Arthur’s Place Social Guidelines

[Last updated: May 5th, 2021]

About Arthur’s Place Social
We want Arthur’s Place Social, our Facebook group, to be a friendly, safe and supportive place. So, we’ve had a jolly good think about ways to make that happen. We’d be tickled if you would stick to the following guidelines. If you don’t, we may have to delete you and any posts that offend. But let’s think positively!

Respect each other
Let’s start from the position that you’re all decent humans and you get why respecting others is a good thing.
But, hey, we all have bad days when kindness, patience and tolerance for alternative views leave the building. It’s at times like these we’d rather you put down the laptop and watch Netflix instead.
Be nice, folks. If you really can’t be nice, we’ll have to remove your posts, and ask you to get your coat. This would be a shame; we like you!

Be yourself
Okay, we all fib about our height and whether we’re natural blondes, but don’t pretend to be someone else entirely. That’s so Web 1.0.

Be supportive
Did you hear about the guy who fell down a deep, dark hole and couldn’t get out? Cold, upset and frightened he shouted for help.
A passer-by heard his cries and jumped down the hole too. “Why did you jump down too?!” yelled the guy. “Now we’re both stuck down here.” But the passer-by hugged him and said simply: “Don’t worry my friend. I’ve been down this hole before, and I know how to get out.”
Arthritis can be a real nightmare. You probably know just how rubbish it can make you feel; not just physically battered but emotionally drained too. This might be you today, or it might be somebody else.
The support of others is so important during the tough times, and the support of others who really understand how you’re feeling, because they’ve been through it too, is invaluable. If you can possibly help someone, please do. They just might be your passer-by tomorrow.

Don’t be abusive
It’s mean, destructive and we don’t want it here. Swearing is a no-no too. Take up Boxercise, or something.
Seriously, we take safeguarding of our members very seriously. We have a safeguarding policy, which we adhere to. In summary, harm or abuse caused to anyone is wholly unacceptable and could result in your actions being reported to the police, social services or a local safeguarding authority.

You must be over 18
It’s really important that all group members are aged 18 or over. This is because we are not set up to guarantee the safety of children. Please don’t fib about your age, and if you suspect that another member is younger than 18 please email us at [email protected]. For the protection and safety of children, members younger than 18 will be asked to leave the group.
We know that many young people, aged 16-18, find it difficult to get age- appropriate information and support. We would be interested to hear if you think we should change our policy to include you. Please email us to let us know at [email protected].

Report activity that offends you
If someone posts something that breaches our community guidelines let us know immediately. Email us at [email protected]. Don’t be tempted to respond; in many cases that’s exactly what offensive individuals want. Besides, we’ve got access to the delete button.

Don’t be a doctor
It’s vital that you remember you can only talk about your condition, any treatments or medication you’ve had from your own personal perspective. What might be right for you may be very wrong for another, and perhaps even damaging.
This goes for talking about alternative and complementary therapies too. Remember that the claimed benefits of alternative and complementary therapies are often scientifically unproven and may be dangerous. Consult your GP before trying any.
In short, if you’re writing about it make it clear it’s your personal opinion only, and if you’re reading about it, remember that the only people with the expertise to advise on your treatment are your own medical team. Do not consider anything written on this group, by us or community members, to be medical advice.
If you actually are a doctor, welcome to this Arthur’s Place group! We advise you against talking to patients directly here.

About spreading the word about us on Facebook and Twitter
We’d love you to tell people about us on Facebook or Twitter. Really, we would. No, we really would! But if you do, please don’t accidentally blurt out somebody else’s personal info without getting their permission first.
For example, writing: “On the Arthur’s Place group today, John Doe from 23 Arthur Lane, Milton Keynes, is waiting for a hip replacement,” on Twitter is really bad news, and not just because it’s more than 140 characters. John may not have told his wife. Or his boss. We screw this one up and we all go to jail without passing Go.

No spam, adverts and other garbage
Please don’t ruin our group with posts that are irrelevant, commercial or bogus.
If you have something that could be genuinely helpful to our community, please contact us at [email protected]. We are keen to work in partnership with companies, charities and other organisations, in an organised and vetted fashion. (If you run a nationwide gym chain, we want you!)

Don’t get us (or you) sued
Only post stuff that you’ve written yourself, and don’t breach anyone else’s intellectual property rights. Please don’t post defamatory comments about, well, anything really – individuals, organisations, businesses. You might get a knock on the door, and so might we. One libel suit and it’s goodnight from us!