hunter s hill council policy register social media policy€¦ · weblogs, including personal blogs...

HUNTER’S HILL COUNCIL POLICY REGISTER

Social Media Policy

COMM-POL.05 Document ID 195156 Adopted 25/11/2013 1 | P a g e

SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance to employees on acceptable ways

to use social media for council business.

SCOPE

The Policy has effect in all situations where staff and the community use social media

as a means of communication.

Hunter’s Hill Council embraces social media as an important tool of corporate,

community and business engagement. The Council also recognises the need to

have a policy which ensures that employees, who use social media as part of their

job, have guidance as to the organisation’s expectations. In particular, guidance

where employee’s social media engagements/comments are about the Council, its

business units and services, its people, its councillors and/or other business related

individuals or organisations.

This policy applies to all council employees (including permanent, temporary and

casual employees as well as volunteers and contractors to council) that make use of

social media:

In a work related capacity.

When reference is made on behalf of council or representing the Council; or

in a personal capacity where the employee chooses to make references to

Hunter’s Hill Council, its people, customers or business related individuals or

organisations.

DEFINITIONS

Content author For the purposes of this policy, is a council employee whose

work duties include the use of or engagement with social media

for work-related purposes.

Record Letters, comments, reports, documents, attachments, tapes,

emails, video and audio recordings, graphics, slide

presentations online content and other forms of information,

including computer based information created or received.

Facebook Facebook is a social networking service and website. Users must

register before using the site, after which they may create a

personal profile, add other users as friends, and exchange

messages, including automatic notifications when they update


Social Media Policy


their profile. Additionally, users may join common interest user

groups, organised by workplace, school or college, or other

characteristics, and categorise their friends into lists such as

‘people from work’ or ‘close friends’.

Source: In Wikipedia. Retrieved 21 May, 2012, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook

YouTube YouTube is a video sharing website on which users can upload,

view and share videos.

Source: In Wikipedia. Retrieved 21 May, 2012, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube

Myspace Myspace is a social networking service.

Source: In Wikipedia. Retrieved 21 May 2012, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myspace

Twitter Twitter is an online social networking service and microblogging

service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts

of up to 140 characters, known as ‘tweets’….unregistered users

can read the tweets, while registered users can post tweets

through the website interface, SMS, or a range of apps for

mobile devices.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter

BEBO BEBO is an acronym for blog early, blog often. The target market

for BEBO is under 25’s. BEBO is very similar to Facebook, but has

faced a significant downturn in popularity in recent years.

Blog A blog is a personal journal published on the World Wide Web

consisting of discrete entries (posts) typically displayed in reverse

chronological order so the most recent post appears first. Blogs

are usually the work of a single individual, occasionally of a

small group, and are often themed on a single subject.


http://en.wikipedia.org/Blog

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myspace

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter

http://en.wikipedia.org/Blog


Social Media Policy


Flickr Flickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web

services suits, and online community. In addition to being a

popular website for users to share and embed personal

photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to host

images that they embed in blogs and social media.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flickr

Social Media Social media includes web-based and mobile based

technologies which are used to turn communication into

interactive dialogue between organisations, communities, and

individuals. Social media technologies take on many different

forms including magazines, Internet forums, weblogs, social

blogs, microblogging, wikis, podcasts, photographs or pictures,

video, rating and social bookmarking.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media

Social Networking Social networking is essentially a social structure, including the

identification of the patterns that make up that structure.

LinkedIn LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 120

million members and growing rapidly. LinkedIn assists in

exchanging knowledge, ideas and opportunities with a

broader network of professionals.

Yammer Yammer is similar to Facebook as a social media tool however

the point of difference is that it is designed for business

collaboration in a private and secure environment. Employees

with access to Yammer can discuss ideas in real time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flickr

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media


Social Media Policy


POLICY STATEMENT

PART 1 POLICY GUIDELINES

1. INTRODUCTION

Social media offers the opportunity for people to gather in online communities of

shared interest and create, share or consume information (content).

This interest also extends to local government, which is recognising that social

media offers new opportunities to engage in conversations with communities

with shared interests.

