General information
The PEN Project’s Social Media Policy
The PEN PROJECT would like its presence on social media sites to be honest, open, and respectful. In an effort to be transparent about our social media policies, as well as to model effective use and management of social media for other organizations in our network, we share our social media guidelines here.
SUMMARY STATEMENT OF SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
The PEN PROJECT maintains a presence on social media in order to provide information and resources on topics related to early intervention, special education, and serving children and youth with disabilities. We encourage and appreciate fair comments and discussion on our social media platforms. However, we reserve the right to remove posts that include personal or private information, promote commercial products, or are otherwise inappropriate, as described below. You may suggest removal of any comment you feel violates this policy.
CONTENT OF POSTS
The PEN PROJECT posts resources and information that we think will be of use to our many audiences on Facebook. The content of our posts is focused on serving families and educators of children and youth with disabilities. These may include blogs, news stories, videos, downloadable resources, and links to organizations.
The messages we convey on social media are a part of the PEN PROJECT’s public presence. In order to best craft those messages, our team engages in dialogue around what we will post. We share thoughts and perspectives about potential posts before putting them on social media. We value the multiple perspectives of our team members, and we believe that the thought we put into our social media presence helps us to better serve our followers.
DIRECT REQUESTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
In the public sphere of social media, the PEN PROJECT cannot respond to individual requests for information or assistance. Your personal information is too public in these spaces. Social media followers are invited to submit requests via email to [email protected] or visit our website at www.PartnersTX.org. We will be pleased to respond to your individual requests promptly and thoroughly via email or telephone.
COMMENTS BY OTHERS ARE NOT ENDORSED
The PEN PROJECT does not necessarily endorse, support, sanction, encourage, verify, or agree with the comments, opinions, or statements posted on its social media accounts. Any information or material placed online, including advice and opinions, are the views and responsibility of those making the comments and do not necessarily represent the views of the PEN PROJECT.
COMMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO PUBLIC DISCLOSURE
All comments submitted or posted on the PEN PROJECT's social media accounts are public. The PEN PROJECT reserves the right to restrict or remove any content that violates these policies or any applicable law.
EDITING AND DELETIONS
The PEN PROJECT reserves the right, but undertakes no duty, to review, edit, move, or delete any material submitted as a comment to information posted on its social media accounts without notice.
While we encourage submissions from all viewpoints, we ask that all participants adhere to the following Terms of Participation:
• To ensure constructive questions and comments, please post only questions or comments directly related and relevant to the PEN PROJECT and the topics discussed.
• Do not post questions or comments that contain threats, obscenities, and any other material that would violate the law if published, such as abusive, defamatory, or s*xually explicit material.
• Submissions containing the following will be deleted:
1. Obscene or threatening language or defamation (hate speech) based on race, s*x, gender, religion, national origin, age, or disability
2. Commercial services or products
3. Any personal or sensitive information (phone numbers, e-mail, or postal addresses)
4. Any endorsement of religious beliefs/practices or political parties, candidates, or groups
5. Any posts or links intended to influence (lobby) a Member of Congress or government official on legislation or appropriation
In the event that your original post contains an appropriate disability-related resource, the PEN PROJECT may ask you to modify your posting by removing any portion that breaches this policy.
THE RIGHT TO REPORT THREATENING COMMENTS
The PEN PROJECT reserves the right to report any comments that imply harm or imminent danger to yourself or others. By submitting a comment for posting, you accept that the PEN PROJECT has the right to contact the appropriate authorities to report any suspicious activities, threats, or behaviors.
EXTERNAL LINKS
The posting of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the PEN PROJECT of the linked websites, or the information, products, or services contained there. The PEN PROJECT does not exercise editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. All links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of the PEN PROJECT.
Sharing of other organizations’ resources: In order to best serve our followers, the PEN PROJECT shares resources from trusted organizations in our networks.
Commercial products: The PEN PROJECT generally posts resources and materials that do not have an associated cost to the user. If there is a cost associated with a resource that we post, the PEN PROJECT will do its best to identify the cost in the post.
APPROPRIATE URL FORMAT
The PEN PROJECT reserves the right to remove any URLs that pose or appear to pose a security threat to its site, the United States Government, and other users, including, but not limited to, any URLs that have been shortened by third-party sites (e.g., bit.ly, tiny.cc). Since the PEN PROJECT will actively check and monitor all links, users may only post content containing a full web address. The only exceptions to this rule are sites that limit characters, such as Twitter. Users are advised to click on third-party content at their own risk.
SECTION 508 COMPLIANCE
Third-party social media platforms and websites may not be accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. Whenever possible, the PEN PROJECT posts resources that are 508 compliant, for example, videos with captioning.
DISCLAIMER
References on our social media to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the PEN PROJECT. The views and opinions of authors expressed on social media do not necessarily state or reflect those of the PEN PROJECT or its funders, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. The PEN PROJECT assumes no legal responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process mentioned on its social media outlets.
~ Revised 11/7/2012
