When posting on TB2, can you please keep in mind that our 500+ members may live in any one of Abbotsley, The Gransdens (L or G), Waresley, or the spaces in between. So, if you are asking for advice on broadband issues, advertising for items for sale or gifting, looking for lost pets, parcels or phones etc., please include the name of your village and any other information (e.g. broadband provider) that might help the readers and provide better quality information.
There is a daily limit on the total file size (that is, the sum of the space used in pictures and PDFs attached to on embedded in all messages sent through Touchbase 2) . After that, any other messages that day are sent with the pictures etc stripped off! So...
If you attach photos in your message, please ensure the photos are no larger than 1 MB each. (There are apps available on mobile devices that can compress the file size of photos - see the FAQs). Alternatively, put them in an online album, and include a link to the album in your post.
When replying-all to messages, delete any photos that were in the original email (or in other messages in the thread).
Don't rely on your picture or PDF actually getting through to recipients! Please put the salient details in the subject line or the text of the message, as any attachments might get stripped off, or might not be readable on some devices.
Please be mindful of whether you are replying to just the sender, or to ALL members of Touchbase. Obviously, it depends on the context of the message, but a "Reply to All" is not always needed, or indeed helpful.
Do not reply to daily digest messages! (such replies will go only to the admin team, not the group.)
When signing up for Touchbase2, please use your forename & surname... and definitely not a pseudonym. Remember that Touchbase2 is only open to adult members of the 4 villages.
If you want to sell or donate items via Touchbase please observe the following:
Don't offer unused prescription medications via Touchbase, even if for free. You don't know how these will react with other meds the recipient may be taking. Also, medical advice is that you should never use another person's prescription meds, even if they are ones you normally take.
(Instead, return unused medications to a pharmacy, who can arrange for them to be disposed of in a way that does not harm the environment. Also, try not to build up a stockpile: if you have a repeat prescription, only tick the boxes for those that you are running low.)
When posting items for sale, please include all your sale items in one single email, and use an appropriate subject heading prefixed with "For Sale" or "Free". (Or, better still, with “#ForSale” or “#Free”, as this allows people to filter out such messages if they are not interested - we will be providing an FAQ about this in due course.)
When the items are sold, it's a good idea to 'reply all' to your own message (without the pictures, of course - see above) so that others know it is gone.
See the guideline above regarding the size & number of pictures!
Please be polite and considerate to other members when agreeing a transaction/collection of items for sale.
The admin and moderation teams disclaim all responsibility for items sold or donated via Touchbase!
(If you are in the Gransdens, an alternative is to use a Facebook page that has been set up for sales and wanted messages.)
One of the main purposes of Touchbase 2 is to keep us all connected with events in our local community, so we welcome promotion of community events. But please put the salient details in the subject line or the text of the message (see third bullet of point 2 in the general section, above).
Local commercial businesses and services can be promoted via recommendations from Touchbase members. But self-promotion by the business owners, employees or associates is not allowed. When recommending a business please disclose your relationship e.g “happy customer” or “owner” to that business or person, and avoid repetitive posting.
Owners, employees or associates of a business can reply directly to members' requests for services, but they should not “reply all”, and we ask that they make their connection to the business known.
If you put out a shout "can anyone recommend...", please consider posting a follow-up a few days later with a summary of the recommendations.
The exception to the above is organisations deemed essential to the community, such as our local pubs, village shop, school and churches.
Please do not sell or advertise products that are part of an incentive sales programme, e.g. Avon, Body Shop etc. Likewise tokens/links etc for broadband packages, unless you announce you will be giving your portion to charity (and follow through!).
When fundraising for good causes, please provide details of the charities or local institutions (Scouts/Guides, Sports Teams etc) that will be supported. Requests for personal sponsorship or funding should include the email address of the Poster, so that transfer of money to individuals can be discussed and arranged privately. Please do not include payment details in Touchbase 2 posts.
Please avoid political campaigning, personal views on controversial issues, or dominating or hijacking conversations. Also, repetitive posts about the same issues should be avoided.
Please keep all message content family-friendly!
When posting or replying on Touchbase, please do not discriminate against, attack, insult, shame, bully or belittle fellow Touchbasers, or other members of our communities.