Hunter’s Hill Council embraces social media as an important tool of corporate,

community and business engagement. Council recognises the need to have a

policy which ensures that employees, who use social media either as part of their

job, have guidance as to the organisation’s expectations. In particular guidance

where employee’s social media engagements are about the Council, its business

units and services, its people, its councillors and/or other business related


2. OBJECTIVES

The key objectives of this Social Media Policy are to:

Build relationships with the community.

Market Hunter’s Hill Council events, activities and services.

Provide residents with an alternative form of receiving information from

Council.

Encourage use of Council’s website.

Allow messages to be communicated in times of crisis management.

3. APPLICATION

This policy applies to all Council employees (including permanent, temporary

and casual employees as well as volunteers and contractors to Council) who

make use of social media:

In a work related capacity via the Hunter’s Hill Council website.

When reference is made on behalf of council or representing the Council;

or

In a personal capacity where the employee chooses to make references

to Hunter’s Hill Council, its people, customers or business related individuals

or organisations in a receiving capacity, i.e. to gather opinions about

what residents think.

Social media tools include:


Social Media Policy


social networking sites e.g., ’Facebook’ and ‘MySpace’

video and photo sharing websites e.g., ‘Flickr’, ‘YouTube’

micro-blogging sites e.g., ‘Twitter’

weblogs, including personal blogs or blogs hosted by traditional media

publications

forums and discussion boards such as “Whirlpool”, Yahoo! Groups or

Google groups

online encyclopaedias such as Wikipedia

any other web sites that allow individual users or companies to use simple

publishing tools.

Social media tools used by Hunter’s Hill Council will be limited to:

Facebook

Twitter

Hunter’s Hill Council Blog

The limitation placed on the number of social media tools used at Hunter’s Hill

Council is directly related to resources and productivity. In its trial period staff

using Council’s social media tools to promote services, events, and engage with

the community, will need to be mindful of the additional time needed to monitor

social networking pages and log time spent.

The benefits to Council:

enable instant publication of Council information

publish key messages to large audiences

promote activities

disseminate information for risk management issues

increase website traffic/use

correct misinformation.

This policy does not apply to personal use of social media when no reference or

inference is made to Council related issues, and where use is not made using

Council resources.

Council employees who are residents, ratepayers or customers of council

services are not precluded from participating in community debate about an

issue that personally affects them. However, they must make it clear that that

they are commenting as a resident/ratepayer, not as a Council employee. It is

important that readers of posts do not misconstrue personal comments as

representing an official council position.

Any comments made in regard to Council or Council operations, that is,

information that has been acquired through your position as a Council employee

should never be shared in a public forum.


Social Media Policy


4. HOUSE RULES

4.1 Know and follow relevant policies including the Code of Conduct.

4.2 Be aware when you mix your work and personal lives – the general public

consider us ‘the voice’ of Council 24/7. Represent us well.

4.3 Be transparent and identify yourself when discussing Council related

topics or issues.

4.4 Consider what you say before you say it. It will be on the web a long time.

4.5 Be original and respect copyright.

4.6 Use discretion. Take care not to publish information that should not be

made public. If you aren’t 100% sure, seek advice. Remember this key rule

‘if you won’t say it to someone’s face – DON’T POST IT’.

4.7 Play fair, be polite, be considerate – don’t pick fights and engage in

them, remember what you say will be public for a long time.

4.8 It’s a conversation, so be human, and make it interesting if you can.

4.9 Admit your mistakes – we all make them so when you do, be quick to

admit and correct them.

4.10 Make sure your personal online activities don’t interfere with your job

performance.

4.11 If it’s official Council communication be dedicated, be constant – get

permission, listen, plan, contribute regularly and keep listening.

5. EMPLOYEE ACCESS

As the web becomes more and more embedded into people’s lives the line

between personal, professional and business use of social media is becoming

blurred. It is recognised that complete blocking of social media sites is not an

effective mechanism for dealing with potential misuse by employees, as it may in

fact present an obstacle to employees undertaking their duties.

