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POLICY & PROCEDURE MANUAL
SECTION
ADMINISTRATION
POLICY
NUMBER
2-3-10
SUB-SECTION
Communications
EFFECTIVE
DATE
Sept. 13, 2012
SUBJECT
Social Media Policy
AUTHORITY
General Government Services - August 27, 2012
Council Motion #22 - September 13, 2012
PURPOSE
This policy is to establish criteria for the personal and professional use of social media. All
Dufferin County sponsored social media websites will be used in a professional manner
and will be consistent, and secure. This policy outlines how social media websites will be
created, maintained and retired by Dufferin County staff.
SCOPE
This policy applies to all forms of internet based technologies for interactive dialogue
(social media), including, by way of example only, online communities such as Facebook,
YouTube, Twitter, etc.
This policy applies to all departments within Dufferin County.
DEFINITIONS
"Communications Team" is a cross-functional team with representatives from key
departments who manage the social media communications for the Corporation. The
Corporate Services Department takes the lead on this team.
"Social Media" is an online service that focuses on building and reflecting of social
relations among people who share interests and/or activities.
A social media website is an online service with a specific address (ie.
http://facebook.com/dufferincounty) that provides relevant information, news, and/or
announcements regarding a specific activity or interest. (I.E. Emergency Management,
waste management etc.).
SUBJECT
Social Media Policy
POLICY
NUMBER
2-3-10
IMPLEMENTATION PROCEDURE
Creation
Employees authorized by their Department Head may create (i.e. set-up) online social
media sites (i.e. web pages) for the Corporation and create, generate, upload and manage
content confined to the approved sites. Before creating an online social media site,
employees shall first complete the Social Media Usage Checklist attached and submit a
completed copy to the Director of Corporate Services for approval of the account and for
review by the Communications Team and for the account to be included in the online
Social Media page on the Dufferin County Corporate web site.
Access must be available at all times to the Corporate Services Department and
Information Technology (I.T.) staff for reasons of support, maintenance and decommission
of the site when it is no longer deemed required or of service to the County.
When establishing the Social Media site and during maintenance of the Social Media site,
the department/individual in charge shall:
- With the assistance of the Communications Team, establish the Social Media
Account using their County e-mail address created and maintained by I.T.
- Include an introductory statement that clearly specifies the purpose and topical
scope of the Social Media presence.
- Where possible, Social Media Accounts should link back to the Corporate County
website for the purpose of downloading any forms, documents and other
information.
- Enable features for public comments, if such capability exists, and comply with and
enforce the posted Terms of Use Agreement with the site or service.
- Maintain compliance with all applicable policies and procedures.
- Include the 'Facebook Terms of Use' on all Facebook accounts
Use
The Corporation's approved social media sites shall only be used for the purposes of
furthering the County's interests in a manner that protects the County's reputation.
Without limitation, any and all content uploaded to any corporate online social media
resources shall at all times be consistent with the County's mission and values. It should
be understood that online resources are not private; information posted on such resources
is public.
Personal Use of Social Media Outside of the Workplace
Employees that post comments on social media sites are prohibited from disseminating
any organizational information therein, such as internal deliberations about how decisions
are made, or any negative comments regarding Dufferin County. Posts involving the
following will not be tolerated and will subject the individual to discipline:
SUBJECT
Social Media Policy
POLICY
NUMBER
2-3-10
- Content which violates the Criminal Code of Canada or the Ontario Human Rights
Code
- Proprietary and confidential County information
- Discriminatory statements or sexual innuendos involving Dufferin County or any of
its employees, managers, customers and vendors;
- Threatening, derogatory or defamatory statements regarding the County, its
employees, volunteers, customers, competitors or vendors;
- Content which violates any of Dufferin County's policies.
- Employees are expected to conduct themselves professionally both on- and off-
duty. Where a staff member publicly associates him or herself with the County, all
materials associated with his or her page may reflect upon the County.
