Little Ripper Gold Inc
SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
Policy Overview and Purpose
Social media is changing the way we communicate. Little Ripper Gold Inc (LRG) appreciates that participation in social media is growing and that there are benefits to participating in online communities including to update members, club functions and to promote the growth of the club.
This policy has been developed to inform our members about using social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc) so that members and/or associate members feel enabled to participate in social media, while being mindful of their responsibilities and obligations to the club. In particular, this policy provides practical guidance allowing all parties to benefit from the use of social media, while minimising potential risks and protecting those involved.
This policy assists to establish a culture of openness, trust and integrity in all online activities related to the LRG.
This policy contains LRG's guidelines for the members to engage in social media use. It also includes details of the type of action that LRG may take in circumstances of any breach of this policy.
In circumstances where guidance about social media issues has not been given in this policy, we suggest you use common sense or seek out advice from those who have approved this policy.
Underlying Principles
This policy complements LRG’s core values of TRUST, RESPECT and HUMILITY.
The Chairperson is responsible for all matters related to this policy.
Who Does This Policy Apply To?
This policy applies to all persons who are involved with the activities of LRG, whether they are in a paid or unpaid/voluntary capacity. For the avoidance of any doubt, this policy applies to all of the following persons involved with LRG:
1. members; persons appointed or elected to committees and sub-committees;
2. volunteers for the Little Ripper Gold Inc;
3. affiliated associations and clubs.
What is Social Media?
Social media refers to any online tools or functions that allow people to communicate and/or share content via the internet.
This social media policy applies to platforms including, but not limited to:
1. Social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, Yammer, etc)
2. Video and photo sharing websites or apps (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, Flickr, Vine, etc)
3. Blogs and micro-blogging platforms (e.g. Tumblr, Wordpress, Blogger, etc) Review sites (e.g. Yelp, Urban Spoon, etc)
4. Live broadcasting apps (e.g. Periscope, Meerkat, Facebook Mentions, etc)
5. Podcasting (e.g. iTunes, Stitcher, Sound cloud, etc) Geo-spatial tagging (e.g. Foursquare, etc)
6. Online encyclopedias (e.g. Wikipedia, etc)
7. Instant messaging (e.g. SMS, Skype, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Viber, etc)
8. Online multiplayer gaming platforms (e.g. World of Warcraft, Second life, Xbox Live, etc)
9. Online voting or polls
10. Public and private online forums and discussion boards (e.g. Google Groups)
11. Any other online technologies that allow individual users to upload and share content
12. Any other services that would reasonably fall within the common understanding of the umbrella term "social media", including as they develop in the future
When Is This Policy Applicable?
This policy is applicable when using social media as:
1. an officially designated individual representing LRG on social media; and
2. if you are posting content on social media in relation to LRG, that might affect The Club’s interests, business, products, services, events, sponsors, members or reputation.
NOTE:
LRG recognises that you may participate in social media in your own time. This policy does not apply to the personal use of social media where it is not related to or there is no reference to LRG or its business, participants, products, services, events, sponsors, members or reputation. However, any misuse by you of social media in a manner that does not directly refer to LRG may still be regulated by other policies, rules or regulations of LRG.
All LRG members accessing the private member's group, must only use 1 (one) Facebook account. Multiple Facebook profiles are not acceptable and any member found to breach this, will face disciplinary action.
Using Social Media In An Official Capacity
You must be authorised by the Chairperson before engaging in social media as a representative of LRG.
As a part of the LRG community, you are an extension of the LRG brand.
As such, the boundaries between when you are representing yourself and when you are representing LRG can often be blurred. This becomes even more of an issue as you increase your profile or position within LRG. Therefore, it is important that you represent both yourself and LRG appropriately online at all times.
Guidelines
You must adhere to the following guidelines when using social media related to LRG or its business, products, participants, services, events, sponsors, members or reputation.
1. Use Common Sense
Whenever you are unsure as to whether or not the content you wish to share is appropriate, seek advice from others before doing so or refrain from sharing the content to be on the safe side.
When using social media, the lines between public and private, personal and professional, may be blurred. Remember, you are an ambassador for LRG.
2. Protecting Your Privacy
Be smart about protecting yourself and your privacy.