As Council’s website hosts Facebook and Twitter capability Council employees

will be able to view, but not comment, on these mediums via their work

computer. The Corporate Strategist/IT Officers will have sole posting capability in

the trial phase. This is to ensure that a consistent message is being projected at all

times.

Council will not prohibit personal use of social media during work time but rather

ensure that the use is not interfering with work productivity. It is not considered

practical to ban work time use, particularly with the significant use of smart

phones. Some organizations also bar all or some staff from using social media

through using firewalls but this is not an effective substitute for sound policy and

effective and realistic management. An alternate approach is to confine use to

lunch time or before or after work.

Group Managers and Managers are responsible for tracking excess use of the

internet and social media usage through existing IT reporting processes. A

monthly report will be tabled at Council’s Senior Management Team Meetings to

ensure usage is monitored.


Social Media Policy


6. HOW TO GO ABOUT SETTING UP A SOCIAL MEDIA FORUM

Hunter’s Hill Council recognises that marketing and public/community relations

are vital components of Council’s core business, which is servicing and engaging

with our community.

Any social media used at Hunter’s Hill Council must be aligned to targeted

communication strategies. Social media will not be used by Hunter’s Hill Council

staff simply because it is ‘a good idea’, or ‘cool’, or something ‘new’. Staff will

need to provide a ‘case’ via a project plan checklist or communication strategy

as to why they believe social media is needed as part of their communication

strategy, i.e. how it will improve the service, increase numbers, improve

productivity and/or reduce costs. Any promotion of Council services and events

should by default have a communication plan.

Approval for the use of social media must be sought with the departmental

manger and then with the Corporate Strategist.

7. ACCOUNT CREATION & MANAGEMENT

Accounts for social media networking take various forms.

Where new accounts are created on behalf of Council, or one of its services, or

under the branding of the Council, Council’s IT staff and Corporate Strategist are

to be notified (and these staff members will in most cases be the developer of

the account).Those Officers will maintain a register of approved accounts across

the Council.

The Corporate Strategist is the content author of the site and Council’s IT

Coordinators are the administrators of the site. Council should be the owner of

the site, unless it is impossible to do so.

Before establishing an account in a social media space on behalf of council, the

content author needs to be clear about what is trying to be achieved. Planning

should include:

Setting goals for activities and initiatives in social media spaces.

Establishing what, how and when the effectiveness of these activities will

be measured, including setting a review date.

Deciding when activities or initiatives will be abandoned if the goals are

not being met.

The primary goal of any Hunter’s Hill Council account is to connect with the local

community. Council’s core business is about the ratepayers of Hunters Hill.

Branding and marketing outside the LGA are secondary to Council’s core

business.


Social Media Policy


8. KEY STEPS TO SOCIAL NETWORKING SUCCESS

It is important that content providers gain an understanding of the culture of

social media. It is not simply another channel in which to publish information or

promote events.

Social media tools should be used within a framework of one or more of the

following:

To complement other communication activities.

As part of a communications plan.

As part of a media strategy.

As part of a community engagement/consultation plan.

As part of a crisis management plan.

Content providers should recognise that different online communities have

different cultures. For instance, what is considered acceptable in “Facebook”

may not be considered acceptable in “Linked In”.

It is essential that the content author (or Managers) who are considering joining a

new social network or online community:

Gain knowledge of how that media works by establishing a personal

account to observe the customs, processes and environment.

Allocate time to learn how the community works and what is considered

acceptable before posting content under the Hunters Hill Council brand.

Understand that applying the nuances of acceptable content in different

online communities is often key to ensuring that Council’s reputation is not

damaged by inappropriate behaviour online.

Actively seek out members of the community and ‘follow’ or ‘friend’ them,

in order to listen to what the community is saying.

Ensure that opt in/out or unsubscribe functionality is available.

It is also important to remember that although social media has been in

operation for a relatively short time (10 years) it is important to use appropriate

grammar (see Style Guide for clarification). Avoid using a lot of jargon. Hunter’s

Hill Council is a professional organisation and should be represented and

respected as such.


Social Media Policy


9. EMPLOYEE CONDUCT

The conduct of employees in their professional capacity, when at work or when

using Council equipment must always comply with council policies and

procedures including Council’s Code of Conduct, Code of Administrative Good

Conduct, Privacy Code of Practice and Human Resources Policies, and other

related policies.

