Guidelines for Thetis Island eSPOKES

updated 2024-03-01

A committee of TIRRA, eSPOKES is a volunteer email service to share events and activities of Thetis Island and provide information on matters relating to community function. eSPOKES and TIRRA do not necessarily endorse the information distributed and recommend readers take what they like and leave the rest.

• Any organization, business or individual operating on Thetis Island may advertise or send notices. Every notice must be relevant to Thetis Island. Usually the notice should be sent by a Thetis Island organization, resident and/or landowner.


• Items must reach espokes@gmail.com by 9 PM for posting the next day.
   
  
  • If an emergency arises and you need attention immediately, say for a prescription or sometime arising suddenly, please try to call the person listed as posting on the latest email you have from eSPOKES or one of the other people who volunteer at eSPOKES for immediate service. If you do not call, your post may be missed and not go out until the next day.


• All items must be signed. The signature related to an organization or business can be the name of an individual office holder and their title or the name of the organization or of a recognized standing committee.


• Notices must be polite and relevant. Please remember that clarity and brevity are the most effective communicators.
   
  
  • If a repeat notice is needed, a change in wording or titling may make it more interesting.
  
  
  • While regular events may need regular postings, even these can benefit from pauses in posting--pauses, not stops.
  
  
  • Unfortunately, not publicizing events can seem to be secrecy and some may feel excluded.


• Links can disrupt the delivery of the mass mailings of eSPOKES due to safety precautions beyond our control.
   
  
  • All links must be to secured websites: https:
  
  
  • Pictures can not be used. Some links to videos and pictures can not be posted because of the pictures they create.
  
  
  • If posting something with links that may trigger problems please provide, not a link but a title or description to direct readers to the item or allow interested parties to contact you for the link individually.


• Long items (over 300 words), discussion or opinion pieces and pictures should be posted elsewhere and a secure link provided.
   
  
  • Since we can not host discussions, links recommending movies, articles, books, photographs etc, should generally be limited to works produced by Thetis islanders (like art, or books, articles, etc, authored by Thetis Islanders)


• When possible, the organization conducting an election should do a single post with a list of links to Candidate statements.
   
  
  • If the organization can not do this, the best practice is for Candidate statements to be posted elsewhere and a link provided.


• As the last item in an eSPOKES, one item of interest or even whimsy can be included. They should be brief, factual and relevant to Thetis Island as a part of Canada and the world. They can not initiate discussion or require responses on eSPOKES


• Notices are posted by manager volunteers only; managers are a volunteer committee appointed by TIRRA.
   
  
  • Manager volunteers may have to change the layout of items to fit the format or to clarify.
  
  
  • Manager volunteers should not make material changes without returning the item to the sender for discussion.
  
  
  • Manager volunteers may solicit notices but neither TIRRA nor eSPOKES can be responsible for finding, compiling or repeating notices or information.

The volunteer eSPOKES team, in the rush of trying to serve, may occasionally fail to enforce one or more of these guidelines. Please respect the efforts made to serve you.

The eSPOKES team, a committee of TIRRA