Purpose The purpose of this Social Media Policy (“Policy”) is to establish guidelines and practices for the use and management of the Borough of Millersville (“Borough”) social media outlets. The Borough’s use of social media is to augment and enhance our established print, signage, and web communications with the public, our vendors, and constituents. The Borough has a vested interest and high ex
pectations when it comes to the messages, content, and media posted to our various current and future social media outlets by its employees and officials.
2. Definitions “Social media outlets”- All electronic content that is accessible, expandable, and editable by Borough employees and its officials. “Posts” – Information, articles, pictures, videos, or any form of communication posted to a publicly accessible social media outlet. Posts can refer to information provided by the Borough or information posted to our sites via public interaction.
3. The Borough’s official webpage, www.millersvilleborough.org is and will remain the primary electronic means of communication to the public. The creation of additional social media accounts is subject to the approval of the Borough Manager. Upon approval, all new social media accounts will be branded and bear the name of the Borough and its official logo(s). All social media accounts should state that they comply with the Borough’s social media policies. All links for documentation, forms, and other downloadable content should be directed to the Borough’s official website, www.millersvilleborough.org. The Borough reserves the right to revoke administrative privileges and/or social media accounts at any time. All Borough social media sites shall comply with each social media site providers’ policies. All Borough social media sites shall comply with local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and policies. All Borough social media site content is subject to the Pennsylvania Right to Know Act. All content that is related to the Borough’s social media accounts including posts, subscribers, and private message communications are to be considered public record. All employees and elected officials that represent the Borough in an online role shall conduct themselves in the utmost professional manner. Employees shall act in accordance with Borough employee policies as outlined in the employee handbook. All Borough social media sites shall only utilize official contact information, including email and phone numbers. Personal contact information of employees or officials shall not be used. The Borough has the right to amend, modify, or change this police at any time.
4. The Borough shall have rights and full permission to all content including digital photographs and videos posted on its social media accounts. Any employee or Borough official that has access to content and posts on social media accounts shall review and comply with the Borough’s social media policies. Any employee or Borough official that has permission and rights to post on the Borough’s social media platforms shall never express personal views, concerns, or opinions in any post. All posts should only reflect the position of the Borough. All posts from the Borough shall contain information that is freely available and public and never contain confidential information regarding the Borough. Posts may not contain any personal information, except names. If unsure of the appropriateness or legality of a post, consult with the Borough Manager. Borough social media posts shall not contain the following: i. Content that promotes or fosters discrimination based on race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, marital status, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, or any category that is protected by federal, state, or local laws; ii. Any sexual language or content, or links to such content; iii. References to illegal activity; iv. Copyrighted material or intellectual property of anyone other than the person who posted the content; v. Profane or vulgar language; vi. Political comments either for or against campaigns, office holders, or candidates
F. Deletion of posts that violate section E.i of this policy shall be approved by the Borough Manager. Documentation of posts to be deleted shall be made by taking a screenshot and writing a small synopsis of why the post was removed prior to deletion. Posts that contain criticism of the Borough do not fall under this deletion policy. The Borough reserves the right to add or remove services and functionality of any or all social media accounts at any time. Commenting by the public will be eliminated from posts. Tagging by others will additionally be eliminated to ensure Social Media policies and best practices are employed. Management of all social media outlets will be added to the Borough Employee’s job description as to the discretion of the Borough Manager. These social media policies shall be made available on the Borough’s website
