Harringay Online Policy on Promoting Commercial Interests on the Website

We love to champion local businesses and local business people and we're keen to support them, but people who use the site don't want it swamped with posts advertising stuff. So, as things stand, we're trying to balance supporting local business with making sure that the site isn't clogged up with advertising. In general there is no free advertising on HoL, unless you're a local charity. This includes adding new posts and responding to others to offer your services. Businesses may however post events in the events section without charge. 

Here's how we're running things:

1. Commercial Promotion

As one of the busiest online sites in Haringey, Harringay Online offers businesses promotion packages comprising both display advertising, advertising in the forum and the opportunity to interact with members on the busiest areas of the site.  Display advertisements feature in the right hand column on all the busy pages on the website. They are also included in our newsletter sent out to almost 10,000 people every week.

Businesses can pay online for a 'Newsagent's Window' posting on the forum and add any information they wish about heir business.

2. Commercial Membership

Members registered as commercial members may:

• use their business name as their registered user name
• add a specified number of newsagent's window ads.
• respond to other members posts to promote their business.

3. Tradespeople & Professional Recommendations

We have a Tradespeople & Other Services Recommendations Listings for members to recommend or comment on tradespeople and professional service providers they have used for the benefit of other members. We maintain this service by tagging posts to try and ensure members can easily find information in it.

4. Events

Any local events offering genuine entertainment or educational value may be added to HoL as event listings. All listings and all events must comply with our normal terms and conditions and our events posting policy. Events advertised in the forum section will be treated as normal commercial promotions.

5. Jobs

Any jobs being advertised for any sort of commercial organisation should be place using a newsagent's window advert. Local charities may advertise at no cost.

6. Hotels, B&Bs & Guest Houses

Local hotels, B&Bs and guest houses are featured on local places to stay section. This section is included on the website at the request of members. Whilst we are happy to consider requests for inclusion from any local establishment, inclusion on the page is made on the following terms:

a. Site Admin will determine which establishments are considered as local.

b. Links will be made to the hotel's Trip Advisor review or, if no such review is available, another well known review site. Where no review is available we will not include the establishment on our website

7. Homes

Currently we permit the advertising of private homes for rent as primary permenant accommodation in the local area without charge.

This excludes:

a. holiday lettings in any part of the world, including locally.

b. lettings beyond the local area (please ask if you're not sure).

c. homes for sale.

POLICY

1. This policy applies to individuals, commercial entities, those presenting under any non-indivudual name and charities with paid staff.  Constituted local voluntary organisations including residents' groups, friends groups, charitable groups (See note 5), schools, etc are not covered by this policy. 

2. No person or organisation to whom this policy applies may engage in any activity to promote their services or produce, or those of any proscribed entity on Harringay Online in any way without the permission of Site Admin or unless as an agreed part of a commercial membership, or after having paid for a Newsagents Window posting.

For the avoidance of doubt, for any particular member, a business includes any business run by the member, or by their partner or by a member of their immediate family. Activities on the site which are covered by this policy, include, but are not necessarily limited to, promoting a proscribed business by:

• using their member page to promote the business or provide business contact information or links to business websites.
• using the internal messaging system or commenting on or liking members pages simply to draw attention to a profile for commercial reasons
• commenting on others members' events to promote the business
• adding or contributing to a discussion, including participation in free events primarily designed to promote the business.
• adding or commenting on an image to promote the business.
• joining under a business name, using a business logo as an avatar or adding business details to a member's own page.

3. If you're not clear what's allowed and what's not, please don't advertise without agreeing it with us first.

4. In the event that a business owner learns that their business has been criticised, they have a right to respond. Any such responses must stay within what is reasonable in the context.

5. Any local charities that want to join up under their charity name and aim to use the website to fundraise will need to be registered or be prepared to satisfy HoL about the management of funds raised and their policy on fundraised income being retained to cover fundraising costs or other expenses. We would hope that any charity would be prepared to share basic information of this sort with Harringay Online members.

Questions & Comments

Any questions or comments about this policy can be addressed to us at admin@harringayonline.com

Last updated: 2nd November 2018