not Legal Advice. Content is not
intended to and does not constitute legal advice and no attorney-client
relationship is formed, nor is anything submitted to this Website treated as
confidential. The accuracy, completeness, adequacy or currency of the Content
is not warranted or guaranteed. Your use of information on this Website or
materials linked from this Website is at your own risk.
4. Intellectual Property Rights. Except as
expressly provided in these Terms of Use, nothing contained herein shall be
construed as conferring any license or right, by implication, estoppel or otherwise,
under copyright or other intellectual property rights. You agree that the
Content and Website are protected by copyrights, trademarks, service marks,
patents or other proprietary rights and laws.
5. Linking to this Website. You may
provide links only to the homepage of this Website, provided you do not remove
or obscure, by framing or otherwise, any portion of the homepage, including its
advertisements, the terms of use, the copyright notice, or other notices on
this Site.
6. License of Your Content to Provider. By
uploading content to or submitting any materials for use on this Website, you
grant (or warrant that the owner of such rights has expressly granted) PBC a
perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, irrevocable, non-exclusive right and
license, with right to sublicense, to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish,
publicly perform, publicly display, digitally display and digitally perform
translate, create derivative works from and distribute such materials or
incorporate such materials into any form, medium, or technology now known or
later developed throughout the universe. You agree that you shall have no
recourse against Provider for any alleged or actual infringement or misappropriation
of any proprietary right in your communications to us.
7. No Solicitation. You shall not
distribute on or through this Website or email groups any content or material
that is illegal.
8. Advertising . Village Hub members wishing to distribute internal or external service or business information on the Village Hub may do so as long as it is related to the Ecovillage and likely to be of interest to residents. Any promotion of such goods or services must be subtle and in text form only on the website. For email list the information can only communicated once per month or twice per event occurrence. If parties advertising content have a financial interest in the service or product authors must make this clear.
9. Advertisers. This Website may contain
advertising and sponsorship. Advertisers and sponsors are responsible for
ensuring that material submitted for inclusion on this Website is accurate and
complies with applicable laws. PBC will not be responsible for the illegality
of or any error or inaccuracy in advertisers’ or sponsors’ materials or for the
acts or omissions of advertisers and sponsors.
10. Registration. Certain sections of this
Website require you to register as a Member. If registration is requested, you
agree to provide Provider with accurate and complete registration information.
It is your responsibility to inform Provider of any changes to that
information. Each registration is for a single individual only, unless
specifically designated otherwise on the registration page. Provider does not
permit a) anyone other than you to use the sections requiring registration by
using your name or password; or b) access through a single name being made
available to multiple users on a network or otherwise. You are responsible for
preventing such unauthorised use. If you believe there has been unauthorised
use, you must notify the administrators immediately. You must be a lot owner, or an intended resident of 2 months or more, or intended tenant of 2 months or more, of an Ecovillage Lot; and not less than eighteen (18) years of age to use the VillageHub.
11. Postings in interactive areas of the
Website.
11.1. Postings to be Lawful. If you
participate in interactive areas on this Website, you shall not post, publish,
upload or distribute any messages, data, information, text, graphics, links or
other material (“Postings”) which is unlawful or abusive in any way, including
but not limited to any Postings that are defamatory, libellous, pornographic,
obscene, threatening, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, inclusive of
hate speech, or would constitute or encourage a criminal offence, violate the
rights of any party, or give rise to liability or violate any local, state,
federal or international law.
11.2. Postings to be in Your Name. Your
Postings shall be accompanied by your real name and shall not be posted
anonymously. Participants in interactive areas shall not misrepresent their
identity or their affiliation with any person or entity.
11.3. No Monitoring of Postings. PBC has no
obligation nor does it intend to edit, monitor or screen Postings and is not responsible
for the content in such Postings or any content linked to from such Postings.
Notwithstanding the foregoing PBC reserves the right to examine from time to
time, some, all, or no interactive areas for adherence to the Terms of Use and
to remove any materials that may be objectionable or violate the Terms of Use.
11.4. Non-Commercial Use only of webpage areas.
Any area of this Website is provided solely for your personal use and must be
for the benefit of yourself or other members. As a participant, you shall not
include in your Posting(s) or otherwise distribute on or through this Website
any content or material containing any SPAM. Any unauthorised use of any
webpage area of this Website, its Content or Postings is expressly prohibited.
