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SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
1.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to establish the Social Media guidelines and standards
surrounding official Township accounts and the personal use of Social Media by
Township representatives and staff so that expectations and protocol can be
enforced, whilst enhancing communication and information exchange among
O'Connor stakeholders, streamlining processes and fostering productivity with
Township employees.
This policy is to establish guidelines for the use of Social Media so that the
disbursement of timely and accurate information is balanced with the need to
ensure that:
1.1
The use of Social Media tools does not compromise public safety
and/or the Township's image.
1.2
The information provided through Social Media is in line with the
Township's vision and guiding principles.
1.3
The Social Media content does not violate individual privacy or
conflict with existing municipal policies and by-laws or other
regulations as applicable.
1.4
The Social Media content posted on behalf of the Township is
accurate, accessible, transparent, and accountable.
1.5
Social Media pages clearly indicate that they are maintained by the
Township of O'Connor and shall have the township logo, contact
information, and information directing them to the township website
clearly displayed.
2.
POLICY STATEMENT
The Township of O'Connor is committed to excellence in municipal
management with a focus on accountability, transparency, communication,
and customer service. The Township recognizes that Social Media
applications are widely being utilized as communication tools with the
potential to provide the public with timely information. The Township is
committed to disbursing media information in approved formats to reach a
variety of stakeholders.
3.
DEFINITIONS:
"DESIGNATE" - The dedicated staff member(s) authorized to operate and manage
the Township's Social Media sites and platforms.
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"PERSONAL USE" - The personal use of any Social Media account, site or
platform used by any one Township Representative of the Corporation of the
Township of O'Connor.
"POST" - Content an individual shares on a Social Media site/platform or the act of
publishing content on a site/platform.
"PROFILE" - Information that an individual provides about his or herself on a social
networking site.
"SOCIAL MEDIA" - A category of Internet-based resources that enable the user to
generate content and encourage other user participation. This includes, but is not
limited to, social networking sites and platforms such as Facebook, Instagram,
Twitter, Reddit, LinkedIn, Snapchat, YouTube, Pinterest, Wikipedia, Google Plus or
blogs.
"TOWNSHIP REPRESENTATIVE" - Any paid officers or employees of the
Corporation of the Township of O'Connor, including all members of Council,
Committees or Boards and Volunteers.
"HASHTAG" - A Social Media tool to allow Social Media users to engage an
individual, business or entity with a social profile when they mention them in a
post or comment. Social networks use hashtags to categorize information and
make it easily searchable for users. In Facebook and Instagram, tagging notifies
the recipient and hyperlinks to the tagged profile.
"TOWNSHIP ACCOUNT" or "TOWNSHIP USE" - An approved account or activity
on any Social Media site/platform that is owned, operated, and/or maintained by the
Township of O'Connor.
4.
SCOPE
The Township of O'Connor's Social Media Sites/Platforms are coordinated through
the Clerk-Treasurer and/or designate by the Clerk-Treasurer. As trends and
corporate communication goals change, the Township of O'Connor's Social Media
Sites/Platforms may be expanded or condensed. Any addition or removal of
Sites/Platforms will occur only under the direction of the Clerk-Treasurer. The intent
is to promote relevant information found on the Township's website, directing
followers whenever possible back to the Township's website contact information.
The scope for the Township's use of Social Media is to:
4.1
Increase awareness of Municipal Services,
4.2
Augment existing corporate communication methods and processes
in a cost-effective manner,
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4.3
Provide an additional mechanism through which the Township keeps
abreast of customer comments and perceptions regarding the
Township,
4.4
Disseminate time sensitive information quickly,
4.5
Correct misinformation, remedy mistakes or alter services to build
stronger relationships,
4.6
Develop trust and humanize the Township,
4.7
Utilize Social Media analytical tools to help monitor, track and
evaluate the Township's communications and marketing efforts,
4.8
Provide another method by which stakeholders can engage with the
Township,
4.9
Provide an additional method of collaborating with the public and
other municipalities on mutually beneficial programs and initiatives.
5.
GUIDELINES
This policy applies to all Township of O'Connor Representatives and
includes personal Social Media accounts related to an individual's position or role
with the Township.
These guidelines are to make sure that corporate and/or personal social media
accounts are operated in a dignified and respectful manner protecting the
township's reputation and public image. The Township of O'Connor
Representatives will:
5.1
Comply with all current legislation, as well as the Ontario Public
Service Social Media Guidelines and Freedom of Information Act.
5.2
Ensure that all Social Media sites/platforms operated by Township
Representatives adhere to the appropriate Township of O'Connor
Code of Conduct.
5.3
Use of the Corporate Social Media Accounts is for corporate
messaging only and shall be factual and unbiased. It will be managed
by the Clerk-Treasurer and/or the Social Media Designate in
accordance with the Social Media Policy as defined in Appendix B of
the Social Media Policy Document. Corporate Social Media accounts
are not to be used by individual Township Representatives.