Any comments and contributions made by employees when posting in a private

capacity also fall under Council policy, including the Code of Conduct and

Human Resources Policy, where those comments are made about Hunter’s Hill

Council, its services, its people, its councillors and/or other business related


Inappropriate comments, bullying, harassment or intimidation of other council

employees, contractors, customers or providers will be subject to disciplinary

action.

General principles to be applied in online interactions include:

Being respectful to the individuals and communities with which you

interact online.

Being polite and respectful of other’s opinions, even in times of heated

discussion and debate.

10. PERSONAL USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

In work time

Council supports the use of social media for professional purposes such as

communicating with fellow employees or professional colleagues, acquiring or

sharing information, and use for educational or professional development

activities.

Incidental use of social media during work time is permissible provided use of

equipment and consumption of space on network is kept to a minimum and

does not compromise, pre-empt or impact adversely upon council business.

Such use should not interfere with productivity, effectiveness and legitimate work

activities and the time spent on personal use must be kept to minimum. Excessive

use will not be tolerated.

A content author is an ambassador for the Council. All published material reflects

the Hunter’s Hill Council brand.

A content author is required to:

Be professional.

Be open – share content that is a reflection of council’s official position.

Be impartial – not inflame situations and always respond only to ideas and

information, not personalities.


Social Media Policy

COMM-POL.05 Document ID 195156 Adopted 25/11/2013 10 |

P a g e

Identify themselves and their role - make it very clear who is posting.

11. RISKS

A risk analysis with related mitigation strategies will be undertaken for each newly

planned aspect of social media use. Such analysis will consider things like lack of

followers, blurring of professional and personal communications, online activism

and negative comments, expectation of instant responses, breaches of law or

codes of conduct, unauthorised posts.

The liabilities section of this policy covers off on some specific risks but legal

advice should be sought where appropriate.

In considering how to proceed, Council will give detailed consideration as to:

• The protection of privacy and the confidentiality of Council and

ratepayer information.

• Preventing disclosure of corporate information outside that which is

authorised or publically available.

• How Council’s intellectual property and copyright will be protected.

• The terms of service for nominated social media sites.

• How Council will respond to orchestrated campaigns by skilled social

media users.

• The level of response for issues raised by people outside the

municipality.

• What constitutes a representation as defined under the Local

Government Act (for example a tweet is not a representation).

12. CONTENT

When posting content on any social media forum the content author is required

to:

• Complete training to update their knowledge of emerging social

trends and evolving best practice in social media.

• Ensure that content published is factually accurate and complies with

relevant Council policies.

• Only offer advice, support or comment on topics that you have

knowledge of. For other matters, alert the relevant topic expert, and if

the situation requires a real time response, let the other party know that

the request has reached council for response.

Content will be on a dedicated “Facebook Place”.

The following content is not permitted under any circumstances:

• Material that is inappropriate, obscene, defamatory, threatening,

harassing, discriminatory.

• Material that is bullying to any other person or entity, including council,

its employees, its contractors, its councillors and/or other business

related individuals or organisations.


Social Media Policy


P a g e

• Material that is in any way confidential and not for public release.

• Material that would in any way pose a risk to staff, councillors, and

residents.

• Material that is discriminatory in anyway.

• Material that is of a personal nature.

• Material that would be considered law breaking.

• Material that is a personal opinion of a Council staff member.

Where content is found to be inappropriate the Corporate Strategist should be

contacted to provide further assistance and guidance.

Council reserves the right to remove certain content such as illegal or offensive

materials. Material that is reasonable critical of Council will not be deleted.

Council will always state why the post or content was removed regardless of who

posted.

Legal advice may be sought in some instances.

In terms of what is appropriate content to post it is important to focus on the

following:

• Keep messages short and simple.

• Post information that is relevant and important to the community.

• Use photos to help communicate messages.

• Comply with Council’s Code of Conduct Policy.

• Reinforce Council’s Vales (HEART).

• Use correct spelling,

• Ask questions to help engage users.

