HomeMy WebLinkAboutAdministrative Order No. 2012-01 Social Media Use Policy ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 2012-01
Adoption of the City of Bozeman
Social Media Use Policy —
an Amendment to Section 4 of the City of Bozeman
Information Technology Use Policy
To address the fast-changing landscape of the Internet and the way residents desire to
communicate and obtain information from the City of Bozeman; departments, boards, and
committees are authorized and encouraged to consider using social media tools to reach a
broader audience. The City encourages and supports the use of social media to further the goals
of the City and the missions of its departments, boards, and committees. Tools such as City
websites, social media sites and intranet portals must be used in a safe and consistent manner to
insure the protection of the City and City employees.
It is hereby ordered that section 4 of the City of Bozeman Information Technology Use
Policy be amended to include the attached Social Media Use Policy. This policy establishes
guidelines for the use of social media by City departments, boards, and committees and is
intended to supplement and be a component of the City's Information Technology Use Policy.
This Policy includes a required Acceptable Use Policy that must be posted on all City social
media sites.
This Administrative Order is effective immediately. Questions related to the implementation of
this policy should be directed to the Information Technology Director.
DATED this 7t" day of June, 2012,
CHRIS A. KUKULSKI
City Manager
This Policy shall apply to city boards and committees and to individual City Commissioners only upon ratification
by resolution of the Bozeman City Commission.
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Department of Information Technology
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City of Bozeman Social Media Use Policy
Purpose/Applicability
Section 4 of the City Information Technology Use Policy is hereby amended to include this Social Medial Use
Policy. This policy establishes guidelines for the use of social media by City departments, boards, and committees
and is intended to supplement and be a component of the City's Information Technology Use Policy./ This Policy
includes a required Acceptable Use Policy that must be posted on all City social media sites.
To address the fast-changing landscape of the Internet and the way residents desire to communicate and obtain
information from the City of Bozeman; departments, boards, and committees are authorized and encouraged to
consider using social media tools to reach a broader audience. The City encourages and supports the use of social
media to further the goals of the City and the missions of its departments,boards, and committees.
This Policy does not apply to an individual employee or official's personal use of social media. Such use, however,
may be governed by the City's Information Technology Use Policy and other City policies, such as the Employee
Handbook and the City's Code of Ethics.
This Policy applies when an employee or official uses non-city social media sites within the scope of their duties as
a City of Bozeman employee or official.
If a violation has been made the content editor and/or supervisor will notify the City's Legal Department.
Appropriate instruction will be provided through the City Attorney's office on steps for documenting,removal,and
archiving of inappropriate comments.
Violation of this Policy by an employee may subject the employee to disciplinary action pursuant to the City of
Bozeman's employee handbook. Violation by an official,board or committee may subject the official(s)to removal
by the City Commission.
General
This Policy applies to the development and ongoing use of City websites, social media sites, and intranet portals.
The City's principle website will remain the City's primary internet presence for all departments, boards, and
committees.
Departments, boards and committees shall inform the IT Department of its interest in any new social media sites or
administrative changes to existing sites prior to creating a new site or modifying an existing site. All new social
media tools, such as a new social media site, platform, or software application proposed for City use must be
approved by the Director of IT. The IT Department will maintain a list of social media tools which are approved for
use by City departments,boards,and committees.
All website and social media activity must also be approved by the appropriate department director. For boards and
committees, the activity must be authorized by a decision in conformance with established rules of procedures and
entered into the minutes.
1 This Policy shall apply to city boards and committees and to individual City Commissioners only upon ratification
by resolution of the Bozeman City Commission.
City of Bozeman Social Media Policy(component of the City's Information Technology Policy)
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Unless made applicable to the City Commissioners by Commission resolution, this policy shall not apply to an
elected official's individual social media page.
No department, board, or committee shall create a social media site or website without fulfilling the training
requirements established by the Director of 1T. The Director of IT shall be responsible to provide social media
training to departments,boards,and committees as needed.
Unless otherwise approved by the City Manager and IT Director, the IT Department shall be the sole entity
authorized to construct and maintain the technical requirements of all social media sites and accounts. No
department, board, or committee shall create a social media site without the authorization and assistance of the IT
Department and following all aspects of this policy. Daily management of content on a social media site shall be
the responsibility of the department,board,committee, authorized to manage a social media site.
The IT Department will maintain a list of all City social media sites including the name of all authorized
administrators of each site and other critical information required to assist in the administration of each site. Each
site must have an employee of the IT Department listed as an administrator.
The appropriate uses of social media fall into two categories:
1. Disseminating time-sensitive information as quickly as possible (e.g., releasing information related to
an emergency).
2. Providing marketing/promotional opportunities to the public to increase the City's ability to broadcast
its information to the widest possible audience.
Standards of Conduct
Employees and officials authorized to maintain content on a social media site shall conform to the following
standards of conduct:
I. Citizen and customer protection and respect are paramount.
2. We will use every effort to keep interactions factual and accurate.
;. We will strive for transparency and openness in interactions and will never seek to"spin"information.
