The BridgeNL Online Platform Code of Conduct
Below is a set of platform rules for BridgeNL, designed to foster a respectful, collaborative, and inclusive online community for North Lanarkshire’s CVS, residents, public sector, and business partners. BridgeNL is managed by VANL (Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire) online community development and collaboration online platform.
Please treat this place with the same respect you would a public meeting. We, too, are a shared community resource — a place to share information, skills, knowledge and interests through collaboration and ongoing conversations.
1. Appreciative Inquiry
We use Appreciative Inquiry to celebrate successes and grow together. AI shapes moderation (highlighting contributions) and user participation (sharing success stories), aligning with the Bridge Model’s collaborative ethos. Appreciative Inquiry in the BridgeNL online platform transforms the community by focusing on strengths, fostering collaboration, and empowering users to co-create a positive digital space. It aligns with the Bridge Model’s goals of co-production and collaboration. However, its success depends on balancing positivity with space for constructive feedback and ensuring inclusivity; your support is vital. By celebrating successes, envisioning a better way of working, co-designing solutions, and sustaining growth, AI can help BridgeNL thrive as a shared community resource in North Lanarkshire.
2. Improve the Discussion
Help us make this a great place for discussion by always adding something positive to the discussion, however small. If you are not sure your post adds to the conversation, think over what you want to say and try again later.
One way to improve the discussion is by discovering ones that are already happening. Spend time browsing the topics here before replying or starting your own, and you’ll have a better chance of meeting others who share your interests.
Use clear, descriptive titles for topics to help others find and engage with your content. The topics discussed here matter to us, and we want you to act as if they matter to you, too. Be respectful of the topics and the people discussing them, even if you disagree with some of what is being said.
2. Be Agreeable
You may wish to respond by disagreeing. That’s fine. But remember to criticize ideas, not people. Please avoid:
- Name-calling
- Any kind of attacks
- Responding to a post’s tone instead of its actual content
- Negativity or negative responses
Instead, provide thoughtful insights that improve the conversation.
3. Your Participation Counts
The conversations we have here set the tone for every new arrival. Help us influence the future of this community by choosing to engage in discussions that make this platform an interesting place to be — and avoiding those that do not.
BridgeNL provides tools that enable the community to collectively identify the best (and worst) contributions: bookmarks, likes, flags, replies, edits, watching, muting and so forth. Use these tools to improve your own experience, and everyone else’s, too.
Let’s leave our community better than we found it!
4. If You See a Problem, Flag It
Moderators have special authority; they are responsible for this platform. But so are you. With your help, moderators can be community facilitators, not just janitors or police.
When you see bad behaviour, don’t reply. Replying encourages bad behaviour by acknowledging it, consumes your energy, and wastes everyone’s time. Just flag it. If enough flags accrue, action will be taken, either automatically or by moderator intervention.
To maintain our community, moderators reserve the right to remove any content and any user account for any reason at any time. Moderators do not preview new posts;
5. Always Be Approachable and Positive
Nothing sabotages a healthy conversation like rudeness:
- Be nice, even if you are having a bad day. Don’t post anything that is considered offensive, abusive, or hate speech under UK law.
- Keep it clean. Don’t post anything obscene or inappropriate.
- Respect each other. Don’t harass, impersonate, or share anyone’s private information, and avoid causing distress to others.
- Don’t offend. An error message will be displayed when attempting to create a post containing an offensive word.
- Respect our online platform. Don’t post spam or otherwise vandalise the BridgeNL.
If you’re unsure, ask yourself how you would feel if your post was featured on the front page of a major news site. This is a public forum, and even if search engines may not index these discussions, keep the language, links, and images safe for everyone.
6. Keep It Tidy
Make the effort to put things (posters, information, discussions) in the right place, so that we can spend more time enjoying and discussing and less cleaning up. So:
- Don’t start a topic in the wrong category; please read the category names.
- Don’t cross-post the same thing in multiple topics.
- Don’t post no-content replies.
- Don’t divert a topic by changing it midstream.
- Don’t sign your posts — every post has your profile information attached to it!
- Don’t spam, practice excessive self-promotion, or post off-topic content (e.g., unrelated business advertisements).
Rather than posting “+1” or “Agreed”, use the Like button. Rather than taking an existing topic in a radically different direction, use Reply as a Linked Topic.
7. Post Your Own Content
When you post your own content on BridgeNL, you retain full copyright ownership of your work. However, by posting, you grant BridgeNL a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual license to use, display, distribute, and promote your content within the platform for community engagement purposes. This license ensures BridgeNL can share your content with other users, feature it in community updates, or use it to improve the platform, while you still own your work. You are responsible for ensuring that your content does not infringe on the copyright or intellectual property rights of others. On BridgeNL, copyright is your responsibility. You may not post any digital content that belongs to someone else without permission. This includes intellectual property, music, brand logos, software, files, source code, text, graphics, photos, and videos, unless you have the owner’s consent.
