Social Media Policy
Social Media now has a major influence in society and parts of our world, and is a vital communication for your charity NeST. Whilst it can be a very positive influence, as you will know, as a charity we also need to have rules. Remember tweets and Facebook posts can lead to criminal lawsuits and more. This guidance is for everyone’s protection. Thankfully the vast majority of Social Media NeST communication is benevolent and very helpful.
NeST Social Media Policy ~ House Rules
Posts must not contain information that is:
Offensive, abusive, defamatory, intolerant or obscene
Fraudulent, deceptive or misleading
Very off-topic or not on a regular basis.
Be intended to deliberately provoke others
Spam: business solicitations, advertising
In violation of any intellectual property right of another
A person’s real name must be used – not an alias.
Our Social Media is monitored but is impossible to keep up with the speed of posts in such quantities as take place. Posts that fall into the above categories will be removed if seen. If you see any posts like this that you think we may have missed, please let us know and we will remove them if appropriate. If a user continues to post any of the above, they will face a ban. However you can of course have private chat and we all have views and may not always agree.
NeST cannot take responsibility for any content posted or interactions by third parties. Please remember Social Media also has its own rules that need to be adhered to when using such. Please always bear in mind when posting:
Libel
Libel is when a false written statement that is damaging to a person's reputation is published online or in print.
Copyright law
It is critical that laws governing copyright, are respected. Never use or adapt someone else's images or written content without permission. Failing to acknowledge the source/author/resource citation, where permission has been given to reproduce content, is also considered a breach of copyright.
Confidentiality
Remember communications must not breach confidentiality, or data protection laws.
Discrimination and harassment
No post that could be considered discriminatory against, or bullying or harassment of, any individual, on either an official social media channel, or a personal account. For example: making offensive or derogatory comments relating to sex, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, age, religion or belief
Lobbying Act
Charities are legally allowed to campaign to bring about a change in policy, or law to further their organisational purpose.
Protection and intervention
The responsibility for measures of protection and intervention lies first with the social networking site itself. Different social networking sites offer different models of interventions in different areas. Be safe – sadly in our modern world scams do operate and this includes on platforms such as Facebook. This may take the form of fake review or news or products.
Under 18s and vulnerable people
Young and vulnerable people face risks when using social networking sites. They may be at risk of being bullied, publishing sensitive and personal information on their profiles and more. Where known, when communicating with young people under 18-years-old via Social media, online relationship with NeST follow the same rules as the offline 'real-life' relationship and Safeguarding.
Responsibilities and beach of policy
Everyone is responsible for their own compliance with this policy and the law. Participation in social media on behalf of NeST is not a right but an opportunity, so it must be treated seriously and with respect.
There may be occasions when the views of an individual don't align 100% with that of the NeST. Make it clear that comments posted on-line may not reflect NeST’s policy. When posting on-line identify yourself with your real name and no alias please.