Final Draft – Social Media and Online Participation – Supplementary Guidance

Guidelines for Blogging/Bloggers

1. If you already have a personal blog or website which indicates in any way that you work at DCC you should tell your manager.
2. If you want to start blogging, and your blog/website will say that you work for DCC you should tell your manager.
3. If your blog makes it clear that you work for DCC, it should include a simple and visible disclaimer such as “The views expressed here are my own and don’t necessarily represent the views of the County Council.””.
4. Find out who else is blogging or publishing on the topic, and cite them.
5. Don’t reveal confidential information. This might include aspects of DCC policy or details of internal DCC discussions. Again, consult your manager if you are unclear about what might be confidential.
6. You should not use your blogs to attack or abuse colleagues. You should respect the privacy and the feelings of others. Remember that if you break the law on your blog (for example by posting something defamatory), you will be personally responsible.
7. If you think something on your blog or website gives rise to concerns about a conflict of interest and in particular concerns about impartiality or confidentiality this must be discussed with your manager.
8. If someone offers to pay you for blogging this could constitute a conflict of interest and you must consult your manager.
9. If someone from the media or press contacts you about posts on your blog that relate to the DCC you should talk to your manager before responding. The relevant DCC press office must be consulted.
10. You are allowed to update your personal blog from a DCC computer at work, [ added 4th June] but should be in your own time under the DCC Social Media and Online Participation Policy.

Guidelines for Managers

1. Under these guidelines managers in each area will decide what is appropriate. They should not adopt an unnecessarily restrictive approach. Managers should ensure that any special instructions on blogging are reasonable and explained clearly to staff.
2. Managers should bear in mind concerns about impartiality, confidentiality, conflicts of interest or commercial sensitivity. In some cases individuals may be dealing with matters which are so sensitive that rules may have to be set on what they can and cannot talk about on their personal blog.
3. Those involved in media relations must take particular care to ensure that they do not undermine the integrity or impartiality of DCC or its output on their blogs. For example those involved in factual areas should not advocate a particular position on high profile controversial subjects relevant to their areas.
4. Use the privacy settings available – background information you choose to share about yourself, such as information about your family or personal interests, may be useful in helping establish a relationship between you and your readers, but it is entirely your choice whether to share this information.
5. Ask permission before posting someone’s picture in a social network or a conversation that was meant to be private
6. Don’t be afraid to be yourself, but do so respectfully. This includes not only the obvious (no ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, etc.) but also proper consideration of privacy and of topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory—such as politics and religion
7. This may amount to cyber-bullying and could be deemed a disciplinary offence.
8. It is not advisable to invite customers to become your friends in social networking sites for business purposes. There maybe a conflict of interest and security and privacy issues (see notes)
9. Use your best judgment. Remember that there are always consequences to what you publish. If you’re about to publish something that makes you even the slightest bit uncomfortable, review the suggestions above and think about why that is
10. Ensure that your entries, articles or comments are neutral in tone, factual and verifiable. In addition, there are usually guidelines in sites such as wikipedia on adding links. Read the guidelines carefully before submitting or editing an article.
11. DCC staff should therefore act in a manner that does not bring DCC into disrepute and should not post derogatory or offensive comments on any online encyclopedias
12. We should not remove derogatory or offensive comments but must report them to the relevant administrators for them to take action.
13. They may also need to seek advice from their line manager.

Guidelines for Social Networks, Discussions forums, wikis etc

NOTES: If you wish to use these platforms for business purposes such as participation, engagement and consultation with young people please refer to the “youth participation supplementary policy and guidance” on the source (intranet).

Guidelines for Video and Media sharing

1. Ensure that all video and media (including presentations) are safe to share and do not contain any confidential or derogatory information.
2. If the content is official and corporate DCC content then it must be labelled and tagged as such and must not be affiliated with an individual.
3. Individual work must be labelled and tagged as such and where appropriate a disclaimer used.