Inappropriate comments, photographs, links, etc. must be avoided. Staff members
must receive express permission to reprint the Dufferin County logo or represent
views on behalf of Dufferin County.
No Expectation of Privacy
- Dufferin County employees should not expect confidentiality or privacy in relation to
their online activities as they pertain to Dufferin County.
- The traditional legal view is that posting content on social media sites about an
employer is considered a publication and not private activity.
- Employees will be personally responsible for the content they publish online as it
relates to Dufferin County.
Maintenance
Corporate social media resources shall be maintained so as to protect the interests of the
Corporation.
The ability for third parties to "post" comments or information to the site shall be, where
possible, enabled unless enabling the "posting" feature runs contrary to the intent of the
social media site.
Social Media sites shall be maintained appropriately to ensure that responses to the public
are done in a timely manner and in accordance with our Terms of Use documents.
Responses to comments shall be based on the Dufferin County Social Media Response
Chart.
Decommissioning
When a social media site is deemed to no longer meet the needs of the Corporation it
shall be decommissioned, retired and shut down by the maintaining staff or by the IT staff
as required.
SUBJECT
Social Media Policy
POLICY
NUMBER
2-3-10
A site may be decommissioned for any/all and not limited to the following reasons:
- The site is no longer required (ie: sites specific to an event, date, group or program
that no longer exists)
- The site is not regularly used or maintained. (ie: site has not been updated with
pertinent information for a period of at least three (3) months.)
- The site no longer reflects the mission, values or culture of the Corporation.
Disclaimer
Where possible, each social media site shall contain a disclaimer clearly advising third
party users or visitors to the site that third party comments are not official communications
of the Corporation of the County of Dufferin.
The following disclaimer shall be added to each of the Corporation's social media sites:
"Comments made by members of the public are not official communications of The
Corporation of County of Dufferin and are owned by the contributing commenter. These
comments are not reflective of the Corporation's views, opinions and/or policies."
Applicable Policies
Use of personal social media may not conflict with any of Dufferin's existing policies
whatsoever. This includes, but is not limited to, the Code of Conduct, and Communication
Acceptable Usage Policy.
ATTACHMENT
Social Media Usage Checklist
Waiver/Consent Release Form
Dufferin County Facebook Terms of Use
Dufferin County Twitter Terms of Use
Dufferin County Youtube Terms of Use
Dufferin County Response Chart
SUBJECT
Social Media Policy
POLICY
NUMBER
2-3-10
Social Media Usage Form
Please complete the appropriate sections of this form and email it to IT Service Desk. This
form must be filled Prior to creating a new Social Media site/account, please answer the
following questions
Questions
Comments/Actions
Have you been granted approval to create this
site/account by Senior Management?
What social media technology do you wish to
use and does it meet the goals you are trying to
achieve?
What are your communication objectives? Are
they different from information posted to other
Corporate websites?
Can this information be supplied by an existing
social media account? If no, why not?
Who is your target audience? Do they regularly
use this medium?
How are you going to evaluate the effectiveness
of your social media tool?
What will happen at completion of the event or
need for the site?
Who will maintain the record of material posted
to the site and comments from participants?
Who will monitor the site? Who will take care
of the site during vacation, leave of absence,
etc.?
Form Completed By: __________________________________________
When you have finished filling out this form, please click the
"Submit by Email" button. This form will be sent to the IT
Service Desk
(This will be a PDF Form to be filled out online)
SUBJECT
Social Media Policy
POLICY
NUMBER
2-3-10
County of Dufferin
55 Zina Street, Orangeville, L9W 1E5
Tel: 519.941.2816
Fax: 519.941.4565
Website: dufferincounty.on.ca
Waiver/Consent Release Form
I (please print name)
give permission to the County of Dufferin to take and use photographs, videos and/or audio
recordings, without restriction as to changes or alterations, for the sole purposes of marketing,
advertising, promotion and/or any other lawful media purposes of me, my presentation and/or of
this event held on
at
The primary inclusion of the above mentioned material will be in the County's publications,
submissions to local print publications and/or for posting on the County of Dufferin website and
other County of Dufferin social media sites including, but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr
and YouTube.
