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CITY OF CENTER POINT SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

1. Purpose.

This City of Center Point (the "City") policy establishes guidelines for the creation and use by the City of Center Point, its departments, divisions and/or employees of the City's social media sites for Work­ Related Purposes (including but not limited to its Website, Facebook, and Twitter) as a means of conveying City of Center Point ("City") information to its citizens.

 The intended purpose behind establishing social media sites for the City of Center Point is to disseminate information from the City or about the City, to its citizens.

 The City has an overriding interest in deciding what is "spoken" on behalf of the City on the City's social media sites.

For purposes of this policy, "Social Media" is understood to be content created by individuals, using accessible, expandable and upgradable publishing technologies, through and on the Internet. Examples of Social Media include websites, Facebook, Twitter, Google, blogs, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Flickr. For purposes of this policy, "Content" includes comment, information, articles, pictures, videos or any other form of communicative content posted on City Social Media sites.

1. City Council Approval.

 In accordance with the aforesaid purposes of this policy, and overriding interest of the City in deciding what is “spoken” on its behalf, all Social Media sites for the City must be specifically approved by the City Council of the City of Center Point to confirm compliance with the general policies and content provisions hereinafter provided.

 General Policy.

1. The establishment of any new City Social Media site must be approved by the City Council while the day-to-day use of any established City Social Media site by any City department, division or employee is subject to approval by the Mayor or his/her designees. City Social Media sites shall be administered and monitored by a Site Administrator approved by the Mayor, with consent of the City Council. 

2. City Social Media sites should make clear that they are maintained by the City and that they follow the City's Social Media Policy.

3. Wherever possible, City Social Media sites should link back to the official City website at www.cityofcenterpoint.org or the department web page for forms, documents, online services, and other information necessary to conduct business with the City.

4. The City's Site Administrator will occasionally monitor Content on City Social Media sites to ensure adherence to the City's Social Media Policy and the interests and goals of the City.

5. Approved City Social Media sites must provide operational access for input, deletion or modification to the City’s Site Administrator or alternatively, the Mayor’s designee(s) to allow control over Content.   The City reserves the right to restrict or remove any Content that is deemed in violation of this Social Media Policy or any applicable laws, rules regulations or policies. Any Content removed based on this Social Media Policy should be retained by the Site Administrator for a reasonable period of time, as well as information about the time, date, and identity of the poster, when available.

6. This Social Media Policy must be displayed to users or made available by hyperlink to an appropriate location on the City’s website at  www.cityofcityofcenterpoint.org

7. The City's website at www.cityofcenter point.org will remain the City's primary and predominant Internet presence.

8. All City Social Media sites shall adhere to applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules, regulations and policies.

1. City Social Media sites are subject to Alabama public records and record retention laws, rules, regulations and policies. Any Content maintained in a Social Media format that is related to City business, including a list of subscribers, posted communication, and communication submitted for posting, may be a public record subject to public disclosure. The department site administrator will maintain records in accordance with Alabama public records and record retention laws, rules, regulations and policies.

10. Comments or other Content on topics or issues not related to City business or within the jurisdictional purview of the City shall not be posted and may be removed.

11. Employees representing the City via City Social Media sites shall conduct themselves at all times as representatives of the City in accordance with all City rules, regulations and policies.

12. This Social Media Policy may be updated from time to time and amended at the discretion of the Mayor with the consent and approval of the City Council.

IV.      Content Policy.

1. As a public entity, the City should abide by certain standards to serve all its constituents in a civil and unbiased manner.

2. The intended purpose behind establishing City Social Media sites is to disseminate information from the City, about the City, to its citizens.

3. Content perceived as containing any of the following inappropriate forms of content shall not be permitted on City Social Media sites and is subject to removal and/or restriction by the City’s Site Administrator, the City Mayor, or their designees:

1. Content not related to the original topic or to the business of the City, including random or unintelligible comments;
2. Profane, obscene, violent or pornographic Content and/or language;
3. Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender, physical and mental disability, sexual orientation, religion, age, family status, military status, or source of income.
4. Defamatory or personal attacks;
5. Threats to any person or organization;
6. Content in support of, or opposition to, any political campaigns or ballot measures;
7. Solicitation of commerce, including but not limited to the advertising of any business or product for sale;
8. Conduct in violation of any federal, state, or local law, rule or regulation;
9. Encouragement of illegal activity;
10. Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems;
11. Content that violates a legal ownership interest, such as, but not limited to a copyright, of any party; or,
12. Any other Content deemed inappropriate by the City.

4. Content posted by a member of the public on any City Social Media site shall be the opinion of the commentator or poster only, and publication of Content does not imply endorsement of, or agreement by, the City, nor does such Content necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the City.

5. The City reserves the right to deny access to City Social Media sites to any person who violates the City's Social Media Policy, at any time and without prior notice.

6. City Social Media sites are intended to disseminate information and not as a public forum for response to the questions or comments of citizens.  If the City’s Site Administrator, in the course of monitoring City Social Media sites, identifies content requesting a response from the City, that request will be brought to the attention of the Mayor and/or his designee(s) for determination of whether and how to respond to such a request.  

7. The City’s Site Administrator shall monitor Content posted on City Social Media sites for Content in violation of this Social Media Policy.

8. Content posted to any City Social Media site must comply with that site's terms and conditions, and the City reserves the right to report any violation of those terms to the Site Administrator so the Site Administrator may take appropriate and reasonable responsive action.