WHUMC Social Media Policy
This policy governs the publication of and commentary on social media by employees of Western Hills United Methodist Church and its related companies (“WHUMC”). For the purposes of this policy, social media means any facility for online publication and commentary, including without limitation blogs, wiki’s, social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube. This policy is in addition to and complements any existing or future policies regarding the use of technology, computers, e-mail and the internet.
WHUMC employees who are not a part of the Technology & Media Team are not allowed to publish or comment via social media in any way during work hours or using work facilities, or in any way that suggests they are doing so in connection with WHUMC. WHUMC employees who are a part of the Technology & Media Team are free to publish or comment via social media in accordance with this policy. Such employees are subject to this policy to the extent they identify themselves as a WHUMC employee (other than as an incidental mention of place of employment in a personal social media on topics unrelated to WHUMC).
Publication and commentary on social media carries similar obligations to any other kind of publication or commentary.
All uses of social media must follow the same ethical standards that WHUMC employees must otherwise follow.
Setting up Social Media
Assistance in setting up social media accounts and their settings can be obtained from WHUMC’s Technology & Media Team.
Social media identities, logon ID’s and user names may not use WHUMC’s name without prior approval from the Technology & Media Team.
Your profile on social media sites must be consistent with your profile on the WHUMC website or other WHUMC publications. Profile information may be obtained from the Technology & Media Team.
Confidentiality
It’s perfectly acceptable to talk about your work and have a dialogue with the community, but it’s not okay to publish confidential or private personal information. Confidential information includes things such as unpublished details about our software, details of current projects, future product ship dates, financial information, research, and trade secrets. We must respect the wishes of our customers regarding confidentiality. Private personal information includes personally identifiable information (PII), or sensitive personal information (SPI), information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact, or locate a single person, or to identify an individual in context (including photos/photos of minor children, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers).
Honesty
Do not blog anonymously, using pseudonyms or false screen names. We believe in transparency and honesty. Use your real name, be clear who you are, and identify that you work for WHUMC. Nothing gains you notice in social media more than honesty – or dishonesty. Do not say anything that is dishonest, untrue, or misleading. If you have a vested interest in something you are discussing, point it out. But also be smart about protecting yourself and your privacy. What you publish will be around for a long time, so consider the content carefully and also be cautious about disclosing personal details.
Respect Copyright
It is critical that you show proper respect for the laws governing copyright and fair use or fair dealing of copyrighted material owned by others, including WHUMC own copyrights and brands. You should never quote more than short excerpts of someone else’s work, and always attribute such work to the original author/source. It is good general practice to link to others’ work rather than reproduce it.
WHUMC uses video and photography regularly as part of its worship services and outreach/missions. By taking part in any event hosted by WHUMC, you grant the event organizers full rights to use the images resulting from the photography/video filming, and any reproductions or adaptations of the images for fundraising, publicity or other purposes to help achieve the church’s goals. This might include (but is not limited to), the right to use them in their printed and online publicity, social media, press releases and funding applications.
WHUMC retains the copyright, which includes:
(1) reproducing the photograph;
(2) preparing derivative works based upon the photograph;
(3) distributing copies of the photograph to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending;
(4) displaying the photograph publicly;
Found in the U.S. Copyright Act at 17 U.S.C. 106 (http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#106)
Respect your audience, WHUMC, and your coworkers
The public in general, and WHUMC’s employees and customers, reflect a diverse set of customs, values and points of view. Don’t say anything contradictory or in conflict with the WHUMC website. Don’t be afraid to be yourself, but do so respectfully. This includes not only the obvious (no ethnic slurs, offensive comments, defamatory comments, personal insults, obscenity, etc.) but also proper consideration of privacy and of topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory. Use your best judgment and be sure to make it clear that the views and opinions expressed are yours alone and do not represent the official views of WHUMC.
Controversial Issues
If you see misrepresentations made about WHUMC in the media, you may point that out. Always do so with respect and with the facts. If you speak about others, make sure what you say is factual and that it does not disparage that party. Avoid arguments. Brawls may earn traffic, but nobody wins in the end. Don’t try to settle scores or goad competitors or others into inflammatory debates. Make sure what you are saying is factually correct.
Be the first to respond to your own mistakes
If you make an error, be up front about your mistake and correct it quickly. If you choose to modify an earlier post, make it clear that you have done so. If someone accuses you of posting something improper (such as their copyrighted material or a defamatory comment about them), deal with it quickly – better to remove it immediately to lessen the possibility of a legal action.
Disclaimers
Wherever practical, you must use a disclaimer saying that while you work for WHUMC, anything you publish is your personal opinion, and not necessarily the opinions of WHUMC.
The can provide you with applicable disclaimer language and assist with determining where and how to use that.
Social Media Tips
The following tips are not mandatory, but will contribute to successful use of social media.
The best way to be interesting, stay out of trouble, and have fun is to write about what you know. There is a good chance of being embarrassed by a real expert, or of being boring if you write about topics you are not knowledgeable about.
Quality matters. Use a spell-checker. If you’re not design-oriented, ask someone who is whether your blog looks decent, and take their advice on how to improve it.
The speed of being able to publish your thoughts is both a great feature and a great downfall of social media. The time to edit or reflect must be self-imposed. If in doubt over a post, or if something does not feel right, either let it sit and look at it again before publishing it, or ask someone else to look at it first.
Enforcement
Policy violations will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination for cause.