I hereby release the County of Dufferin and its employees, and/or volunteers from all claims
resulting from the use, editing and release of any of the above mentioned audio/video material with
respect to this .
Authorization and Release Form
I am at least 18 years of age, and I consent to this authorization and release. If under 18, consent
must be given by parent and/or guardian and form must be signed by parent and/or guardian.
Signature:
Address:
(optional)
Contact number:
Date:
(optional)
I am the parent and/or guardian of (please print name)
and I have read and consent to this authorization and release.
Parent and/or Guardian Signature:
Personal information on this form will be used for the purposes of obtaining authorization for use of photographs,
videos and/or audio recordings and is collected in accordance with Section 29 (2) of the Municipal Freedom of
Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.M.56, as amended. Questions about this collection should
be directed to the Clerk (519) 941-2816 Ext. 2503 or [email protected] .
SUBJECT
Social Media Policy
POLICY
NUMBER
2-3-10
Dufferin County Facebook Terms of Use
Introduction
Facebook is a social networking platform which allows users to share news and information,
photos, video, and also allows public and private communication between its users.
With the exception of private messages exchanged between users, all messages (or 'wall posts')
are public and visible to all for review, comment and sharing.
Availability
Dufferin County updates and monitors its Facebook pages during office hours, 8:30am - 4:30pm
Monday to Friday. This does not prevent departments who's staff are available after normal
business hours such as the Museum from updating after hours and on weekends. i.e. Museum.
Facebook may occasionally be unavailable and we accept no responsibility for lack of service due
to Facebook downtime.
'Liking' pages
Dufferin County does not automatically 'like' organizations or individuals who like it.
The County may 'like' relevant organizations including government agencies, organizations in the
Health sector and other parties where there is a clear link in communicating and receiving
information. Being 'liked' by the department does not imply endorsement of any kind.
Privacy
Dufferin County does not capture or record the contact details of parties following its Facebook
accounts. Any information identified or deemed confidential or private is treated in accordance with
Dufferin County's Policy and Facebook's Privacy Policy.
Replies to comments and messages
Dufferin County welcomes feedback and ideas from its followers.
Each account reads all comments and private messages and ensures that any emerging themes
or helpful suggestions are forwarded to the relevant people in the department.
Where the department is not able to reply individually to messages/comments received via
Facebook and where common topics and requests exist, Dufferin County may issue a general
notification to all parties. The usual ways of contacting the department for official correspondence
are detailed in the Contact Us section of the Dufferin County website.
Posting and Comment Policy
Dufferin County reserves the right to remove inappropriate posts and comments from its wall.
Inappropriate posts and comments can consist of spam, vulgar language, solicitations and other
inappropriate content as decided by Dufferin County. In the case that an inappropriate comment
is made, Dufferin County will remove the post and send a message to the user with an explanation
of why their post was inappropriate. If the user continues to post inappropriate material, Dufferin
County reserves the right to ban the user from the corresponding page.
SUBJECT
Social Media Policy
POLICY
NUMBER
2-3-10
Dufferin County Twitter Terms of Use
Introduction
Twitter is a 'microblogging' platform which allows users to post and exchange short messages (up
to 140 characters in length) and converse publicly with other users via a mobile phone or web
browser. Twitter allows users to share links to online information, publish photographs and share
other media such as video. With the exception of direct messages exchanged between users, all
messages (or 'tweets') are public and visible to all for review, comment and sharing.
Availability
Dufferin County updates and monitors its Twitter accounts during office hours, 8:30am - 4:30pm
Monday to Friday. This does not prevent departments who's staff are available after normal
business hours such as the Museum from updating after hours and on weekends. i.e. Museum.
