Hi guys

This is looking good :)

I think that number 13 should include the part about the importance of regular updates and active participation in discussions. Of course, these do not guarantee success but they are an essential part of getting there.

Mary

13. Local Representatives and volunteers should have basic computer skills and access to the Internet. Regular updates and active participation in the online discussions help ensure that the best possible assistance is provided. While this does not guarantee success - ongoing communication is an essential part of getting there.

Not sure it's quite right yet. I tried to meld together Carolyn's and Mary's suggestion.

Anyone else want to give it a go?

Fellow colleagues,
I would like to suggest more Organizational guidelines.

1. Neighbours and other participants should debate ideas in a constructive manner as not violate the core values,mission and vision of Nabuur as an organization.

2. Nabuur projects are should to embrace technology to make better picture of both national and international communities.

3. Members must desist from uploading stories, pictures,hate speech of defamation , discrimination or unlawful acts.

Hi Everyone,

I hope you're all doing great :-)

Thank you Mr. Kyayi for your contribution! I like your first addition a lot. My only suggestion is to take out the last part after the comma so that it reads:
'Neighbours and other participants should debate ideas in a constructive manner so as not violate the core values of Nabuur.'
By core values I assume we are talking about respect for each other and similar issues.

I don't understand the 2nd one so I cannot say much about it and I think 3 is similar to 1. May you please be so kind as to explain them a little more. Thank you again for your input.

Jennifer, I think we can lose the first sentence in #13. I suppose it will be impossible to make regular updates if users don't have internet access or basic computer skills. Maybe we can phrase it this way:
'Local representatives are strongly advised to regularly update their village pages and actively participate in the online discussions to help ensure that the best possible assistance is provided. While this does not guarantee success - ongoing communication is an essential part of getting there.'
I have taken out the part about volunteers because they respond to information provided by the local reps so this does not directly apply to them.

One question which kind of goes a step ahead of this discussion but is related to it: If Nabuur cannot verify the authenticity of participating villages will this not make it more difficult for us to establish partnerships with other organisations? I think Nabuur is more likely to wish to work with fundraising organisations as it does not provide funding for the projects but I doubt these strategic partners will feel at ease if we say that we have no way of telling if a village is authentic or not. I'm anxious to hear what everybody thinks about this.

Good day/ evening to you all.

Nonhlanhla

--
'If you are willing to change the world, let love be your energy.' Robbie Williams

Hi all,

Jennifer, great job in combining the two lists. I do agree with having a second list for Local Reps during village registration. People don't read online, so the shorter the guidelines the better the chance they'll actually read them. I don't think we should bother all volunteers with guidelines that don't apply to them.
The remarks being made here about NABUUR not being able to check on the ground, do however make clear what can and what can't be expected of NABUUR.

Concerning the earlier discussion about clear, short guidelines vs. longer 'Terms of Use' that cover more legal aspects: I'm writing an email to the lawyer I mentioned earlier now.
I was talking to Frans last week. He mentioned the possibility of stating that NABUUR operates under Dutch law. And hte possibility of having clear guidelines, with a link to more extensive 'Terms of Use' . (compare YouTube)

So...if we're going with the short version (which I hope is sufficient): then I think we're nearly there. If we need longer, more 'juridical' terms, then it's time to get in an expert.

Nonhlanhla - Yes, it's a very important issue you mention here. Also when we get into partnerships we need to make very clear that we don't check every village on the ground, and make clear what we do to show the legitimacy of a village/project. Partners may have additional requirements that need to be met before a village can make use of their services (that is to be discussed on a case-by-case basis). The issue of building a trust network around villages is an important issue for ourselves for the near future.

I'll keep you posted on what the lawyer says.

Pelle

Hi everyone

As well as encouraging people to discuss in a constructive manner, do we need to include something in the guidelines to say that offensive posts, spam etc should be reported and will be deleted? That is kind of related to what Kyayi Moses said in his third suggestion.

Mary

In preparation for moving into strategy discussions next week, we've decided to leave this thread open and "park" this discussion for now as further revision may be needed.

As Pelle mentioned, we also need to get some legal advice with regard to whether or not a more formal "terms and conditions" page should be posted. I've sent Pelle some examples from other online volunteering sites such as Sparked.com, Changents.com, and the 1% Club of their posted "terms & conditions." In comparison, the Nabuur site has nothing similar - only a very brief statement on privacy. If you scroll down to the very bottom of the page, you'll see it there. I tend to think it's better to have both posted.

Moses, I appreciate you joining in the discussion. I agree with your suggestions. I think some of what you suggested is in our list already (just stated a little differently) - and I think the other part would be covered under a Terms & Conditions page if we do end up going that route in addition to the general guidelines.

All of that being said - looking back at the combined guidelines, this is what we have so far with all revisions made:

Nabuur Guidelines

1. The priorities and interests of the local communities are always leading.
2. NABUUR is non-political, non-religious, non-ideological and non-commercial.
3. All of Nabuur's services are offered free of charge to everyone.
4. All volunteers are unpaid and offer their time and skills free of charge.
5. We embrace the diversity of our volunteers - participants owe each other respect, trust and transparency.
6. We believe that every volunteer can contribute in an important way.
7. Volunteers do not need to contribute any money toward the project(s) they are involved in. Local representatives are encouraged to refrain from attempts to solicit monetary donations from individual volunteers.
8. Nobody can guarantee results, but all participants will do their utmost.
9. NABUUR does NOT provide funding, nor do we encourage projects that focus solely on funding.
10. NABUUR does NOT accept registrations which aim to benefit private individuals. Registration will only be accepted from representatives of organizations such as a village council, self-help group, community based organization (CBO), association, sports foundation, school, hospital, social centre, co-operative, etc.
11. Nabuur is NOT able to verify that the individuals or organizations running projects are genuine. Those who register a village on Nabuur certify that the community has appointed them to act as their local representative. Local Representatives should make every effort to provide copies of their official registration via scanned photos posted to the Nabuur site. Pictures, references from others who have visited in person or who are acquainted with the project are also welcome.
12. If as a volunteer you choose to donate money to a project, it is your responsibility to request whatever verification you feel necessary.
13. Regular updates and active participation in the online discussions help ensure that the best possible assistance is provided. While this does not guarantee success - ongoing communication is an essential part of getting there.