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5.4
Comply with the Township of O'Connor Complaint Policy stating that
any complaints are dealt with and responded to by the Clerk-
Treasurer.
5.5
Forward any posts requiring a political response on behalf of the
Township of O'Connor to the Clerk-Treasurer where an appropriate
response can be drafted in accordance with the Social Media
Response Chart (Appendix E) of the Social Media Policy Document.
5.6
If the Township's Corporate Social Media Accounts are "tagged" or
mentioned in a Social Media post or comment, the Social Media
Designate in responding, will follow the process identified in the
Social Media Response Chart (Appendix E) or forward to the
Township Clerk-Treasurer if deemed necessary.
5.7
Emergency situations requiring the mobilization of the Township of
O'Connor Emergency Plan will follow the protocol defined in the
Emergency Plan. Emergency information will be developed,
approved, and released by the Mayor (or Alternate) as listed in the
Township of O'Connor Emergency Plan.
6.
RESPONSIBLITIES
Every Township Representative has a responsibility to conduct themselves
in a professional manner that reflects well on the Township of O'Connor as
any Social Media accounts, whether personal or professional, may be
perceived as representing the Township.
6.1 PERSONAL SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS OPERATED BY TOWNSHIP
REPRESENTATIVES:
➢ Shall not be accessed or operated during working hours or meetings
unless they are on a designated break or lunch period.
➢ Shall acknowledge that such accounts are not Township Accounts,
and as such they shall refrain from the use of the Township logo,
crest, or any other Corporate insignia or image.
➢ Shall not link or post the Township's email address or other
professional contact information.
➢ Shall not discuss or disclose information about the Township,
Township Representatives, or third-party service providers or
contractors that is not available to the public.
➢ Shall strictly comply with all policies and procedures, of the
Township of O'Connor, that may apply to content shared or posted
to Social Media Sites/Platforms. Such policies and procedures may
include, but are not limited to, the Township's Code of Conduct for
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Employees, Code of Conduct for Council, policies regarding
confidential information, the protection of privacy, and/or workplace
harassment or violence.
➢ Shall make clear that their views are their own and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the Township, particularly when
posting or commenting on any political party or candidate,
business, product, or cause.
➢ Shall not disparage or malign any Township Representative, whether
expressly personal or professional.
➢ Shall ensure that all information circulated is accurate and current.
Township Representatives who wish to share information on personal
accounts regarding Township and Council activities, including
meetings of Council or Committees/Boards, should direct members
or followers to the Township website or Township Accounts where
such information is posted.
6.2
CLERK-TREASURER AND/OR SOCIAL MEDIA DESIGNATE:
➢ Shall exercise due diligence when they are posting information to the
Township Social Media Sites/Platforms to protect the Township's
reputation and public image.
➢ Shall ensure all posts are presented in a professional manner, thus
eliminating all potential risks to prevent or reduce legal liability.
➢ Shall maintain that all content posted on the Township Social Media
Sites/Platforms is timely, professional, relevant, accurate, and aligned
with Township policies and respect privacy legislation.
➢ Shall post content on a regular basis to ensure current and up-to-date
information and some content designed to invite feedback as a key
component of Social Media public engagement.
➢ Shall respond in a timely manner to comments of a sensitive or
contentious manner to mitigate risk to the Township. Refer to the
Township Complaint Policy and Social Media Response Chart
(Appendix E) for a guideline on how a response should be
administered.
➢ Shall maintain approved Corporate accounts on approved Social
Media Sites/Platforms as outlined in Appendix A.
➢ Shall remove all Social Media accounts that are no longer required
and/or can no longer be maintained.
➢ Shall post the following in a manner appropriate to each Social Media
account and site/platform;
i.
Identification as a Municipal Social Media Site, including the
Township name, address and logo
ii.
A link to the Township website and Social Media disclaimer as
provided in Appendix D.
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➢ Shall be permitted to post the following pending all other policies and
regulations are met, including but not limited to those listed in this
policy:
i.
Municipal sponsored events and activities
ii.
Municipal services
iii.
Public Health and Safety (i.e. road closures, inclement
weather, etc.)
iv.
Emergency Services
v.
Community events and/or community group events, which are
open to the public and where membership is not required to
participate in the event
vi.
Public Service Announcements from other government
agencies
vii.
Recognition of local achievements (i.e. business awards)
➢ Shall remove any posts or content on Township Social Media
sites/platforms for reasons including, but not limited to:
i.
Profane language or content
ii.
Commercial endorsement or solicitation, which includes
showing preference of one product or service over another,
request for products, services or assets for personal gain or
use
iii.
Personal attacks or threats on individuals, groups, or ideas
iv.