When posting content online there is potential for content to become publicly available through a variety of means, even if it was intended to be shared privately. Therefore, you should refrain from posting any content online that you would not be happy for anyone to see, even if you feel confident that a particular individual would never see it.
Where possible, privacy settings on social media platforms should be set to limit access. You should also be cautious about disclosing your personal details.
3. Honesty
Your honesty—or dishonesty—may be quickly noticed in the social media environment. Do not say anything that is dishonest, untrue or misleading. If you are unsure, check the source and the facts before uploading or posting anything. LRG recommends erring on the side of caution – if in doubt, do not post or upload.
Do not post anonymously, using pseudonyms or false screen names. Be transparent and honest. Use your real name, be clear about who you are and identify any affiliations you have.
If you have a vested interest in something you are discussing, point it out. If you make an endorsement or recommendation about something you are affiliated with, or have a close relationship with, you must disclose that affiliation.
The web is not anonymous. You should assume that all information posted online can be traced back to you. You are accountable for your actions both on and offline, including the information you post via your personal social media accounts.
4. Use of Disclaimers
Wherever practical, include a prominent disclaimer stating who you are affiliated with (e.g. member of LRG) and that anything you publish is your personal opinion and that you are not speaking officially. This is good practice and is encouraged, but don't count on it to avoid trouble as it may not have legal effect.
5. Respect Confidentiality and Sensitivity
When using social media, you must protect and maintain the confidentiality of LRG’s confidential information. This includes information that is not publicly accessible, widely known, or not expected to be shared outside of LRG.
For the avoidance of any doubt, the confidential information of LRG includes all information which has been specifically designated as confidential by the club, confidential know-how, information about proposals, plans, litigation, unreleased product information and unpublished details about our practices, financial information and Club secrets.
Remember, if you are online, you are on the record—much of the content posted online is public and searchable.
Within the scope of your authorisation by LRG, it is perfectly acceptable to talk about LRG and have a dialogue with the community, but it is not okay to publish confidential information of LRG.
When using social media you should be considerate to others and should not post information when you have been asked not to, or where consent has not been sought and given. You must also remove information about another person if that person asks you to do so.
Permission should always be sought if the use or publication of information is not incidental, but directly related to an individual. This is particularly relevant to publishing any information regarding minors. In such circumstances, parental or guardian consent is mandatory.
If you are uncertain about whether information is confidential information, you must immediately ask those who have approved this policy. Until you receive an answer you must treat that information as confidential information.
6. Gaining Permission When Publishing a Person’s Identifiable Image
You must obtain express permission from an individual to use a direct, clearly identifiable image of that person.
You should also refrain from posting any information or photos of a sensitive nature. This could include accidents, incidents or controversial behaviour.
In every instance, you need to have consent of the owner of copyright in the image.
7. Complying With Applicable Laws
Do not post or link to content that contains illegal or indecent content, including defamatory, vilifying or misleading and deceptive content.
8. Abiding By Copyright Laws
It is critical that you comply with the laws governing copyright in relation to material owned by others and LRG’s own copyrights and brands.
You should never quote or use more than short excerpts of someone else's work, and you should always attribute such work to the original author/source. It is good practice to link to others' work rather than reproduce it.
9. Discrimination, Sexual Harassment and Bullying
The public in general, and LRG’s members reflect a diverse set of customs, values and points of view.
You must not post any material that is offensive, harassing, discriminatory, embarrassing, intimidating, sexually explicit, bullying, hateful, racist, sexist or otherwise inappropriate.
10. Avoiding Controversial Issues
Within the scope of your authorisation by LRG, if you see misrepresentations made about LRG in the media, you may point that out to the relevant authority at the club. Always do so with respect and with the facts. If you speak about others, make sure what you say is based on fact and does not discredit or belittle that party.
11. Dealing With Mistakes
If LRG makes an error while posting on social media, be up-front about the mistake and address it quickly. If you choose to modify an earlier post, make it clear to the club that you have done so.
If someone accuses LRG of posting something improper (such as their copyrighted material or a defamatory comment about them), address it promptly and appropriately and if necessary, seek legal advice.
