(A) Purpose.
(1) The county offices and departments may use social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to reach a broader audience. While the county’s website (www.sanjuancounty.org) is the county’s primary Internet presence, the county recognizes that when used appropriately, social media may be useful in furthering the goals of the county and the missions of its offices and departments.
(2) This directive provides policies, standards and procedures for the use of social media sites. All official county presences on social media sites or services are considered extensions of the county’s information networks and are governed by the responsibilities set forth in this and related policies and procedures (such as § 32.225) and in the county’s standard of conduct. Violations of this policy may be considered misconduct and may result in discipline up to and including suspension or even termination.
(3) Additionally, the county recognizes that many county employees use social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in their personal lives. Therefore, this policy provides guidelines for county employees when they communicate on social media sites as a private citizens.
(B) Objective. To maintain the integrity of the county’s presence in social media and to ensure that social media is used appropriately and within county guidelines and policies.
(C) Definitions. For the purpose of this section, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
COUNTY SOCIAL MEDIA SITES. Those pages, sections or posting locations in social media websites established or maintained by an employee of the county authorized to do so as part of the employee’s job and that are used to communicate with the public on county business.
SOCIAL MEDIA. Internet-based technology communications tools with a focus on immediacy, interactivity, user participation and information sharing. These venues include social networking sites, forums, weblogs (blogs, vlogs, microblogs), online chat sites and video/photo posting sites or any other such similar output or format. Examples include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
SOCIAL MEDIA ADMINISTRATORS. County employees expressly designated by their department heads to maintain oversight of their department’s social media sites. A social media administrator’s authority is limited to actions that directly reflect guidance from the social media administrator’s department head and the policies and procedures of the social media administrator’s department and the county.
(D) Scope. This directive applies to all county employees, including contract employees and volunteers for the county when working with social media tools on behalf of the county and applies to the extent specified herein with regard to personal social media sites; provided, however, that this directive does not apply to social media sites of the county’s elected officials used solely for campaign or personal purposes.
(E) Responsibilities. County employees whose official duties include creating or posting information to a county social media site are responsible for ensuring that such information is accurate, professionally presented, respectful, relevant and on-topic with the department’s mission. Care must be taken to ensure that grammar and spelling are correct. Mistakes must be corrected quickly.
(F) General governance and oversight of county social media sites. The county’s social media sites may contain information that represents or appears to represent the county’s position on policy issues or other matters affecting county business and/or the positions of the county’s leaders. Thus, the county’s Office of Administration has general oversight of all county social media sites.
(G) Design and content of county social media sites.
(1) Departments and offices will use proper grammar, and where possible, avoid jargon. Social media tools are often more casual than most communication tools, but all county social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, shall represent the county appropriately and professionally.
(2) Departments and offices may use a departmental logo in their social media tools. Where appropriate for a particular site, social media pages will include the county’s logo. Page names should be descriptive of the department/office.
(3) All content-sharing activities, such as video-sharing, shall be in good taste, appropriate and consistent with the county’s policies.
(4) Comments from the public are allowed and encouraged on the county’s social media sites and shall be monitored daily to ensure the comments meet certain criteria; the county’s social media sites must be structured narrowly to focus discussions on a particular interest of the county rather than creating a “public forum”.
(5) Information that is proprietary, subject to the attorney-client privilege or state or federal privacy laws, and information not subject to disclosure under the state’s Governmental Records Management Act shall not be posted on any county social media site. Each department’s social media administrator shall be responsible for ensuring compliance with this rule.
(H) Appropriate employee use of social media.
(1) Employees assigned to maintain county social media sites shall adhere to the principles articulated in this policy. Employees shall not work on departmental social media sites during off-duty hours unless specifically pre-approved to do so by the employee’s supervisor. All such time worked outside the employee’s normal work scheduled shall be reported and included in the employee’s 40-hour work week. Any work in excess of 40 hours will be paid overtime as required by law and county policy.
(2) Consistent with the county’s policies on use of the county’s telephone and e-mail systems, incidental and occasional personal use of social media is permitted during work hours provided it is very limited in duration and does not have a detrimental effect on employee productivity.
(3) County resources, work time, social media tools and a county employee’s official position shall not be used for personal profit or business interests or to participate in political activity.
(4) If commenting on county business, employees should use a disclaimer which establishes that their comments represent their own opinions and do not represent those of the county.
(5) Employees may not attribute personal statements or opinions to the county when engaging in private blogging or postings on social media sites.
(6) County employees, contract employees for the county and county volunteers shall not post images, files or text depicting county property, equipment or personnel in any manner that would adversely affect the reputation of the county or a county department or office.
(7) The following guidelines apply to personal communications using various forms of social media.
(a) Employees should use common sense when using social media sites. Employees should remember that what they write is public, may be public for a long time and may spread to large audiences. Employees should refrain from posting information that they would not want their supervisor or other employees to read or that they would be embarrassed to see in the newspaper or on television.
(b) The county expects its employees to be truthful, courteous and respectful toward supervisors, coworkers, citizens, customers and other persons associated with the county. Employees shall not engage in name-calling, personal attacks or other such demeaning behavior.
(Ord. passed 6- -2019)