2024-73 Public Social Media Policy

Municipality of Rhineland, Manitoba

This is the exact embedded text of the captured official document. Snapshot 178f5079b6d2 · verified 2026-06-09 · original document · archived snapshot · unofficial consolidation, the official version is held by the municipal clerk.

1 Public Social Media Policy - Administration MUNICIPALITY OF RHINELAND POLICY NO. 2024-73 ADOPTED BY: Resolution No. 99/ 24 Last Updated: December 2015 DATE: March 6, 2024 Page: 1 of 2 TITLE: Public Social Media Policy Department: Administration PURPOSE: This Public Social Media Policy is intended to outline our philosophy and approach to conduct on social media platforms. The information contained in this Policy may be altered or supplemented on an ongoing basis. The Municipality of Rhineland social media accounts are intended to be used as a means for Council and Administration to provide information to the public and engage in open discussion in a manner that extends our vision statement "The Municipality of Rhineland will be a region with a vibrant, diversified agricultural and industrial economy that promotes sustainable, secure, urban and rural lifestyles, while being mindful of the needs of all residents and of our diverse heritage ." It shall also exemplify our mission statement "The Municipality will lead and serve the community by supporting social and economic development in order to continually improve our quality of life." 1. DISCLAIMER: The opinions and/ or views expressed on social media platforms used by the Municipality of Rhineland represent the thoughts of individuals and online communities and are not solely those of the Municipality of Rhineland Staff and or Council. 2. ADMINISTRATION AND PROCEDURES: a. These social media accounts are maintained and moderated by Municipal personnel in order to ensure that posted comments are constructive and suitable for all readers and respectful of all subscribers. Moderation will take place as required. b. The Municipality of Rhineland will make reasonable efforts to monitor, moderate, and engage with individuals and online communities through our use of social media. c. We will strive to acknowledge comments or queries; however our response times may depend on the volume of posts and personnel available. d. Posted comments must comply with the following considerations : 2 Public Social Media Policy - Administration i. Comments must be civil; inappropriate language will not be tolerated. Posts containing threatening, profane, discriminatory, racist, sexist, offensive, obscene, inflammatory, unlawful or otherwise objectionable statements, language or content will not be responded to by Municipal personnel and will be removed wherever possible. ii. Advertising or promotional announcements are not permitted. Posts deemed as spam and/ or explicit commercial endorsements will be removed. iii. Comments and/ or replies cannot serve electoral campaigns or any other political purposes. Political messages will not be published, and posts made by others will be removed. iv. Comments may not contain links to other third-party websites, social media pages, etc. v. The Municipality of Rhineland reserves the right to block users at our sole discretion if their online conduct is deemed inappropriate. Posts may also be reported to the appropriate Law enforcement Agency if deemed to be of a violent, threatening or inappropriate manner. Examples of this type of behaviour include, but are not limited to, posts or comments that may be abusive or insulting, inaccurate, promotional, spam, and/ or irrelevant. vi. We recognize that questioning and differing opinions are part of the conversation; however, posts with personal attacks or references to the personality of individuals will be removed wherever possible. vii. Individuals or groups should not contact us through social media accounts to report suspicious activity, inform us of a crime taking place, or report a crime after it has occurred. viii. Comments or questions should be within the scope of the topic under discussion. General questions and inquiries are most quickly responded to by calling the Municipal office at 204-324-5357. ix. Comments do not represent any individual other than the one posting the comment. x. Individuals are responsible for what they post. Comments must not breach any law, confidentiality, or copyright. Anyone posting comments contrary to this Policy may be prohibited from future participation and the offending comments will be deleted. xi. To protect our privacy and the privacy of others, do not include any personal information on our Facebook page, or in any online comments directed to us. The Municipality of Rhineland is not responsible for the use and/ or misuse of any personal information posted on our profile page by an individual or group. e. If you wish to contact the Municipality to request information, compliment an employee, or file a complaint, please visit our official website www.rmofrhineland.com or call our C.A.O. at 204-324-5357 or email [email protected]. 3. REVISIONS: Council may, in consultation with the Policy Committee and by resolution, amend this Policy.