12. Conscientious Behaviour and Awareness of the Consequences
Keep in mind that what you write is your responsibility, and failure to abide by these guidelines could put your participation in social events and other functions with the club and membership at risk.
You should always follow the terms and conditions for any third-party sites in which you participate.
13. Branding and Intellectual Property of LRG
You must not use any of LRG’s intellectual property or imagery on your personal social media without prior approval from the Chairperson.
LRG’s intellectual property includes but is not limited to:
confidential information;
1. trademarks;
2. logos;
3. slogans;
4. know-how;
5. concepts;
6. promotions;
7. documentation;
8. business method; and
9. imagery which has been posted on LRG’s official social media sites or website.
You must not create either an official or unofficial LRG presence using the organisation’s trademarks or name without prior approval from LRG.
You must not imply that you are authorised to speak on behalf of LRG unless you have been given official authorisation to do so by the Chairperson.
14. Posting on LRG's Facebook Page
All posts and comments made by LRG members on the Facebook page, are limited to 'gold prospecting in nature', in order to maintain the group's focus and encourage all members to participate. The idea is to help members have a better prospecting experience both socially and in terms of finding that elusive nugget or two.
Posts that don't meet this criteria will be removed by the Admins/Moderators and the member whose post is removed, will be contacted by a committee member to explain the reason for their post's removal.
Breaches of This Social Media Policy
Breaches of this policy include but are not limited to:
1. Using LRG’s name, motto, crest and/or logo in a way that would result in a negative impact for the organisation, club and/or its members.
2. Posting or sharing any content that is abusive, harassing, threatening, demeaning, defamatory or libelous.
3. Posting or sharing any content that includes insulting, obscene, offensive, provocative or hateful language.
4. Posting or sharing any content that is a breach of any State or Commonwealth law.
5. Posting or sharing any material to our social media channels that infringes the intellectual property rights of others.
6. Posting or sharing material that brings, or risks bringing LRG, its affiliates, its officials, or members into disrepute. In this context, bringing a person or organisation into disrepute is to lower the reputation of that person or organisation in the eyes of the ordinary members of the public.
1. Reporting a Breach
If you notice inappropriate or unlawful content online relating to LRG or any of its members or content that may otherwise have been published in breach of this policy, you should immediately bring the matter to the attention of the Chairperson who will ensure that all complaints are treated seriously, sympathetically and in as confidential manner as possible and active steps are taken as are appropriate in the circumstances, including to investigate and/or resolve the complaint.
2. Investigating a Breach
Alleged breaches of this social media policy may be investigated by the club.
Should an investigation into any complaint be appropriate, complaints will be thoroughly investigated fairly and impartially, and action will be taken to make sure that any misconduct stops and disciplinary action may be taken, if appropriate.
To ensure the maintenance of this policy, members of LRG authorise, acknowledge, consent and agree to submit to, and cooperate with, any audit conducted by LRG of any accounts (such as Instagram and Facebook), including by delivering to the club or its authorised representative, without any further demand, any and all usernames and passwords associated with any such social media account, where the club has reasonable grounds for suspecting that any applicable law or policy of the club, is being, or has been, breached.
No audit shall be conducted unless the alleged wrongdoer is present, except where the alleged wrongdoer has given their express permission for such an audit to take place in their absence.
If you are required to submit to an audit, it is by no means an accusation of any wrongdoing.
Where it is considered necessary, LRG may report a breach of this social media policy to the police.
3. Disciplinary Process, Consequences and Appeals
Action to be taken depends on the particular circumstances and can be dealt with either formally or informally.
Members of LRG who breach this policy may face disciplinary action up to and including termination of membership in accordance with any other relevant policy of LRG.
For the avoidance of any doubt, all relevant aspects of this policy apply to LRG policies, which operate in conjunction with this policy.
However, in the first instance, a member's right to participate in LRG's Facebook group will be revoked for a period of 7 (seven) days. During this 7 day cooling off period, the committee will discuss the matter arising from the member's actions and formalise an appropriate response, that will then be forwarded to that member.
Once the matter has been dealt with, the member's right to then participate in LRG's Facebook group again, will be determined by the committee.
Should you have any questions in relation to this policy, or have any doubts about the operation of this policy, please contact the Club Secretary.