4. We will provide links to credible sources of information to support our interactions, when possible.
5. We will publicly correct any information we have communicated that is later found to be in error.
6. We are honest about our relationships,opinions,and identity.
7. We respect the rules of the venue.
8. We will protect privacy and permissions and will not collect personal information posted by individuals
without a compelling reason.
In addition, all City employees and officials authorized to use social media understand that the lines between public
and private, personal and professional are often blurred. By identifying yourself as a City employee or official,you
are creating perceptions about your expertise and about the City by stakeholders, customers, business partners and
the public. Please be sure all content associated with you is consistent with your work and with the City's core
values and professional and ethical standards.
Content
All content posted to City social media sites by a City department, board, or committee shall first be posted on the
City's principle website.Content of an emergency or time sensitive nature may be posted to a social medial site prior
to its posting to the City's primary website with pre-approval of the department Director of the department
managing the social media site or by the assigned staff liaison to a board or committee.Any such content posted to a
social media site prior to its posting on the City's principle website shall be posted on the principle website as soon
as possible.
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Content posted to City social media sites shall be approved by the department director or by others as delegated by a
department director or, for a board or committee by the staff liaison or board/committee member authorized by the
Director of IT. All content posted shall direct users back to the City's principle website for in-depth information,
forms, documents or online services necessary to conduct business with the City.
As is the case for all of the City's web sites, departmental staff will be assigned to and responsible for the content
and updates of any social media sites their department,board, or committee creates.
Boards, agencies, or committees shall have an assigned city staff member to assist in the management of the
respective social media sites and ensure compliance with this policy.
City employees and officials acting within the scope of their duties shall not respond to hosts made by
members of the public on a city or non-cift social media site.
Interactive social media or forums mgy be created on a case-by-case basis upon approval by the City Manager and
Director of 1T.In such a case a protocol for retention of public records must be approved by the Cit y Attorney.
All City content on social media sites shall comply with the Acceptable Use of City Social Media Site (see below)
and all other appropriate City policies and standards, including but not Iimited to:
I. Infonnation Technology Use Policy;
2. City Code of Ethics, including confidentiality requirements;
3. All laws governing privacy,trade secrets, and other confidential information;
4. 45-6-311,MCA;
5. The Montana Criminal Justice Information Act;
6. Bozeman City Charter 2.01.030—2.01.060;
7. Bozeman City Commission Resolution 4250 regarding discrimination;and
8. City Sexual Harassment Policy,Employee Handbook,Appendix D.
9. Federal copyright laws and federal and Montana trademark and service mark laws.
A social media site shall not be used for internal department work product.
Security
The City shall ensure the security of its data and technical infrastructure in light of the new uses, users, and
technologies related to social media.Departments,boards, and committees must be aware that the use of social
media may provide an avenue to access the City's network without authorization to damage the City's network or
acquire confidential information. Departments,boards,and committees must educate their employees or members
about various attack strategies hackers use to gain access to networks, security protocols,and the care needed when
disclosing infornation using social media.
AT A MINIMUM,DEPARTMENTS,BOARDS,AND COMMITTEES SHOULD REQUIRE EMPLOYEES
AND OFFICIALS USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING BASIC
PRECAUTIONS:
• Read the published privacy guidelines of the social media service being used and take the time to
understand these guidelines. These documents will include the types of information that the services will
reveal or sell to other parties(including spammers). If the terns and conditions of these documents are
vague or objectionable, consult with the IT Department before using the service.
• Create passwords that use both numbers and Ietters,both upper and lowercase,and special characters for
added complexity. Don't share your password with anyone.
• After you type your email address and password into the log-in page,make sure the"Remember me" check
box is turned off_before yyou click the log-in button.
• Do not allow your browser to save passwords.
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• Always remember to log-out when finished using the Social Media site.
• Never use personally identifiable or private information on social media sites, such as social security
numbers,financial or health care information, or information involving trade secrets or individual
personnel matters.
• If a site is vandalized,discontinue the site immediately and notify the IT department. Indications that the
site has been tampered with may include alteration or removal of site graphics or logos,changes to
expected functionality, or unapproved content postings.
• Passwords to access social media sites shall not be the same as the employee or official's password to
access bozeman.net.
No employee,board,or committee may disclose confidential,proprietary,or other information protected by
law from disclosure.
All comments posted to any City of Bozeman authorized social media site are bound by the policies,rules and
regulations for that particular social media tool.
The City of Bozeman reserves the right to report any violation and take appropriate and responsive action.
The City of Bozeman Information Technology Department collects IP addresses,browser information,and similar
data as part of their regular server logs and web site visitation analyses using such information for aggregate
Purpose.
Public Records
Documents, media and communications posted on a City social media site are subject to State of Montana public
records laws and City policies and procedures regarding record retention. Any content in a social media format that
is related to City business, including a list of subscribers and posted communication, is considered a public record.
The Department, board, or committee maintaining a social media site is responsible for coordinating with the City
Clerk's office for the management of public records and for responding completely and accurately to any public
records request for social media content. Content related to City business shall be maintained in an accessible format
and produced in a timely manner in response to a request for public records. Wherever possible, such sites shall
clearly indicate that any articles and any other content posted or submitted for posting are subject to public
disclosure.
