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

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South Bend Common Council Supplemental Social Media Practices and Guidelines Page 4 of 6 Poliev # 03-2014 12. Encourage readers to contribute - Multiple perspectives, additional knowledge and expertise should be welcomed. Acknowledge their additions. Focus on the constructive by recognizing and rewarding intelligent contributions. 13. Resisting temptation —Always resist the temptation to respond to those you regard as mistaken or ill-tempered. Spirited discussion is encouraged but always be respectful of others. 14. Don't reward disruptive behavior — Don't reward disruptive behavior with attention. Don't engage in any impolite dialogue with those who may challenge you or your work — no matter how rude or provocative they may seem. 15. Avoid defamatory personal attacks — Posting should not include defamatory personal attacks of any type. Particular care should be taken in responding to posts critical of specific news coverage or personal attacks of specific Council Members. 16. Participation and endorsements — Your simple participation in some online groups could be seen to indicate that you endorse their views. Consider whether you can accomplish your purposes by just observing a group's activity, rather than becoming a member or"liking" a page which the public can see what pages you like. 17. Quickly admit when you're wrong — We all know that mistakes happen. Ben Franklin once said "How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them". That was true back then and remains true today. Council Members are responsible for being transparent and open about their mistakes. They should also be quick to proffer new information that challenges or burnishes what they have posted on a site. Do not repeat the error, ever. If you realize it much later, issue a correction. Don't try to hide the error by deleting the original message and then reissuing the news. Many Twitter clients, for example, download tweets and store them on user's computers or hand-held devices, so they won't be deleted from someone's stream even if you delete the tweet. The same applies for Facebook. 18. Integrity IS a core value — Our ethical principles do not change, even as we work across multiple platforms and in differing media. The standards that guide our behavior as Council Members, including all of the regulations in chapter 2 of the City Code apply online, as they do offline. Social networks, blogs, instant messaging and online forums provide valuable links to the world around us; they enable us to strengthen our relationships with residents and business; and serve as an outlet to promote and distribute our work.