About this governance document
The purpose of this governance document is to define the role, objectives and operation of the group. If any content of this document is included in any other document, then the content of the most recent document shall be used.
Group Name
The Name of the Facebook group is “We Love Bury St Edmunds!”
Group Aims
The aim of this group is to promote and increase the image of all things relating to Bury St Edmunds, past, present and future, by using ‘Community Collective Memory’ to inspire all.
Legal Status
“We Love Bury St Edmunds!” consists of two distinct sections, which work by mutual cooperation. Those are the “We Love Bury St Edmunds!” Facebook Group, and the “eXplore Bury St Edmunds” Web Site.
The Facebook Group is operated on a purely voluntary basis, by people with a keen interest in the aims of this group.
Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/welovebse
The web site is operated as a sole trader style business, with paid advertising. Also under the web site section are a number of social media sites, including:
We Love Bury St Edmunds Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/welovebse
We Love Bury St Edmunds for Business Facebook Group:
Facebook for Edmund:
Flickr:
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/welovebse/pins
Vimeo:
A committee exists which bridges the gap between the two sections of The Group.
Key People
Name Facebook Role Other Positions
James Sheen Admin
Group founder & Chief Administrator
Web site owner
Committee Chair
Greg Aspland Admin & Committee member
Lesley Norburn Admin
Michelle Richards Admin & Committee member
Virginia Haslam
Moderator
Anna Frankum
Committee member
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Achieving the Group Aims
The following list, while not exhaustive, details the ways in which The Group shall achieve the stated Group Aims:
Using recognised Social Media sites to bring together all peoples worldwide with a connection to Bury St Edmunds and a common theme to enhance the standing of the town.
Allowing a high quality website to run showing stories and images from the Social Media, this website to be part of a separate business enterprise run by the founder of the group.
Giving license to the founder for use of the name and logo on general merchandise, to increase awareness of the group – this being part of a separate business enterprise.
Regular social meetings advertised within the events section of the group, encouraging as many as possible to attend.
Encouraging and helping members with local charitable events to increase awareness of group.
Interacting with other local groups, with common interests, to share interesting items and boost website standing.
Holding any events which will bring the group name to the fore and generally increase public awareness.
Increasing awareness of St Edmund and St Edmunds Day.
Doing all such lawful things as will further the aims of the group.
Facebook Code of Conduct
The group was created for people who enjoy our town, its rich heritage, history and culture. We want you to enjoy everyone’s collective memories of the place we call home, and find the best way to reconnect with your past.
All persons joining the Facebook Group “ We Love Bury St Edmunds! “ will be subject to this Governance document and the Facebook Code of Conduct contained herein.
The Facebook Group can be found here:
Membership of the Facebook Group
The Facebook Group operates as a ‘Closed Group’, which means that all applications to join the group are validated by any one of the Admins or Moderators listed in the Key People section.
New members must show they have a connection with Bury St Edmunds. Checks are made to see if any links to Bury St Edmunds can be found in the applicant’s Facebook Profile, including having been suggested for inclusion in the Group by an existing member.
When adding friends, choose people who know Bury St Edmunds, and who you believe will enjoy the group.
If someone is declined membership of the group, it is most likely to be because the Admin or Moderator who looked at the request was unable to find any evidence in the applicant’s profile that they have a connection with Bury St Edmunds. This can sometimes happen when the applicant has their privacy settings set so that people who are not on their friends list are not able to view their details.
Respect for other members
Respect for other members of the Facebook Group is paramount.
The old adage applies -“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything”.
When you discuss people, living or dead, respect them too. Detrimental comments about anyone may lead to you being removed from the group, and also being reported to Facebook, as this does not follow their guidelines on correct Facebook etiquette.
To report someone for failing in this simple code, please contact a member of the administration team above.
If a member’s post is reported, they run the risk of being removed and in extreme cases, blocked from the group.
Posting
Whilst not being an exhaustive set of rules, the following all apply to posting to the Group, both as replies and as new ‘threads’:
Before creating a new post to the group, search the group for previous posts on a subject. Adding to an old post will bring that post back to the fore.
Direct advertising is NOT allowed on the Facebook group without prior agreement – Arrangements can be made for that facility on the website, please contact us at in**@ex******************.com to discuss this further. The website is at exploreburystedmunds.com
Anyone considering an event as a post should note that where that event has paid for admission or other charges, this would need to be submitted to the website, exploreburystedmunds.com by recognised businesses.