Pelle, regarding your comments about a separate list for local representatives, I think we can still go through the original list and use that with a few simple modifications (and possibly some additions) once the new registration process is hashed out - something I suspect we will get back to in the upcoming strategy discussions.

So, as I said, we'll be parking this discussion for now so that we can come back to it as needed and make any final revisions to things that may change once we hash out more of the strategy.

Thanks again to all for your input!

Jennifer

Hi guys

I know these guidelines are subject to possible change, but I wonder whether it would be a good idea to publish some or all of them now?

The reason I ask is that I have been communicating with a new neighbour who is considering fundraising for a village on here (I am not going to name either as it was a conversation via Private Message). The volunteer had assumed that Nabuur vets all villages when they come online, and was a little surprised when I said Nabuur does not. I told the volunteer that they have the option to do their own checks e.g. asking for copies of registration certificates, if they wish.

As many villages are currently asking people for donations, I think we should make this very clear to everyone. This is not because I have any reason to believe any villages are doing anything wrong, but because all volunteers should know the situation before they decide whether or not they are comfortable making donations.

What do others think?

Mary

Hi Jennifer, Mary,

I am in favour of keeping them open and Mary makes a very valid point. People do need to know what to expect so I'd agree with using them and leaving them open as work in progress. I expect that the most important issues will not change so even when it is specified that the guidelines are subject to change it shouldn't be a cause for concern.

Good day/ evening/ morning to you all :-)

--
'If you are willing to change the world, let love be your energy.' Robbie Williams

Hi,
Thanks for mentioning this Mary. I was going to post something today regarding being a new member. I did receive a welcome email from Nabuur when I joined but it was very general and said to contact with any questions if I needed to. I think it would be a good idea to compose a welcome email to be sent to new members that includes the guidelines and to provide the relevant warnings and advice (for example I would not have known to ask for a registration certificate if Mary had not told me). I'm lucky I have asked so many questions and have had so much help from Mary. It may be the case that not everyone would ask so many questions. This could result in members becoming involved in something that may not be legitimate and if something like this happens it would reflect badly on Nabuur, as that member may drop out and through word of mouth it could result in lack of volunteers in the future. Again, speaking as a new member, I think most of us want to start to help straight away so may jump into something too quickly before becoming aware of any pitfalls we may come across. Thanks again Mary.

Dear all,

I've received an answer of the lawyer I spoke with, and got the chance to ask some additional questions. Please find his anwers below (Forgive any bad english, I don't find it easy to translate legal terminology ;-))

- Community/website guidelines don't need to be stated in strictly legal terms. He did send an example of website guidelines he has made in the past, which are stated in 'fun' terms, but nontheless legal.
(i've tried google translate to show it to you, but it doesn't translate well)

When asked about the need to add a more formal disclaimer or 'terms and conditions' his answer was:
- A disclaimer hardly adds anything. A judge will look at the common practice on your site, not so much at the smallprint called 'disclaimer'. If you try your best you won't need a disclaimer. If you sit back and let bad things happen (of which you should have been aware) then a disclaimer won't add any protection.

- A statement concerning 'NABUUR works under Dutch law' would provide clarity and can be useful, especially in an international context. Specifically with 'libel' cases, though, it may not offer additional protection: i.e. British law says that if ones message reaches more than a minimal audience, one can be prosecuted under British law.

- Having a 'report this' button in every forum would be helpful, in order to track behaviour that doesn't comply with the guidelines. (I've advised him we have this already)

When asked about preventing possible claims:
- The problem with claims is that they can hardly be prevented. If someone is really angry, he'll send angry letters anyway. Guidelines are an instrument in the discussion: reasonable people will accept these are the rules and will leave if they don't agree.

Bottom line:
I think we've constructed a good set of guidelines. I'm especially happy with the addition of the lines concerning the verification of villages and what is expected from volunteers.
I think we should add a line stating Nabuur operates under Dutch law.

With this addition, I think we should replace the current guidelines.

Pelle

I've added a statement at the top about Nabuur being registered in the Netherlands and operating under Dutch law. I've replaced the old guidelines with the new ones on the website this morning. These may still need to be amended down the road, but for now I agree they are much better than the old ones.

I'm closing this task now.

Jennifer

Hi,

This is a positive move and it will assist villages and neighbors to positively engaged in various projects. To ensure that the services of the various volunteers dont benefit individuals but local communities in need of services, I hereby request Nabuur governance team to think about establishing local offices in active countries which will assist to vet the villages, projects and assist in coordination because a lot is being given out in terms of resources or time but it only benefit the private individuals and most likely it was not intended to benefit an individual but community.

I know its too late because you are winding up the task but get time and think about it and hereby request to be allowed to join the governance team.

Looking forward to hear from you.
--
josephat bwire