12. Errors and Corrections. PBC does not
represent or warrant that this Website will be error-free, free of viruses or
other harmful components, or that defects will be corrected or that it will
always be accessible. PBC does not warrant or represent that the information
available on or through this Website will be correct, accurate, timely, or
otherwise reliable. PBC may make improvements and/or changes to its features,
functionality or Content at any time and without notice.
13. Third Party Content. Third party content
may appear on this Website or may be accessible via links from this Website.
PBC shall not be responsible for and assumes no liability for any infringement,
mistakes, misstatements of law, defamation, slander, libel, omissions,
falsehood, obscenity, pornography or profanity in the statements, opinions,
representations or any other form of content contained in any third party
content appearing on this Website. You understand that the information and
opinions in the third party content is neither endorsed by nor does it reflect
the belief of PBC.
14. DISCLAIMER. This website is provided on
an "as is, as available" basis. The PBC expressly disclaims all
warranties, including the warranties of merchantability, fitness for a
particular purpose and non-infringement. The PBC disclaims all responsibility
for any loss, injury, claim, liability, or damage of any kind resulting from,
arising out of or any way related to (a) any errors in or omissions from this
website and the content, including but not limited to technical inaccuracies
and typographical errors, (b) any third party websites or content therein
directly or indirectly accessed through links in this website, including but
not limited to any errors in or omissions there from, (c) the unavailability of
this website or any portion thereof, (d) your use of this website, or (e) your
use of any equipment or software in connection with this website.
15. Limitation of liability. The PBC shall
not be liable for any loss, injury, claim, liability, or damage of any kind
resulting from your use of this website and the interactive areas of this
website or any facts or opinions appearing on or through an interactive area.
PBC shall not be liable for any special, direct, indirect, incidental, or
consequential damages of any kind whatsoever (including, without limitation,
attorneys' fees) in any way due to, resulting from, or arising in connection
with the use of or inability to use this website or the content. To the extent
the foregoing limitation of liability is prohibited, provider’s sole obligation
to you for damages shall be limited to $1.00.
16. Indemnification. You agree to
indemnify, defend and hold harmless PBC, its officers, directors, employees,
agents, licensors, suppliers and any third party information providers to the
Website from and against all losses, expenses, damages and costs, including
reasonable lawyer fees, resulting from any violation of these Terms of Use by
you.
17. Third Party Rights. The provisions of
paragraphs 14 (Disclaimer), 15 (Limitation of Liability), and 16
(Indemnification) are for the benefit of PBC and its officers, directors,
employees, agents, licensors, suppliers, and any third party information
providers to the Website. Each of these individuals or entities shall have the
right to assert and enforce those provisions directly against you on its own
behalf.
18. Unlawful Activity. Provider reserves
the right to investigate complaints or reported violations of our Terms of Use
and to take any action we deem appropriate including but not limited to
reporting any suspected unlawful activity to law enforcement officials,
regulators, or other third parties and disclosing any information necessary or
appropriate to such persons or entities relating to user profiles, e-mail
addresses, usage history, posted materials, IP addresses and traffic
information.
19. Remedies for Violations. PBC reserves
the right to seek all remedies available at law and in equity for violations of
these Terms of Use, including but not limited to the right to block access from
a particular Internet address to this Website and any other PBC Websites and
their features.
20. Privacy PBC and its related bodies
corporate acknowledge and respect the privacy of individuals.
The PBC
collects, uses and discloses the personal information you provide on this
website only in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cwth). This information
is collected by the PBC only for the purposes of processing your registration
or enquiry, keeping you informed of upcoming events, new products, special
offers and assisting in improving its service to you. This information is not
disclosed to licensed third parties, other than The Ecovillage Caretaker, without your consent. The provision of this
information by you is voluntary but if you do not provide some or all of the
requested information we may be unable to properly process your registration or
enquiry or otherwise affect the purposes for which the information has been
collected (as specified above and from time to time).
You have
both a right of access to the personal information the PBC holds about you and
a right to ask the PBC to correct if you think it is inaccurate or out of date.
21. Severability of Provisions. These Terms
of Use incorporate by reference any notices contained on this Website and the
Privacy Policy constitute the entire agreement with respect to access to and
use of this Website. If any provision of these Terms of Use is unlawful, void
or unenforceable, or conflicts then that provision shall be deemed severable
from the remaining provisions and shall not affect their validity and
enforceability.