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City of Cody, WY – Social Media Access and Acceptable Use Policy 1 City of Cody, WY SOCIAL MEDIA ACCESS AND ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY Effective 07/01/2014 PURPOSE Social media refers to interaction among people that involves creating, sharing, and/or exchanging information and ideas in online communities. The purpose of the City of Cody’s utilization of social media is to leverage online channels to promote a common brand of customer service and provide community members and visitors with information that improves their day-to-day experience in Cody. Social media platforms are an extension of means already used to accomplish communicational goals, and the City of Cody website (cityofcody-wy.gov) will remain the primary Web presence for official information. This policy outlines appropriate access to and acceptable use of official City of Cody social media platforms. The overarching goal of this policy is to allow employees to engage in social media in a way that promotes the City of Cody yet maintains utmost professionalism and privacy. The City of Cody encourages the appropriate use of social media, herein described, to further its outreach to community members and provide a public avenue for conversation and inquiry. Employees permitted to use official City of Cody social media platforms will adhere to all standards and expectations outlined in this policy, which may be amended at any time at the request of the City’s Administration and as approved by the Governing Body. PLATFORMS Facebook is currently the only approved social media platform at the City of Cody. Additional platforms may be added in the future if management determines that others are necessary and appropriate. ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Cody, WY – Social Media Access and Acceptable Use Policy 2 ACCESS Not all employees will be required to engage in the City of Cody’s social media campaign, and, as such, only certain employees will be granted access to social media administration and monitoring features. Staff members who are granted these abilities will be assigned as appropriate by their Departmental Head and approved by the City Administrator. Before gaining access, employees will undergo training on usability and best practices by the System Administrator, Administrative Services Officer, and/or other versed employees designated by the City Administrator. Following adequate training and approval of the City Administrator, access will be granted. The employee will then be required to connect with the City Administrator, System Administrator, and other notable administrators on the social media platform. Employees who are granted access are required to create a new professional account that is tied to their City of Cody email address ([EMAIL REDACTED]). Any personal accounts that employees may use, or use in the future, are to be kept completely separate from their professional accounts, and official City of Cody activity is only allowed to occur via an employee’s professional account. Employees that possess a personal social media account are encouraged to include their middle initial in the display name of their professional social media account John A. Smith) to differentiate from their personal social media account display name John Smith). Authentication credentials used to access social media platforms must conform to the City’s password standards and requirements. ACCEPTABLE USE This policy governs the professional use of City of Cody social media platforms—not personal use in any way. Personal use of social media platforms is prohibited while working on City time and shall not be accessed on City-owned computers and devices. The use of official City of Cody social media platforms to share personal views and ideas is also prohibited. The most typical and appropriate uses for social media at the City of Cody are to disperse time- sensitive or emergency-oriented information and to broadcast marketing or informational messages. Employees with access to the City of Cody’s social media platforms are restricted to producing content that is pertinent to the City of Cody and any of its associated services. Employees are encouraged to utilize official City of Cody social media platforms both during business hours and after business hours, as well as both on City-owned devices and personal devices; however, policies and standards are still to be adhered at all times. Representation of the City of Cody is still to be considered, regardless of the time of day, physical location, or point of access. Employees responsible for using social media as part of their job role must participate regularly and monitor their accounts and pages so that any comments and inquiries that community members and ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Cody, WY – Social Media Access and Acceptable Use Policy 3 visitors post are addressed appropriately and in a timely manner. Content associated with official City of Cody social media platforms is to be kept up-to-date, as with any online content. Employees are prohibited from downloading or accessing games and other unrelated entertainment features through social media platforms. Clicking on third-party advertising links on social media platforms is also prohibited. Posts to social media platforms are to be considered a public record, regardless of abilities to remove or hide content. Content published on the World Wide Web can be transparently reposted, rebroadcasted, or saved by other users without consent or acknowledgement. Employees accessing and monitoring official City of Cody social media platforms are required to be diligent in the type of information posted. Information that is strictly prohibited to post, or to post in reference to, in any way includes: Personally identifying information names, Social Security Numbers, addresses, phone numbers, tax IDs, medical information, birthdates, case