A. Use Permitted: Social media refers to technologies and services, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, ProjectDocs, and other websites designed to establish virtual communities of members with a common focus or interest. These are an effective tool for communicating with the public and employees may participate in these communities where appropriate.
B. Contact Communications Team: Employees must contact the Mayor's Communications Team before establishing a City social media page with any social media service, including those related to a specific City department or division.
C. Approval Required: Information posted to a City related social media site by a City employee must be approved by the Mayor's Communications Team or, in the case of department or division sites, the Department or Division Director.
D. Records Management, Retention: The records management procedures and retention schedules for e-mail apply to the information posted to social media sites on matters of City business and must be treated in the same manner as e-mails or other formal correspondence.
E. Entries Retained: Entries posted to social media sites must be retained as they are at the time of submission.
F. Use For Personnel Matters, Litigation: Information posted on City business related social media websites may be subject to Human Resources personnel matters, litigation disclosure, forensic analysis and information requests under GRAMA, though legal action may be required to obtain those records.
G. Prohibited Use: In accordance with the City's Acceptable Use Procedure, title 52, chapter 5 of this Manual, except for de minimus use, employees are prohibited from using City computers to access non-City business related social media sites.
H. Restriction: Social media websites are restricted by the City internet filtering software. Access to social media websites is at the discretion of Department Directors or their designees. (2019 Compilation)