06-24-14 Press Release - Supplemental Social Media Practices

Home Browse Search

Common , j Sth 1 i 1 NEWS RELEASE Date: Tuesday, June 24, 2014 .. From: Council Member Tim Scot Contact: 538-1936 Information and Technology Committee Chairperson Supplemental Social Media Practices and Guidelines Proposed Connecting via social media with residents, business owners, and individuals wishing to learn more about South Bend is not only valuable but a critical means of communication, as we work together to move our city forward. However, the risks are many, especially when the lines become blurred between what is considered public or private, personal or professional. Ever since early 2013 when individual Council Members began using Ipads, there have been policies and procedures in place which address city-owned technologies and Council Facebook Standards. In light of the ever-evolving social media technology, it is apparent that supplemental social media practices and guidelines are needed so that everyone understands their responsibilities when they embrace such technologies. I have therefore drafted and am recommending twenty-five (25) supplemental guidelines. They are written in a format which is used by many Fortune 500 companies. Topics addressed include such items as: take responsibility; assume everything you write online will become public; be honest and straightforward; think before you post; integrity IS a core value; be transparent; always be respect; know the rules; and embracing social media is a risk-based decision —just to highlight a few key topics. These guidelines attempt to incorporate"best practices"throughout. These guidelines have had the input from the City Administration's IT Division, and are now being circulated to all members of the South Bend Common Council, the, Department of Law and to our Deputy Mayor Mark Neal for review and comment. Ideally, the best local practice would be to have city-wide policies so that all individuals working for the City of South Bend have the opportunity to know what is expected of each of them. Ongoing training as upgrades and technology changes should also be a priority. In this way, the pitfalls and unexpected or unintended consequences related to the use of social media, can hopefully be avoided. The Information and Technology Committee will soon take action on these policies; and I will continue to work toward the goal of city-wide social media policies.