13. WHAT/HOW TO RESPOND

13.1 Trolling

Do not respond to trolling – remove it immediately from the page.

Trolling is when posts are inflammatory or off-topic with the main

purpose being to provoke an emotional response to the problem/issue

if appropriate.

13.2 Criticism

If the criticism is constructive or warranted it is important to respond as

quickly as possible. Take immediate action to rectify the problem.

13.3 General comments

Respond within 24 hrs.


Social Media Policy


P a g e

14. PROMOTION OF CONTENT

Content can be promoted via the following methods (but not limited to):

Placing links in all Council media releases.

Placing links to all social media sites on Council’s home page.

Placing links on all social media sites/pages.

Advertising in brochures, newsletters, posters, banners, newspapers, etc.

15. SECURITY

When using Council IT systems or accessing council accounts, IT security policies

shall apply to all social media sites and articles.

Facebook and Twitter accounts will only be held by Council’s IT staff and

Corporate Strategist. Blog access is limited to Managers, Workforce Advisor, IT

and the Corporate Strategist.

16. LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Information added to social media sites by employees of council must comply

with the provisions of the Code of Conduct, uphold confidentiality, privacy and

copyright provisions and not subject Council to legal action. For example, where

council has obtained a photo from a third party the council must ensure that any

copyright or license does not prevent the use of that photo online.

No confidential information or information that is private in nature should be

transmitted or stored online as a result of the use of social media sites. When

working in an official capacity or when representing council, employees must be

assured that permission has been obtained before transferring any information to

a social media site that may be considered private, for example, photographs of

minors or information about ratepayers. If in doubt seek advice from your Group

Manager or the Corporate Strategist.

17. RESIDENT FEEDBACK

Social media is a reciprocal format, and as such it must be acknowledged that

not all feedback is going to be positive, and that constructive criticism is

invaluable in improving services.

If council is going to engage and invite comment then its employees must:

Reserve the right to remove comments that are offensive or defamatory,

however, this does not mean that comments that are critical of the

council or council policies will be removed.

Contribute to the discussion where comments are clearly based on

factual misunderstanding.

It is the responsibility of the content author to monitor and report to a Group

Manager/Manager any inappropriate comments and content.


Social Media Policy


P a g e

Residents need to be aware that any comments made which are intended to

act as a service request will not be processed via social media. Service requests

can only be made by contacting Council by phone, email or in person. This is to

ensure that details are captured accurately.

18. RECORDKEEPING

Records in all formats must be managed in accordance with legislation and

Council’s Records Management Policy (GOV-Pol.01). Records that are created

as a result of using social media must be stored in the approved corporate

system.

When using web based tools, consideration should be given to:

Whether the information that is being created or disseminated is a record.

The most appropriate method of capturing this information on the relevant

corporate system.

It is essential that only relevant information is saved into the corresponding

corporate system. Where information is disseminated using multiple channels,

e.g. Website, Facebook, Twitter, email, etc., a record of where this information is

held must be kept.

Information posted by council in social media is subject to the same legislative

requirements as information held within Council’s own network. Due regard

should be given to ensuring this information can be easily located. If in doubt

seek advice from the Records Coordinator.

The five key questions to help identify whether a record should be kept are:

1. Was it made, sent or received in the course of business?

2. Does it document a decision taken?

3. Does it document advice given?

4. Does it document the process of arriving at a decision?

5. Is it required to be kept by legislation?

19. RESPONDING TO SOCIAL MEDIA COMMENTS

As Hunter’s Hill Council strives to ensure timely responses to customer service

requests social media can pose difficulties as it increases the resources needed

to filter and respond to information.

Whilst Council wishes to maintain its profile and that of its services and events,

careful consideration of the resources (staff time and management) is factored

into this policy.


Social Media Policy


P a g e

Once established any social media comments that are deemed recordable will

be logged and actioned as part of the Council InfoXpert system.

As a minimum requirement, Council will monitor social media content and

exchanges at least twice daily, Monday – Friday and establish whether:

Comments need replies or removal.

Current content is factual, accurate and up-to-date.

Posts are relevant.

New information needs uploading.