Montana law and City records retention schedules apply to social media formats and social media content. Unless
otherwise addressed in a specific social media standards document, a department and each board or committee, of
the City maintaining a site shall preserve records pursuant to a relevant records retention schedule on a City server in
a format that preserves the integrity of the original record and is readily accessible.
Comments
Users and visitors to City of Bozeman social media sites shall be notified that the purpose of the site is to serve as a
mechanism for communication between City departments and the public. City of Bozeman social media site articles
and comments containing any of the following content are prohibited:
1. Comments promoting or opposing any person campaigning for election to a political office or ballot
issues;
2. Promotion or advertisement of a business or commercial enterprise or solicitation of commerce;
3. The use of profane, obscene,threatening or harassing language;
4. Personal attacks of any kind;
5. Comments that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion,
creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, or actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity,
or disability as well as any other category protected by federal,state,or local law;
6. Sexual content or links to sexual content;
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7. Comments that violate the protected privacy interests of any person;
8. Comments advocating illegal activity;
9. Content that violates a legal ownership interest of any other party; and
10. Information that may compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems.
The City reserves the right to restrict or remove any content that is deemed in violation of this social media policy or
any applicable law. Any content removed based on these guidelines must be retained, including the time, date and
identity of the poster when available and only removed after the City Attorney has reviewed the content, determined
the content violates this policy,and approved removal.
Statement on Acceptable Use of City Social Media Sites
This section on Acceptable Use of Social Media applies to all City employees, officers, boards, and committees,
except elected officials (unless specifically made applicable to elected officials by Commission resolution) who
have been authorized to develop and maintain a social media site. All employees and officials maintaining a social
media site shall inform the public of the City's required standards of acceptable use of its social media sites. To that
end,the specific statement provided below must be included on all City social media sites.
Each employee or official authorized to manage a social media site is responsible for oversight of this Acceptable
Use statement for their managed site(s). Questions regarding technical compliance with this Acceptable Use
statement should be directed to the Director of IT. Ouestions regarding whether to remove a post or comment should
be directed to the City Attorney.
All City social media sites must include in a prominent location on the site a link, text box, or page that
contains the following Acceptable Use Policy:
"Acceptable Use Policy: Communicating with the City through social media enables you to contact the City in a
direct and meaningful way. If you wish to comment or post material on this site you do so with the understanding
that you agree to this policy and its standards of use as an initial and ongoing condition of your use
When engaging with the City of Bozeman through the City's social media sites,you agree to the following:
I. Every comment or posting you make to a City of Bozeman social media site is a public record and may
be disseminated, reproduced, or copied by the City or any other person without any further action by
the poster or without notice by the City of such. You agree you have no reasonable expectation of
privacy in anything you post to a City social media site.
2. Comments must be related to the posted topic for the City's social media page or post. The City of
Bozeman department and division social media accounts are not meant for comments that do not
directly relate to the purpose or topic of the social media website or for service complaints.For general
comments or communications concerning a department or division, please contact the department or
division directly by phone,email or in person.
3. Comments posted to these sites are monitored by City employees and, while comments will not be
edited by the City, a comment (or an appropriate portion thereof) may be removed if it violates any
part of this policy.
4. When you post you are subject to the policies,rules, and regulations (i.e. the Terms of Service(TOS))
of the host site. Information (photos, videos, etc.) you share with or post to official City of Bozeman
department, division, board or committee pages is also subject to the TOS of the host site and may be
used by the owners of the host site for their own purposes. For more information, consult the host
website's TOS.
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5. Comments containing any of the following forms of content shall not be allowed and maybe removed
by the City without notice to you:
a. Comments promoting or opposing any person campaigning for election to a political office or
ballot issues;
b. Promotion or advertisement of a business or commercial enterprise or solicitation of
commerce;
c. The use of profane,obscene,threatening or harassing language;
d. Personal attacks of any kind;
e. Comments that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, color,
religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, or actual or perceived sexual
orientation, gender identity, or disability as well as any other category protected by federal,
state, or local law;
f Sexual content or links to sexual content;
g. Comments that violate the protected privacy interests of any person;
h. Comments advocating illegal activity;
i. Content that violates a legal ownership interest of any other party;and
j. Information that may compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems.
6. Users are welcome to submit or post content, including photographs and videos, to an official City site
where the department, division,board or committee allows users to post content,the content meets the
standards articulated in this Acceptable Use Policy and pertains to the subject of the social media site.
Users may only post their own, original content. Reproduced or borrowed content that reasonably
appears to violate third party rights will be removed.
Questions or concerns regarding the City of Bozeman's social media activity, the City's social media policy and/or
this Acceptable Use Policy should be sent to itgbozeman.net.
This comment policy is subiect to amendment or modification at any time.
By commenting or 2osting material to any City social media site you agree that every time you visit this site
or any other City internet site you will be bound by the terms of this Acceptable Use Policy."
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