Social Media Policy Regarding City-Sponsored Social Media Sites (GA-51)DEPARTMENT:
SUBJECT:
REVISION:
APP ROVED BY:
PURPOSE
CITY OF DELRAY BEACH
ADMINISTRATIVE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
City Manager's Office POLICY NUMBER:
Social Media Policy Regarding SUPERSEDES:
City-Sponsored Social Media
IT-7
EFFECTIVE DATE: /o ;Z
Terrence R. Moore, ICMA-CM, City Manager
City departments may utilize social media sites to further enhance communications with the public and
various stakeholder organizations in support of City goals and objectives.
DEFINITIONS:
For the purpose of this City Social Media Policy, the following terms are defined below:
1.Social Media or Social Network: Social Media or a Social Network is content created
by individuals using web-based and mobile technologies to communicate through interactive dialogue
and/or to share information, ideas, messages, videos, and other content. Examples of social media
include Facebook, RSS, YouTube, Twitter, Linkedln, lnstagram, Viemo, WhatsApp, WeChat, TikTok,
Pinterest, SnapChat, etc.
2.Social Media Administrator: An authorized City employee that is responsible for creating, reviewing,
authorizing and allowing content to be posted to a City social media site.
3.Commenter: A City official, employee and/or member of the public who submits a comment on a City
sponsored social media site.
POLICY:
1.All City-sponsored social media sites shall be (1) approved by the City Manager and/or designee and
the requesting Department Head; (2) published using approved City social platforms and tools; and
(3)administered by the requesting Department Headand/or designee who will serve as the Social
Media Administrator or by the City's Public Information Officer. Designees can be any department
employee designated by the requesting Department Head that has a
complete understanding of this policy and appropriate technical experience and training.
2.All City social networking sites shall adhere to applicable City, County, state and federal laws,
regulations and policies, including all City Records Management and Retention policies.
3.Florida public records laws, the Freedom of Information Act and e-discovery laws and
policies apply to social media content and therefore content shall be managed, stored/archived
and retrieved to comply with these laws.
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Social Media Policy Regarding City-Sponsored Social Media Sites
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4.All social network sites shall clearly indicate that any content posted or submitted for posting is
subject to public disclosure pursuant to the Florida Public Records Law,Chapter 119,Fla.Stat.
5.Where possible,each City-sponsored social networking site shall include an introductory statement
which clearly specifies the purpose and topical scope of the social network site. In addition,these
social networking sites should attempt to link back to the official
City web site (www.mydelraybeach.com)for forms,documents and other information.
6.City-sponsored social networking content and comments containing any of the
following shall not be allowed for posting and may be removed:
a.Comments not topically related to the particular site being commented upon;
b.Profane,malicious,offensive,threatening or insulting language;
c.Content,profiles,pictures,avatars and/or usernames that promote,foster or perpetuate
discrimination on the basis of race,creed,color,age,religion,gender,marital status,status
with regard to public assistance,national origin,physical or mental disability or sexual
orientation;
d.Sexual content or links to sexual content;
e.Solicitations or advertising;
f.Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity;copyright,patent or trademark violations;
g. Information that may compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems;
Content that violates a legal ownership interest of any other party;Personally identifiable
information,such as addresses,telephone numbers,social security numbers,driver's license
numbers,HIPPA protected or other private and/or sensitive information;
j.Character attacks;
k.False or misleading representations;and/or
I.Unauthorized hyperlinks.
7.The City reserves the right to restrict or remove any content that is deemed in violation of this
policy or any applicable law in accordance with Policy -Item 6.above.
8.Content that is deemed not suitable for posting by a City Social Media Administrator because it is not
topically related to the particular social networking site objective being commented upon,or is deeme
d prohibited content based on the criteria in Policy -Item 6.
shall be retained pursuant to the public records retention schedule along with a description of the rea
son the specific content is deemed not suitable for posting.
9.All City Social Media Administrators shall be trained regarding the terms of this City policy,including
their responsibilities to review content submitted for posting to ensure compliance with the policy
and public records retention requirements.