Council will notify users on its sites that monitoring will take place Monday to

Friday during office hours.

20. BRANDING

The brand is the corporate identity of Council and can take many forms (name,

sign, symbol, colour combination, slogan). A clear brand is an essential tool in

online communications.

The Council logo should always be attached to corporate content.

Authorised officers will adhere to Council corporate style guide when developing

and uploading content.

21. PROJECT PLAN/ BUSINESS CASE

Use of social media for engagement will be supported by a project plan or

business case which clearly articulates how the process will be managed. This is

an essential element and is non-negotiable.

22. COPYRIGHT

Material which is copyrighted (applications, audio, video, graphics, images,

photographs, publications) will not be used unless prior written consent is

obtained from the creator or copyright owner, and the original author or source

of the material is acknowledged.

Authorised officers will be diligent in their consideration of brand, copyright, fair

use and trademarks.

23. MOBILE PHONES

Hunter’s Hill Council will monitor phone usage by managers, supervisors and staff

members who have a Council designated mobile phone. Employees in

possession of a Council mobile must adhere to the same rules and regulations

that apply to this social media policy, and only use social media via their phone

for work purposes only. Please refer to Council’s Mobile Phone Policy for further

information on phone usage.


Social Media Policy


P a g e

24. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

24.1 Content providers

To consult with their appropriate Group Manager/Manager or

General Manager regarding the establishment and management

of their service’s online social networking activities.

To establish clear objectives for the use of the social networking

forum.

24.2 Content author

To adhere to this policy and related policy and legislative

requirements.

To seek advice when unsure about the social media platform being

used and the content uploaded to the platform.

To actively moderate content on official Hunter’s Hill Council

related accounts.

To ensure adequate recordkeeping is undertaken for posts made

on behalf of council.

To implement and review this policy.

24.3 Content Administrator

Logins and account details for accounts created on behalf of

council.

To coordinate the required training and administration of content

providers.

To implement and review this policy.

To advise and assist Group Managers and Managers regarding the

establishment of online social networking activities.

To maintain a register of Council’s approved online social

networking activities.

To establish, distribute and maintain guidelines to explain this policy

to employees and assist them in complying with it.

24.4 Group Managers/Managers

To approve the activities of staff regarding the establishment of

online social networking activities.

To nominate employees who will provide information. Once the individual

is approved, these responsibilities are to be included in their position

description and they are to undertake the required training.

To use existing reporting mechanisms to actively monitor the use of

internet by council employees during work time to ensure

compliance to this and other policy and procedures.

25. BREACH OF POLICY

Failure to comply with this policy may result in disciplinary action under Council’s

Human Resources Policy and/or Code of Conduct. Individuals who break the law

may also be personally liable.


Social Media Policy


P a g e

26. MONITORING AND REVIEW DATE

The Social Media Policy will be reviewed by Council’s Corporate Strategist within

3 months of its adoption or as required to ensure that it remains relevant and

current. If legislative requirements alter, this policy will be accordingly reviewed

to address any changed requirements.

RELATED RESOURCES

Media Policy (CORP.S-Pol.18)

Code of Conduct (CORP.S-Pol.03)

Sponsorship Policy (CORP.S-Pol.19)

Privacy Code of Practice (CORP.S-Pol.08)

Information Systems and Surveillance Policy (GOV-Pol.02)

Filming Protocol and Manual (WS-Pol.01)

Community Consultation Policy (COMM-Pol.03)

Local Government Act 1993

Copyright Act 1968

State Records Act 1998

Private & Personal Information Protection Act 1998

Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009

Racial Discrimination Act 1975

Disability Discrimination Act 1992

Sex Discrimination Act 1984


Social Media Policy


P a g e

POLICY OWNER

The policy authority is the General Manager

AUTHORISATION AND REVIEW

Next Review Date

This policy is to be reviewed in line or with any changes to relevant legislation or

council policies

Version Control Table

Date Version Res. No. Key Changes Author

25.11.13 1.0 401/13 Adoption of initial policy Annie

Goodman

hunter s hill council policy register social media policy€¦ · weblogs, including personal blogs...

Documents