However, exceptions apply in the following cases:
- The content is already in the public domain (e.g., works whose copyright has expired) is free to use and widely available on the internet.
- The content was shared with a clear intention or request for it to be widely distributed (e.g., via email), and there are no indications that it is copyrighted, private, sensitive, or subject to copyright restrictions.
- Attribution is given when the content is published, with links to the original source (e.g., reposting a summary of a post, article or quote and including a link back to the author’s website, social media post or the original publication).
Other exceptions under UK law are:
- Fair Use (or Fair Dealing, depending on jurisdiction) – If the content is used for purposes such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research, and it meets the legal criteria for fair use.
- Creative Commons or Open-Source Licenses – If the content is shared under a license (e.g., Creative Commons, GNU GPL, MIT License) that explicitly allows redistribution, modification, or reuse, provided you follow the license terms (e.g., attribution, non-commercial use, share-alike).
- Official Press Kits or Media Releases – Some companies and organisations provide content (such as logos, press photos, or promotional material) that are intended for public use, as long as their guidelines are followed.
- Attribution-Based Content Sharing – If the content owner has given permission for redistribution with proper attribution (e.g., some stock photo sites or freely available educational materials).
- User-Generated Content with Implicit Permission – If a user submits or uploads content themselves and by that grants permission for it to be shared within the BridgeNL platform for the benefit of the local community. While permission is granted, it’s still important to clearly indicate the original source of the information to provide context and credit.).
Call To Action (CTA) with an external body or organisation:
- When publishing your own content, there is no need to add a source unless it includes a Call To Action (CTA) with an external body or organisation. This includes registration with an external body, group or organisation, to ensure transparency and protect readers.
8. Powered by You
This site is operated by your friendly team of administrators, moderators, staff, volunteers and other users, including you, the community. If you have any further questions about how things should work here, please visit Site Feedback, or or email us questions at: info@vanl.co.uk.
9. Protect Privacy and Confidentiality
Do not share personal or sensitive information about yourself or others without consent (e.g., contact details, personal details, financial data). Respect the privacy of discussions, and do not repost private content without permission. Following data protection laws (e.g., GDPR) when sharing information on BridgeNL is your responsibility.
10. Report Issues
If you see content that violates this code of conduct, use the flag feature (click the flag icon under a post) to report it to moderators. For urgent concerns (e.g., safety risks, illegal activity), contact the BridgeNL admin team at info@vanl.co.uk. Provide clear details when reporting to help moderators address the issue promptly.
11. Stay Safe Online
Protect your account by using a strong password. Be cautious of phishing or suspicious links shared on the platform - report them immediately. Follow cyber security best practices to safeguard your data and the community’s trust.
12. Consequences of Violations
First-time violations may result in a warning or temporary suspension, depending on severity. Repeated or serious violations (e.g., harassment, consistent non-constructive negativity, illegal activity) may lead to a permanent ban from BridgeNL. Moderators or administrators will communicate actions taken and provide an opportunity to appeal if appropriate.
IMPORTANT!
-
You must not post descriptions of, links to, or methods for carrying out illegal activities, including hacking, misuse, or theft of intellectual property (such as software, videos, audio, or images), or for breaking any other laws.
-
BridgeNL is a community resource created to share information about local services, promote community events and volunteering opportunities, and support discussions around local initiatives and issues. It must not be used for unlawful purposes or to encourage behaviour that breaches legal or ethical standards.
13. Contribute to Our Shared Vision
Our North Lanarkshire CommUnity Agreement sets out our shared, core values and guiding principles to strengthen how residents, the Community and Voluntary Sector (CVS), public sector and business sector work together for a better North Lanarkshire. This includes better joint working to deliver our Plan for North Lanarkshire, nine Local Outcome Improvement Plans and linked strategies on key issues. Engage actively in discussions, polls, and surveys to help shape the Bridge Model’s impact in North Lanarkshire. Share success stories, resources, and ideas that align with the CommUnity Agreement’s values of collaboration and empowerment.
14. Disclaimer
VANL (Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire), VANL staff and volunteers, and the BridgeNL moderators, administrators and volunteers take no responsibility for any content posted by the community members, CVS organisations, or stakeholders.
By providing your email address, you consent to receiving communications from us regarding our training, services, and relevant updates. We may contact you with information about upcoming training sessions, new services, charity initiatives, marketing offers, and newsletters designed to keep you informed of the work we do and how you can get involved. Your email will be used exclusively for these purposes and will not be shared with third parties. If you ever wish to opt-out of receiving these communications, you can do so at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link included in every email we send.
Please click here to go to the top of the BridgeNL Online Platform Code of Conduct.