Cobbdale Civic Association Facebook Rules
Adopted by vote of membership at community meeting April 20, 2023
Purpose: This group is designed to reach our neighbors within Cobbdale and any nearby border communities within the City of Fairfax. We want to provide timely information and communicate with each other in real-time. All Cobbdale and Cobbs Grove residents are welcome to join and encouraged to participate, so please invite your neighbors!
The Cobbdale Civic Association is one of forty-five Civic and Homeowner Associations located in the City of Fairfax, Virginia. The association was founded to promote the interests of the Cobbdale community while serving as a conduit for city initiatives and interests.
Rules: The following rules will guide the behavior and participation of our group.
1. Be Kind and Courteous: We are here to create a virtual replica of the welcoming community that we have in Cobbdale. As such, let’s treat everyone with respect. While there will be occasions where discussions can lead to healthy disagreement, kindness and respect are required.
2. No Hate Speech, Bullying, or Harassment: Every participant in this online and physical community should feel safe. As such, bullying or harassment of any kind is not allowed, and degrading comments about things like race, nationality, religion, culture, sexual orientation, gender, identity, or socioeconomic status will not be tolerated.
3. No Spam: Spam, irrelevant links, or business promotions are not allowed in this group. Exceptions for business promotions can be made if another group member asks for business recommendations or referrals to perform a service.
4. Respect Everyone’s Privacy: Being part of this group requires mutual trust. Authentic, expressive discussions make groups great, but may also be sensitive and private. What’s shared in the group should stay in the group. To further respect the community’s privacy, doxxing (publishing private or identifying information about a particular individual—email address, phone number, physical address—on the Internet typically with malicious intent) will not be permitted.
5. No Political Agendas: Posts or comments focused on political agendas can jeopardize the community atmosphere we want to foster within this group. Cobbdale’s physical and online community is diverse, so we want this page to reflect the respect and kindness that we extend to each other. Discussions of a political nature related to political parties, positions, or agendas are not permitted. The following exceptions to this rule can be made:
- City Council-related Issues: The Fairfax City Council’s actions have an immediate impact on the day-to-day lives of members of this community. It is expected that community members will discuss issues such as city services, roads, traffic control, construction/community development, and other matters related to the City Council’s actions. These discussions can be permitted within the group, as long as the specific topics relate to Cobbdale and are not presented with a political bent.
- Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS): Many of our children attend Fairfax County’s public school system and participate in a variety of school activities. Discussing school fundraisers, upcoming events at our local schools, and FCPS-sponsored solicitations for input (e.g. parental feedback on the next year’s school calendar or service impacts because of the driver shortage) are permitted.
- However, discussions of political topics that can manifest themselves within our schools are not permitted because this can divide the community that we are trying to foster. Recent political events have made public schools, school boards, and school libraries the focal points of debates and disagreements. We believe there are fora other than our community group in which those debates can occur.
- Exceptions to this would include highlighting opportunities for members to provide feedback on FCPS’s curriculum changes in an objective manner that encourages engagement and a broad range of perspectives would be permitted.
- Candidate Meetings or Referenda Information: The civic association exists to allow members to participate in the well-being of the city and local community. Members can post notifying others of opportunities to meet local candidates, sharing objective/fact-based information about a referendum that will appear on the ballot.