Politically divisive posts will not be approved
The group has a non-political stance and will not be drawn into one side or another.
Hijacking posts is strictly against our code of conduct. Using others posts to avoid the moderation process will not be tolerated and will result in a ban from the group for the individual concerned. This does not apply to people who are reconnecting with each other, which is in fact actively encouraged.
Posting personal details in the public stream should be avoided. Also check any pictures as they may contain details you don’t wish to make public.
Avoid posts which are likely to be of little or no interest to the majority of members.
Requests for recommendations are allowed only if they are likely to be of interest to a significant proportion of the group’s members. However, new posts which give recommendations could to be considered as advertising, in which case, they will not normally be allowed.
Lost and Found posts are not allowed, and nor are posts about stolen property.
All text should be in full English, and not use any ‘text speak’.
Images
Whilst not exhaustive, the following rules apply to posting images to the Group, whether as replies or as new ‘threads’:
Share Photos of Interest to the WHOLE town – Family photos are NOT allowed, unless they have a historic connection or something of interest to the group is a main part of the picture.
When posting photographs of private property, do not post anything which may be against the wishes of the owner.
If the images you are sharing are not your own, you must acknowledge the owner, give them due credit and obtain their permission to post.
If the photos are yours, you may add a watermark.
As far as possible give a short description of all posted images. Note that if an image is submitted and has no description, and it is not obviously related to Bury St Edmunds, then it is likely to not be approved.
All small, blurred or indistinct images will not be authorised for posting, or will be removed if either they were allowed in error or were posted as comments to existing threads.
Post quality images of your subject – 3 or 4 maximum.
Posting multiple groups of photos in one day should be avoided. Spreading these out over consecutive days is preferred, so that the group is not swamped.
If we like your photos, and they were taken by you, we may use them on the website https://www.welovebse.com/ to help us showcase our town. In that case, we will not normally ask for permission, as this is implied by acceptance of the Code of Conduct, but we will give credit to the creators of all photos used.
Selfies will not be accepted.
Events
The group organises events, such as walks and social evenings. These will usually be publicised within the Facebook Group, and will state if there are any restrictions. In the case of walks and social evenings, all group members are invited, and encouraged to take part.
Some events organised by people or groups outside of We Love Bury St Edmunds! are sometimes posted in the Facebook Group. These must be of interest to a substantial number of our members to be considered for inclusion. If an Event does not have an entry cost, the chances are we will post it.
Role of the Admin and Moderator Team
The Facebook Group’s Admins and Moderators, known collectively as the Admin team, are all volunteers and give their spare time to assist with the smooth running of the group. Please be aware of the following:
Whilst the Admin team will try to read everything posted, this is sometimes not possible. If a post or comment appears which could be considered inappropriate, it should be reported rather than assuming that one of the Admin team will have seen it.
The Admin team have the final say, and will not be drawn into petty squabbles or arguments. Nor are they required to give explanations for any decisions that they have taken.
The Admin team are all able to view all new posts submitted, and any of them can approve or delete any post. If a post does not get approved after 24 hours, it will be removed.
If an Admin removes you, it is for a good reason which they have been made aware of and a decision has been taken.
If you have blocked an Admin, you run the risk of being removed from the group permanently.
Should a post and its replies start in an acceptable way, but later breach any of the Code of Conduct, any member of the Admin team will, at their discretion, either remove the offending comments and close the post to further comments, or delete the entire post.
Charity Events
The group will sometimes take part or otherwise get involved in or support some local charity events. The selection of these, and the amount of involvement, is by agreement with the Committee. This agreement can be reached by electronic communication, and does not require a committee meeting.
Web Site
The web site, exploreburystedmunds.com is given full permission to use any content from the Facebook group that may be of use in achieving any of the Group Aims. Contributors to the Facebook group may sometimes be asked if they would like to provide additional material for the web site.
Role of the Committee
The role of the Committee is to ensure that the Group Aims continue to be achieved through a combination of the two sections of The Group defined in the Legal Status section of this document.
The committee shall meet at least once in every 365 days, but may also meet whenever required.
Minutes of each committee meeting will be taken by a person agreed at the time of the meeting, and the minutes then distributed to all those present as soon as is reasonably practical. There is no set format for the minutes.
Any decision made at a committee meeting requires a majority vote, based on the number of committee members, regardless of if they were present at the meeting. If the total number of people listed as committee members is an even number, and a vote results in a draw, then the chairman will be given an additional vote.