Social Media

SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
Social media is a term encompassing a wide range of online activities integrating technology and social interaction. It includes forums, blogs, media sharing, and networking among other activities. To ensure continued support for the City’s “one voice” policy and since such sites are by their nature collaborative and unstructured, unrestricted use of these media can potentially result in content posted that runs counter to the City’s interests and/or exposes the City to legal action. All social media sites that carry the City of Johnston name and branding elements will be operated and maintained by the Communications Specialist.

TIMELINESS AND RESPONSE
The City’s timeliness about posts and responses to comments may also vary based on staff availability. Therefore, a disclaimer shall be posted on any social media site, stating:

a. This site is maintained and moderated by the City's Communications Specialist to ensure that posted comments are constructive and suitable for all readers while respecting a range of opinions and points of view. Moderation will take place during city hall's normal business hours. We will reply to comments in a timely manner, when a response is appropriate.

REMOVING COMMENTS
Comments violating the City’s Disclaimer and Comments Policy shall be removed promptly. When a person’s comment is removed, the City should try to post a reason for removing the post (i.e. “A comment to this post was removed because it endorsed a political candidate. This is in violation of the City’s comment policy. Removed comments should be archived for our records by completing the tracking form found in Appendix B and submitting it to the Communications Specialist. The City reserves the right to restrict or remove any content deemed in violation of this social media policy or any applicable law. Repeat individual violators may be removed or blocked from commenting on City social media sites.
Comments containing any of the following inappropriate forms of content shall not be permitted on City social media sites and are subject to removal and/or restriction:

a. Comments not related to the original topic;
b. Content that promotes, fosters or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or mental or physical disability;
c. Defamatory comments;
d. Threats to any person or organization;
e. Solicitation of commerce including, but not limited to advertising of any business or product for sale;
f. Encouragement of illegal activity;
g. Information that may tend to compromise the safety of security of the public or public systems; or
h. Content that violates a legal ownership interest, such as a copyright, or any party.

PERSONAL CONDUCT

a. Comments must be civil and may not contain slanderous, libelous, malicious, threatening or profane language.
b. Comments must be within the scope of the topic under discussion. Repetitive or duplicate posts will be removed to maintain equity and ease of use for others.
c. Comments containing links to other web sites or pages must be relevant to the topic.
d. Comments cannot represent a person other than the one posting the comment.
e. Participants are responsible for what they post. Comments must not breach any law, confidentiality, or copyright. Give credit to appropriate persons when required.
f. Always think before posting; if it causes you to pause or question if it is appropriate, it most likely should not be posted.