Oakford Parish Alerts
The Oakford Parish Alerts WhatsApp Group
What is Oakford Parish Alerts?
Oakford Parish Alerts is a system for communicating important information to the residents of the Parish via their mobile phones, but it can also be used for calls for urgent assistance. It has been set up by the Oakford Parish Council to provide extra resilience for the members of the Parish and a way to call for urgent help. The types of event that may be posted are:
- Road maintenance closures and diversions
- News of road accidents in the area
- Extreme weather conditions expected
- Fallen or dangerous trees on public highways
- Black ice seen on local roads - People needing urgent medical assistance
- Evidence of burglars or undesirable people in the area
- Someone is snowed in and needs assistance
IMPORTANT
When you are part of a WhatsApp group your name and mobile phone number are visible to the other members of the group even if you never reply to an alert or create a new alert. By supplying your details to register for the group you accept that your details will be visible to all other group members.
What is NOT allowed?
Oakford Parish Alerts is for important or urgent matters only, so general chit-chat about things going on in the village is not allowed, nor are videos of kittens doing cute things or pictures of your amazing lunch at the Exeter Inn. You will be asked to delete the message by the Administrators and anyone who persistently ignores this condition of use will be barred. You need to know that when you receive a new message it will be important and not trivial or “fake news”.
What is WhatsApp?
Oakford Parish Alerts uses a free software application, or “app”, called WhatsApp which is also free to use. All you need is a reasonably modern ‘smart’ mobile phone – and a signal if you are not connected to wi-fi. WhatsApp is being used by over one billion people around the World and all messages sent are encrypted.
Unlike email, when you receive a message you will immediately be alerted to it on your mobile phone: messages sent are automatically sent out to everyone who is registered for the Oakford Parish Alerts system. If you respond to a message, that response will normally be seen by everyone too. If your phone is not switched on, or you are outside the mobile signal area, you will be able to see any new messages as soon as your phone is active again.
Who can join the group?
Anyone living within Oakford Parish or its immediate surroundings may join. This is not only a sensible restriction because the information will only be relevant to those living in the area but there is also a limit of 250 people who can be in a WhatsApp group. If you are under 18 years old you will need your parent or guardian’s permission for you to join.
What if I don’t have a mobile phone or my mobile phone doesn’t run WhatsApp?
Although some of the alerts may also appear on social media such as the Oakford Village Massive Facebook page, you can subscribe to receive emails containing the same information instead of, or in addition to, the WhatsApp notifications. However, there could be some delay before emails are sent out, so it will not be as immediate as using WhatsApp.
If you do not use any of these modern technologies, why not ask a friend or neighbour to call you if they think that an alert may be relevant to you?
How do I join?
To join, simply contact either of the Parish Councillors listed below (who are the administrators of the group) either by email or text – or you can call them.
Send your name, mobile phone number and/or email address, stating your preference for WhatsApp and/or email alerts. Do please also add your postcode so that we can confirm that you live in the area.
Geoff Baylis 07798 836309 gc.baylis@btinternet.com
Sarah Otton 07833 166036 princesssarahjane31@btinternet.com
How do I install WhatsApp?
Where you go to get WhatsApp depends upon your phone type, but for most people it will be the “App Store” for Apple phones or the “Play Store” for Android phones. Search for “WhatsApp Messenger” and make sure the one you select is provided by ‘WhatsApp Inc’: there are numerous alternatives to the official app but these will either charge you a fee or have adverts.
How do I read the messages?
Tap the WhatsApp icon on your mobile phone to start WhatsApp then tap on Oakford Parish Alerts. You will see all the messages in date order, starting at the message that you last saw on your previous visit. When you view for the first time you will not see any messages that were posted before you joined, but you will be able to always see those that are posted afterwards. Simply swipe up or down on the screen to scroll through the messages available to you.
How do I respond to an alert?
For most alerts you will not need to respond or acknowledge that you’ve seen them, but you can add additional or up-to-date info if you wish. Place your finger on the message that you wish to respond to and swipe to the right. A new message box will appear: just type your response where you see “Type a message”:
…then tap the white triangle in the green circle to its right to send the message:
If you want to respond JUST to the person who posted the message, hold your finger on that message until it becomes shaded then tap the ‘reply’ arrow on the actions bar:
The actions bar also confirms that you are responding to just one person and not the whole group:
Now add your text as before. You will see that your response is being attached to the original message.
How do I add my own alert?
To add your own alert, type your message in the box at the bottom of the screen:
Please keep your message brief but do ensure that you have included all relevant information and it is clear about the nature of the alert, then tap the white triangle in the green circle to its right to send the message. For example:
How do I forward a message to someone not using WhatsApp?
Hold your finger on that message until it becomes shaded then tap the ‘Copy’ icon on the actions bar. You can now paste the message text into a phone text message or email to that person.
If you can’t see the Copy icon, click on the ‘three dots’ icon…
…then tap ‘Copy’.
Can I use WhatsApp on my PC or tablet?
Yes, it’s called “WhatsApp Web” but you still need a mobile phone connected to WhatsApp to use it, so it’s NOT an alternative if you don’t have a suitable mobile phone. Google for “WhatsApp Web” to get more details. There is currently no official WhatsApp version for tablet computers such as the iPad.
Need further help?
Feel free to call either of the contacts above for help setting up WhatsApp on your mobile phone or using Oakford Parish Alerts.