Content that violates another person/party's copyright,
trademark and/or intellectual property rights
v.
Content that promotes, fosters or perpetuates discrimination
on the basis of race, creed, colour, age, religion, gender,
marital status, status with regard to public assistance,
national origin, physical or mental disability, or sexual
orientation.
vi.
Confidential information pertaining to the Township or
personal information about members of the public, Municipal
staff and elected officials
vii.
Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity
viii.
Derogatory attacks on Municipal Council, its members and
other levels of government
ix.
Derogatory comments or opinions about Municipal employees
and Municipal services
x.
Political campaigning by politicians, individuals running for
election or individuals/groups supporting or opposing a specific
political candidate or party
xi.
Commercial endorsement or solicitation including content that
is commercial in nature and that attempts to endorse,
advertise or sell the products or services of an individual,
business or organization
➢ Advise repeat offenders that they are in violation of the approved
policies and procedures for Social Media Rules for Participation
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(Appendix D) and immediately remove them from all Municipal Social
Media sites and platforms.
➢ Advise all staff that any breach of this policy could be cause for
disciplinary action based on the actions of those involved.
7.
COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN TOWNSHIP REPRESENTATIVES
Communications between the Township's Representatives regarding
township business, shall take place in person, by telephone, or through
approved email accounts. They should not occur via Social Media or any
other online forum.
8.
RECORDS MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENT
Posts/user comments that are the original records of the Township's
business activities, rights, obligations, or responsibilities, such as
responses to public consultations as part of Municipal studies are deemed
to be official records. Posts/user content deemed to be official records
must:
- Be retained and purged according to the Township's Records
Retention By-law.
- Comply with the appropriate sections of the Municipal Freedom of
Information & Protection of Privacy Act.
Posts/user content which is considered to be a Transitory Record of the
Township, such as a post by a Designated Communicator promoting an
event that is advertised elsewhere, or a post by a member of the public
commenting on Municipal services is not required to be retained and
therefore may be purged from social media sites.
Cautionary Note:
Even after being deleted/purged, copies of posts/user content may remain
viewable in cached and archived pages or in other users stored content
and therefore, may be susceptible to disclosure requirements under
applicable privacy laws and under rules of discovery for litigation.
9.
REVIEW:
This policy shall be reviewed by Council, at least annually, or as required to
ascertain if any amendments are necessary.
10.
DOCUMENTS AND RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THIS POLICY:
➢ 2.9 - POLICY FOR EMPLOYEE CODE OF CONDUCT
➢ 3.9 - MUNICIPAL COUNCIL AND EMPLOYEE INDEMNIFICATION
(Schedule A - By-law 2007-14)
➢ 3.10 - WORKPLACE HARASSMENT/VIOLENCE POLICY
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➢ 3.14 - ANTI-STIGMA POLICY
➢ 3.17 - CODE OF CONDUCT FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS
➢ 4.16 - ACCESSIBILITY POLICY
➢ 4.17 - ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY (By-law 2007-20)
➢ 4.21 - COMPLAINT POLICY
➢ 5.1 - FIRE DEPARTMENT POLICY
➢ By-laws relating to Committees established by the Township of O'Connor;
Road Maintenance Standards, and any other by-laws or policies that
reference acceptable behaviours and/or set out standards.
➢ FREEDOM OF INFORMATION & PRIVACY PROTECTION ACT
➢ OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY ACT WITH REGULATIONS FOR
ONTARIO
➢ ONTARIO PUBLIC SERVICE SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES
➢ WORKPLACE SAFETY AND INSURANCE ACT
➢ MINISTRY OF LABOUR
➢ MUNICIPAL ACT
➢ CRIMINAL CODE OF CANADA
EFFECTIVE DATE: This policy shall come into effect as of Monday, September
14, 2020.
Reference: Resolution #5, September 14, 2020
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Appendix "A"
Approved Social Media Sites/Platforms
1. Facebook
2. Instagram
3. Twitter
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Appendix "B"
Designated Communicators
for Corporate Social Media Accounts
Site/Platform
Designated Communicator
Facebook
Clerk-Treasurer (or Social Media
designate),
Instagram
Clerk-Treasurer (or Social Media
designate),
Twitter
Clerk-Treasurer (or Social Media
designate).
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Appendix "C"
Social Media Guidelines for Staff
The Township of O'Connor's Code of Conduct policies and corporate values are
the foundation for these principles and guidelines.
Maintain confidentiality
Do not post information that you would not present in a public forum (ie.
information obtained in closed meetings).
Maintain privacy
Do not post private or confidential information about Councillors, Municipal
employees or constituents. Do not discuss situations involving names, pictures or
otherwise identifiable individuals without their record of permission in writing or
text.
