Social Media Policy

Purpose:

The purpose of this document is to provide guidance to any Mycological Society of Toronto (MST) staff who open, maintain and post content on any official MST social media sites as part of their duties. This directive provides the legal, policy, and institutional implications of establishing, maintaining and posting content on official MST social media accounts on behalf of the organization. Social media includes a variety of forms and platforms such as blogs, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and other similar services.

Definitions:

References:

• Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)
• Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL)
• Anti-Harassment Policy
• Code of Conduct
• Mission and Values

Policy:

1. Roles
   1. The Social Media Manager is responsible for the administration of the official MST social media accounts
   2. The Social Media Manager is designated by the Board of Directors (the "Board")
   3. The role of the Social Media Manager is to:
      1. Oversee, manage and maintain MST presence on all official MST social media sites
      2. Serve as the point of contact for communications between the MST and social media users
2. Responsibilities
   1. The Social Media Manager shall:
      1. Regularly post content to MST social media accounts
      2. Grow followers on social media platforms
      3. Ensure that any content posted on MST social media accounts complies with applicable legislation (e.g. PIPEDA, CASL), MST policies (e.g. Anti-Harassment Policy) and the MST Code of Conduct
      4. Ensure the accuracy of posted information and correct or remove any misleading or false content as quickly as possible
      5. Actively monitor comments and content from other social media users to make sure they follow the guidelines established in this document (See Content Guidelines and Etiquette section below)
      6. Delete comments or posts from other social media users on MST accounts which are not in accordance with the content guidelines
      7. Reply to direct messages and mentions from other social media users in timely fashion
      8. Seek legal, financial or other approvals where necessary before posting content
      9. Prevent exposure of the MST to legal liability due to posted content or links
      10. Co-operate in good faith with the Board to ensure that the MST has the ability to access and control all MST social media accounts and profiles at all times
      11. Observe due diligence to ensure that login credentials and passwords are not exposed to unauthorized persons (see Security and Ownership Rights section below)
      12. Comply with the terms and conditions of use of individual social media platforms
      13. When connections to other social media accounts are initiated by the MST (e.g. "friends", "following") it is the responsibility of the Social Media Manager to make a reasonable attempt to ensure that the other account is suitable in that it does not express values or post content which is contrary to the MST's Mission and Values. The Board shall have the final decision on the suitability of any social media connection.
3. Security and Ownership Rights
   1. The MST owns and has controlling rights over all the official social media accounts of the organization. As the exclusive property of the MST, all MST social media accounts, profiles, communities or groups will be retained by the MST upon the completion of the volunteer's term
   2. The Technical Director, the President and the Vice-President shall have access to current login credentials and passwords for all MST social media accounts and related tools and services at all times
   3. Login credentials, passwords and email addresses used for MST social media accounts and related tools and services may only be changed by the Technical Director, the President or the Vice-President
   4. Login credentials and passwords shall not be shared with any person without the explicit approval of the Board
   5. It is the duty of the Technical Director to change passwords as necessary, and to disseminate login credentials and passwords in a secure manner to authorized persons
   6. Email addresses configured in MST social media accounts, profiles and related tools and services shall belong to a network domain controlled by the MST (i.e. myctor.org). Staff personal, educational or employer email accounts shall not be used for MST social media accounts or profiles.
   7. Administrator-level access for social media accounts as defined by individual social media platforms shall be limited to the Technical Director, the President and the Vice-President
   8. Administrator-level access may be granted to other individuals designated by the Board on a case-by-case basis
   9. The Social Media Manager shall access individual social media accounts via a social media management platform service. Access to individual social media accounts may be granted by the Board on a case-by-case basis, if required.
   10. No new social media accounts, communities, hubs or other social media groups shall be opened or created without approval from the Board
   11. If any new social media account, community, hub or other social media group is created, it shall be created in such a manner that ownership rests with the MST
   12. Existing social media accounts, communities, hubs or other social media groups shall not be closed, archived or deleted without approval from the Board
4. Confidentiality and Privacy
   1. Any information confidential or proprietary to the MST shall not be posted on social media channels, including foray locations