numbers, claim numbers, file numbers, authentication credentials, etc.) Departmental information that has not been publicly published Proprietary or private digital information Personal solicitations of commerce Profane language, off-color comments, and insults of any kind Sexual or pornographic content Comments that violate state or federal laws, or city policies, including but not limited to those pertaining to discrimination, harassment, Equal Opportunity under the law. Violations of copyright or intellectual property laws Negative comments about fellow employees, work-related ideas or issues, elected officials, or anything that could potentially bring discredit to the City of Cody Anonymous comments Photographs of City property or personnel that are not public Links to information or unrelated or irrelevant to City business conduct or encouragement of illegal activity Any other topics that management may identify as inappropriate When participating on social media platforms, City of Cody employees must maintain professionalism, discretion, and customer-focused attitudes at all times. Customer service must be approached with exceptional effort, as in any other interactive scenario. When addressing community members, employees must identify themselves with full names to ensure transparency. Employees are encouraged to provide links, when appropriate or necessary, to additional information located on the City of Cody website. When possible, all information posted on social media platforms should also be readily available on the City of Cody website. The City of Cody website will also include, where applicable and appropriate, links to official social media platforms. ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Cody, WY – Social Media Access and Acceptable Use Policy 4 Outstanding questions, concerns, and complaints that arise from community members and visitors on official City of Cody social media platforms are to be handled with respect. Those responsible for replying must notify their Departmental Head and the City Administrator for guidance in these cases. Employees shall only engage in social media activity within their area of responsibility or expertise. All other engagement shall be referred to the proper division, department, or employee. When replying to posts and inquiries, employees must take the time to ensure their response is meaningful, respectful, and accurate. Responses should be accurate and shall generally be provided within two to five business days. Employees’ social media presences should mirror their professional behavior and personality at all times. Employees are not allowed to create their own City of Cody pages or departmental resources; instead, they must seek approval from the City Administrator and execution from the System Administrator. This will ensure brand and appearance consistency. The System Administrator will be granted administrative rights over any social media page or resource created on behalf of the City of Cody. If pages or resources are discovered that were not approved and created by management, they will be disabled and/or deleted. Upon discovering incorrect information about the City of Cody on social media platforms, employees are required to inform the City Administrator and Administrative Services Officer. Employees should not attempt to correct any such information or involve themselves in an exchange with others regarding any such topic online. Instead, management will be assigned to resolving the issue and, if necessary, consulting an internal subject matter expert to address the concern. All presences on official City of Cody social media platforms, as well as the governing standards and policies herein described, are extensions of activities regulated by the City of Cody Personnel and Policy Manual, including, but not limited to Section 23, “Use of Phone, Email, and Computer Systems.” Social media activity conducted on City-owned computers and/or mobile devices is subject to full monitoring as well as unannounced public disclosure, per guidelines that govern all Internet usage. All tools and applications used to access official City of Cody social media platforms must be approved by the System Administrator. EXECUTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES At least once a year, the City Administrator, System Administrator, and other appropriate management members will review the permitted social media platforms, per this Social Media Access and Acceptable Use Policy, and may recommend new platforms to City Council and Departmental Heads to extend the City of Cody’s existing communication outlets. The City Administrator, or appropriate designee, will monitor content on all official City of Cody social media platforms to ensure adherence with the Social Media Access and Acceptable Use Policy as well as alignment with branding and standards. ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Cody, WY – Social Media Access and Acceptable Use Policy 5 TERMINATION OF ACCESS The use of social media at the City of Cody is a privilege. Upon violation of the guidelines outlined in this policy, an employee may lose social media privileges immediately, and, in addition, may face disciplinary actions up to and including termination of employment. Instances of personal use, a security breach, and workplace productivity concerns may also warrant termination of an employee’s social media access and/or employment with the City of Cody. In all cases of employment termination or departure, the individual’s social media access and presence will be revoked within 48 hours. The employee will be asked to remove themselves from all official City of Cody social media platforms, as well as delete all professional social media accounts. If the deletion request is not obliged, the System Administrator will delete the social media account(s). Any violation of this policy is subject to disciplinary action up to and including employment termination.