10.AII social networking sites shall clearly indicate they are maintained by the City and shall have the
City logo and contact information prominently displayed,where available.They shall also
state that "this site is not monitored at all times,do not use this forum to report emergencies
situations and/or time-sensitive issues."
11.Where appropriate,City security policies shall apply to all social networking sites.
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12.Employees representing the City via social media outlets shall conduct themselves at all times as a
representative of the City and in accordance with all human resources policies.See Employee
Guidance for Participating in Social Networking,below.
13.Employees found in violation of this policy may be subject to disciplinary action,up to and including
termination of employment.
EMPLOYEE GUIDANCE FOR PARTICIPATING IN SOCIAL NETWORKING:
The City understands that social networking and Internet services have become a common form of
communication in the workplace and among stakeholders,citizens,businesses,visitors and the general
public.Social networks are on line communities of people or organizations that share interests and/or
activities and use a wide variety of internet technology to make the interaction
a rich and robust experience.
Employees that choose to participate in social networks as a City employee shall adhere to
the following guidelines.
1.City policies,rules,regulations and standards of conduct apply to employees that
engage in social networking activities while conducting City business.Use of your City computer
(or City portable electronic devices),City E-mail address and communicating in your official
capacity will constitute conducting City business.
2.Departments have the option of allowing employees to participate in social
networking sites as part of their job duties.
3.City-sponsored social media sites shall be established in accordance with Policy-Item I above.
4.Follow all public records laws,retention laws,fair use and financial disclosure laws and any other
laws that might apply to the City.
5.Do not cite vendors,suppliers,clients,citizens,co-workers and/or other stakeholders.In addition,
employees should not use copyrighted material,trademarks or content of the City (i.e.,City seal,
pictures,etc.)as well as thirdparties without the necessary permission from the rights holder.
6.Employees who are not authorized by the City to serve as Social Media Administrators shall make it
clear that they are speaking for themselves and not on behalf of the City.If you publish content on
any site outside of the City and it has something to do with the work you do or a subject(s)associated
with the City,use a disclaimer such as this:"The postings on this site are my own and don't
necessarily represent the City's positions or opinions."
7.Do not use ethinic slurs,profanity,personal insults and/or engage in any conduct that would not be
acceptable in the City's workplace.Do not share information about another employee's opinions,
beliefs,thoughts,and emotions.Avoid posting pictures,audio and videos without the permission of
those featured in them.Do not disclose private facts or information gained through unreasonable
intrusion.
8.If you identify yourself as a City employee,ensure your profile and related content is consistent with
how you wish to present yourself to colleagues,citizens and/or other stakeholders.Use common
sense.
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9.Correct your mistakes (before publishing a comment).Do not alter previous posts,unless previous
versions of your comment remain accessible to the public on line.
10.Frame any comments and/or opposing views in a positive manner.
11.Use caution when interacting with outside entities.Do not conduct City businesscommunications,
internal or external,using private or City sponsored social media
sites. Instead,use City email for standard City business communications.
12.Social Media Administrators of City-sponsored sites shall employ strong passwords,which shall be
changed periodically.The passwords that are used for all City related social media accounts
will be provided to the City Manager and/or designee.
13.Social Media Administrators of all City-sponsored social media site pages shall be responsible for
saving all site postings through the use of an archival service 9such as Archive Social or Page
Freezer),or by saving all site postings weekly to the P;drive under the folder titled
"City Clerk","Shared","Social Media Files"for Public Records Laws retention purposes.
14.Participation in a City-sponsored social media site will be at your own risk.The right of privacy should
not be expected within any communication.By participating,you take personal responsibility for your
comments,your username and any information that you provide.You may be personally and legally
responsible for any posting you make on a City sponsored social media site.
VIOLATIONS OF POLICY:
Violations of this policy will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and may result in loss of internet access
for the user and,depending on the severity of the infraction,may result in disciplinary action up
to and including dismissal.Violations may also result in fines as well as criminal misdemeanor or
felony claims in accordance with applicable laws.
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