Twitter may occasionally be unavailable and we accept no responsibility for lack of service due to
Twitter downtime.
Following
Dufferin County does not automatically follow organizations or individuals who follow it.
The County may follow relevant organizations including government agencies, organizations in the
Health sector and other parties where there is a clear link in communicating and receiving
information. The department will generally not follow individuals unless they are known in a
professional capacity and satisfy the business rule above. Being followed by the department does
not imply endorsement of any kind.
Unfollowing
As part of account maintenance and monitoring, the County shall regularly review accounts it is
following. This may result in unfollowing accounts.
Lists
In the interest of organizing our followers into meaningful categories and providing the public with
useful industry and topic information, the department may create publicly viewable lists of
organizations following its twitter accounts. Inclusion on lists does not imply endorsement of any
kind. Should an organization not wish to be included on a list created by the department, it may
request to be removed from the list by sending a direct message to the relevant department twitter
account.
Privacy
Dufferin County does not capture or record the contact details of parties following its Twitter
accounts. Any information identified or deemed confidential or private is treated in accordance with
Dufferin County's Policy and Twitter's Privacy Policy.
@Replies and Direct Messages
Dufferin County welcomes feedback and ideas from its followers. Each account reads all @replies
and Direct Messages and ensures that any emerging themes or helpful suggestions are forwarded
to the relevant people in the department. Where the department is not able to reply individually to
messages received via Twitter and where common topics and requests exist, Dufferin County may
issue a general notification to all parties. The usual ways of contacting the department for official
correspondence are detailed in the "Contact Us" section of the Dufferin County website.
SUBJECT
Social Media Policy
POLICY
NUMBER
2-3-10
Hashtags (#)
It is a convention among Twitter users to distinguish content using semantic tags (keywords),
preceded by a # sign. This enables users to search and filter information based on keywords and
share information more meaningfully. Hashtags also allow users to quickly identify 'trending' topics
(as displayed on the Twitter.com homepage).
Re-tweeting
The department actively seeks opportunities to re-tweet content that contributes to the
dissemination and exchange of useful information about Dufferin County and related topics.
SUBJECT
Social Media Policy
POLICY
NUMBER
2-3-10
Dufferin County Youtube Terms of Use
Introduction
Youtube is a video-sharing platform, which allows users to upload, view and share videos.
The website uses Adobe Flash Video and HTML5 technology to display a wide variety of user
generated video content, which includes movie clips, tv clips, music videos and amateur content,
such as video blogging and short original videos.
Availability
Dufferin County updates and monitors its Youtube pages during office hours, 8:30am - 4:30pm
Monday to Friday. This does not prevent departments who's staff are available after normal
business hours such as the Museum from updating after hours and on weekends. i.e. Museum.
Youtube may occasionally be unavailable and we accept no responsibility for lack of service due to
Youtube downtime.
Privacy
Dufferin County does not capture or record the contact details of parties following its Youtube
accounts. Any information identified or deemed confidential or private is treated in accordance with
Dufferin County's Policy and Youtube's Privacy Policy.
Replies to comments and messages
Dufferin County welcomes feedback and ideas from its followers.
Each account reads all comments and ensures that any emerging themes or helpful suggestions
are forwarded to the relevant people in the department.
Where the department is not able to reply individually to messages/comments received via
Facebook and where common topics and requests exist, Dufferin County may issue a general
notification to all parties. The usual ways of contacting the department for official correspondence
are detailed in the Contact Us section of the Dufferin County website.
Posting and Comment Policy
Dufferin County reserves the right to remove inappropriate comments on videos posted.
Inappropriate comments can consist of spam, vulgar language, solicitations and other
inappropriate content as decided by Dufferin County. In the case that an inappropriate comment
is made, Dufferin County will remove the post and send a message to the user with an explanation
of why their post was inappropriate. If the user continues to post inappropriate material, Dufferin
County reserves the right to ban the user from the corresponding page.