Refer customer service questions to the Township's official channels
If you are asked a question about Municipal operations (office hours, disposal
site hours, tax due dates, etc.) you may not have all the answers. Please refer
people to the Township's website (www.oconnortownship.ca), phone or email.
Give credit where credit is due
Be authentic. Write as an extension of your own voice. When you re-post
something written by someone else, first ensure you have the proper permissions
to do so. Clearly state that the material, letter, response, etc., has been authored
by someone else. Do not use the copyrights, trademarks, publicity rights or other
rights of others without the necessary permissions of the right holder(s).
More isn't more
Resist the urge to post everything. Refrain from cutting and pasting emails from
staff or constituents into posts without clear context and permissions. These
messages are written for a specific audience, for a specific purpose, that is
probably different from your own. You could be doing your readers a disservice
by sharing information without context. Take the time to interpret the contents
and re-present them based on your audience and its needs.
Provide information when it counts
Should you decide to engage in social media, know that monitoring and
responding in a timely way are crucial. Social media participants expect timely
responses to requests and expect co-participants to monitor social media
properties frequently and regularly.
When in doubt do not post
All Township Representatives have an obligation to ensure their posts are
accurate and not misleading, and that they do not reveal confidential information.
Know the Internet is permanent
Once information is published online, it becomes part of a permanent record. It is
a good practice to provide a link to an online space where your thought or
message can be expressed completely and accurately if it, along with its context,
cannot fit within a character-restricted space (such as Twitter).
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Social media needs maintenance. If you start it, commit to it
Be dynamic: update news feeds, post developments, upload new pictures. Social
media participants are savvy; if your online property appears static, it is likely to
quickly fall into disuse.
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Appendix "D"
Rules of Participation and Disclaimer
Disclaimer Example:
We welcome your participation on this (Social Media Site/Platform) page.
Responses to questions and comments to this page will be dealt with during
regular business hours. Comments outside of business hours will be reviewed
the following business day. This is the official (Social Media Site/Platform) page
for the Township of O'Connor. This page is NOT intended to report emergencies.
If you have an emergency requiring Police, Fire Department or Emergency
Medical Services, please call 9-1-1.
For non-emergency complaints, please call the Township Office during regular
business hours or email the office at [email protected]. This page is
intended to serve as a social media outlet for the Township of O'Connor in
matters relating to public safety. Information on road closures, health hazards,
large emergencies and other similar incidents will be posted along with updates
as time allows. Every effort will be made to keep the information up to date,
however in the event of an emergency, users are encouraged to look for formal
media releases through local and regional emergency response agencies.
This (Social Media Site/Platform) page is intended to enhance our
communication - not to replace normal Municipal business processes. If you
would like to request a Municipal service or have a specific question, please
contact the Township Office at 807-476-1451, send an email to
[email protected] or visit the Township website at www.oconnortownship.ca.
Rules of Participation
You are welcome to post respectful comments on our wall.
The Township reserves the right to remove any posts or content on Municipal
social media for reasons, including but not limited to:
- Profane language or content
- Commercial endorsement or solicitation, which includes showing preference of
one product or service over another, request for products, services or assets for
personal gain or use
- Personal attacks on individuals, groups, or ideas
- Content that violates another person/party's copyright, trademark and/or
intellectual property rights
- Content that promotes, fosters or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of
race, creed, colour, age, religion, gender, marital status, status with regard to
public assistance, national origin, physical or mental disability, or sexual
orientation
- Confidential information pertaining to the Township or personal information
about members of the public, Municipal staff or elected officials
- Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity
- Derogatory attacks on municipal Council, its members and other levels of
government
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- Derogatory comments or opinions about Municipal employees and Municipal
services
- Political campaigning by politicians, individuals running for election or
individuals/groups supporting or opposing a specific political candidate or party.
Notwithstanding the criteria listed above, the Township reserves the right to post,
refuse to post or remove, any content from its (Social Media Site/Platform) page
at any time, without notice and to block repeat offenders. The overall goal is to
ensure that all parties participate online in a respectful, relevant way.
You are responsible for your own privacy.
The Township would like to remind you that if you do not have your privacy
settings restricted, then anyone who "follows" our account could potentially view
your personal information. Be sure to get to know the security settings within the
social media you are using.
About your personal information
Personal information, which includes your Internet Provider (IP) address, is being
collected, managed, processed and/or stored by a third-party service provider
and is therefore, not in the sole domain, custody and control of the Township of
O'Connor. Additionally, your personal information may cross the border to a
foreign jurisdiction and will therefore, be subject to the governing laws of that
jurisdiction.
The Township of O'Connor will post topics and updates on Municipal activities
and, from time to time, will ask for your feedback. This information will be
monitored, reported back to staff and sometimes Council. We look forward to
hearing from you.
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Appendix "E"
Social Media Response Chart