   2. Content shall not be posted if it violates a person’s privacy or includes personally identifiable information (PII), unless:
      1. prior consent has been obtained from the owner of such PII;
      2. the information is posted automatically when certain social media sites are used, such as Twitter or Facebook alias; or
      3. a living individual’s name is posted in connection with MST events, programs and activities
   3. Photographic images of adult members of the public may be posted for non-commercial use if:
      1. the image consists of a crowd shot in a public place;
      2. the subject(s) featured prominently in the image have granted consent to use the image;
      3. the images were taken at an event that provided conspicuous notice through public announcements to the public that photographs would be taken and used publicly; or
      4. the subject(s) are deceased
   4. Photographic images of recognizable children who appear to be under the age of majority in the province of Ontario must not be posted unless a parent or guardian has given consent to post the image. Exceptions may be justified for non-commercial use of crowd shots in which children are present.
   5. All posted content shall comply with all applicable privacy legislation
5. Limitations on Social Media Activity
   1. The Social Media Manager and all other MST staff shall not post any content online in exchange for financial remuneration or any other consideration without prior Board approval
   2. Payments to social media platforms to boost, target or advertise individual posts ("sponsored content") shall not be made without prior Board approval
   3. The Social Media Manager or any other MST staff shall not make personal comments on behalf of the MST on any social media platform
   4. Content or comments referencing illegal substances shall not be posted
   5. The Board may impose other limitations or restrictions from time to time as necessary
   6. The Board shall have the final decision on the suitability of any content, post or comment
6. Content Guidelines and Etiquette
   1. Content or comments shall not be posted that are unrelated to the goals of the MST (as specified in the MST's Mission Statement and Values), or that is partisan or political, personal, contains personal attacks, is abusive, threatening, unlawful, harassing, discriminatory, defamatory, obscene, false, or infringes on the privacy or other rights of any third party
   2. Content or comments that violate the MST's Anti-Harassment Policy shall not be posted. The Anti-Harassment Policy shall supersede the Social Media Policy in the case of conflicting interpretation.
   3. Prior to posting content on an official MST social media account, the Social Media Manager is responsible for ensuring that the content is free and clear of any restrictions
   4. Political or religious messages or endorsements of political parties, candidates or groups, or comments that might construed as lobbying shall not be posted
   5. Express or implied endorsements or promotion of events, products, services or entities with which the MST is not involved or affiliated as an organization are not permitted without prior approval of the Board. When such approval is granted, a disclaimer should be included to indicate that the MST is not affiliated with the event, product, service or entity.
   6. E-commerce and promotion of MST merchandise, events, or fundraising activities, including donation requests that link to MST-approved donation forms are permitted on MST social media sites
7. Platform-Provided Discussion Groups
   1. The purpose of discussion groups provided by social media platforms as used by the MST shall be to engage members of MST and active users of social media platforms in discussions of amateur mycology and any other relevant topics related to the Mission and Values of the MST
   2. Administrators of discussion groups may be appointed by the Social Media Manager or the Technical Director
   3. Membership in discussion groups shall be through invitation or request only, where that option is provided by the platform. Individual requests shall be approved by a discussion group admin.
   4. The group admins reserve the right to remove any content that is not relevant to the group’s theme or the Mission and Values of the MST
   5. No hate speech, abusive comments or bullying will be tolerated. Any group member found incurring in such behavior will be immediately removed from the group.
   6. Discussion group members shall not use the group to target other members to join or patronize their business (e.g. via private message)
   7. Any posts or comments sourcing or selling illegal substances will be deleted.
   8. Any posts or comments containing personal or confidential information of members or information restricted to MST members such as foray locations will be deleted
8. Staff Personal Social Media Identities
   1. Information and communications published on the personal social media accounts or online sites of MST staff shall never be attributed to the MST or appear to be endorsed by, or to have originated from, the MST
   2. Unless approved by the Board, the personal social media names, profiles, handles or URLs of MST staff shall not include the MST's name or logo
9. Consequences of Breach

Any breach of this policy will result in disciplinary action, including dismissal, at the discretion of the Board. Staff may be subject to criminal and/or civil proceedings for any unauthorised content posts. Staff may also be subject to legal action for defamation or breach of privacy.