Respect and Social Media Guidelines - Lamont County

Ceasing Communication(s) Policy

The municipal Facebook account is managed by the Communications team. We may occasionally use some automation, but intend this will not dominate the messages posted.

NOTE: Lamont County welcomes feedback and ideas from followers, but does ask everyone interacting on the Facebook page to be respectful. Personal attacks, offensive language, off-topic posts and spam will not be allowed and may be deleted. User accounts may be blocked following a "three strikes" rule—off topic, abusive, inappropriate or trolling posts will be warned (abusive posts will not be tolerated).

If you have a concern or question (e.g., a service request or to report an issue), please complete this through the website directly or through phone—as comments and posts may take longer to address or followup on (due to the nature of social media): https://www.lamontcounty.ca/service-requests.

Individuals who like/subscribe/follow our page, you can expect relevant posts covering some or all of the following:

• Updates/Posts/Alerts about new County and Council content (events, news, publications, videos, speeches, publicity campaigns, outages, road closures, etc.).
• Invitations to provide feedback.
• Information about Lamont County, community engagement and projects.
• Occasional live coverage of events (including partnership events such Facebook streaming with the Town of Lamont).
• Urgent coverage during emergent events due to inclement weather, or in the event of a crisis.
• Photos and sharing of Lamont County activities, events and general information.

Availability

We will update and monitor our Facebook account during regular office hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, and occasionally after hours if we are live posting an event or during an emergency (typically it may take 24-48 hours for reply). Facebook service may occasionally be unavailable/delayed and Lamont County accepts no responsibility for lack of service due to Facebook downtime.

#Hashtags, @Replies, Direct Messages and (Post) Comments

We welcome feedback and ideas from followers and will try to join the conversation when possible; and we encourage you to provide relevant comments and feedback on our posts (including liking and sharing). 

While we may not be able to reply individually to all messages received on Facebook, we read all comments, posts, @replies and Direct Messages, monitor relevant #hashtags and will ensure any emerging themes or helpful suggestions are passed along to the relevant County department. In the event of a major emerging or live breaking issue, we will respond to as many messages as possible, but we may not be able to personally get to all Facebook messages or comments directed our way. In this case, we will address major issues and themes to the wider audience.

The usual ways of contacting us for official correspondence are detailed in the contact us section of our website. 

The municipal Twitter account is managed by the Communications team. We may occasionally use some automation, but intend this will not dominate the messages posted.

NOTE: Lamont County welcomes feedback and ideas from followers, but does ask everyone interacting on the Twitter page to be respectful. Personal attacks, offensive language, off-topic posts and spam will not be allowed and may be deleted. User accounts may be blocked following a "three strikes" rule—off topic, abusive, inappropriate or trolling posts will be warned (abusive posts will not be tolerated).

If you have a concern or question (e.g., a service request or to report an issue), please complete this through the website directly or through phone—as comments and posts may take longer to address or followup on (due to the nature of social media): https://www.lamontcounty.ca/service-requests.

Individuals who like/subscribe/follow our page, you can expect relevant posts covering some or all of the following:

• Updates/Posts/Alerts about new County and Council content (events, news, publications, videos, speeches, publicity campaigns, outages, road closures, etc.).
• Invitations to provide feedback.
• Information about Lamont County, community engagement and projects.
• Occasional live coverage of events (including partnership events such Facebook streaming with the Town of Lamont).
• Urgent coverage during emergent events due to inclement weather, or in the event of a crisis.
• Photos and sharing of Lamont County activities, events and general information.

Availability

We will update and monitor our Twitter account during regular office hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, and occasionally after hours if we are live posting an event or during an emergency (typically it may take 24-48 hours for reply). Twitter service may occasionally be unavailable/delayed and Lamont County accepts no responsibility for lack of service due to server/network downtime.

#Hashtags, @Replies, Direct Messages and (Post) Comments

We welcome feedback and ideas from followers and will try to join the conversation when possible; and we encourage you to provide relevant comments and feedback on our posts (including liking and sharing). 

While we may not be able to reply individually to all messages received on Twitter, we read all comments, posts, @replies and Direct Messages, monitor relevant #hashtags and will ensure any emerging themes or helpful suggestions are passed along to the relevant County department. In the event of a major emerging or live breaking issue, we will respond to as many messages as possible, but we may not be able to personally get to all messages or comments directed our way. In this case, we will address major issues and themes to the wider audience.

The usual ways of contacting us for official correspondence are detailed in the contact us section of our website. 

The municipal LinkedIn account is managed by the Communications team. We may occasionally use some automation, but intend this will not dominate the messages posted.

NOTE: Lamont County welcomes feedback and ideas from followers, but does ask everyone interacting on the LinkedIn page to be respectful. Personal attacks, offensive language, off-topic posts and spam will not be allowed and may be deleted. User accounts may be blocked following a "three strikes" rule—off topic, abusive, inappropriate or trolling posts will be warned (abusive posts will not be tolerated).

If you have a concern or question (e.g., a service request or to report an issue), please complete this through the website directly or through phone—as comments and posts may take longer to address or followup on (due to the nature of social media): https://www.lamontcounty.ca/service-requests.

Individuals who like/subscribe/follow our page, you can expect relevant posts covering some or all of the following:

• Updates/Posts/Alerts about new positions with Lamont County and its relevant departments and partners (job postings/careers).
• Information about relevant engagement events or feedback requested.
• Information about Lamont County when relevant.
• Urgent coverage during emergent events in the event of a crisis.

Availability

We will update and monitor our LinkedIn account during regular office hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, and occasionally after hours if we are live posting an event or during an emergency (typically it may take 24-48 hours for reply). Service may occasionally be unavailable/delayed and Lamont County accepts no responsibility for lack of service due to network/server downtime.

#Hashtags, @Replies, Direct Messages and (Post) Comments

We welcome feedback and ideas from followers and will try to join the conversation when possible; and we encourage you to provide relevant comments and feedback on our posts (including liking and sharing). 

While we may not be able to reply individually to all messages received, we read all comments, posts, @replies and Direct Messages, monitor relevant #hashtags and will ensure any emerging themes or helpful suggestions are passed along to the relevant County department. In the event of a major emerging or live breaking issue, we will respond to as many messages as possible, but we may not be able to personally get to all Facebook messages or comments directed our way. In this case, we will address major issues and themes to the wider audience.

The usual ways of contacting us for official correspondence are detailed in the contact us section of our website. 

The municipal YouTube account is managed by the Communications team. We may occasionally use some automation, but intend this will not dominate the messages posted.

NOTE: Lamont County welcomes feedback and ideas from followers, but does ask everyone interacting on the YouTube page to be respectful. Personal attacks, offensive language, off-topic posts and spam will not be allowed and may be deleted. User accounts may be blocked following a "three strikes" rule—off topic, abusive, inappropriate or trolling posts will be warned (abusive posts will not be tolerated).

If you have a concern or question (e.g., a service request or to report an issue), please complete this through the website directly or through phone—as comments and posts may take longer to address or followup on (due to the nature of social media): https://www.lamontcounty.ca/service-requests.

Individuals who like/subscribe/follow our page, you can expect relevant posts covering some or all of the following:

• Video messages from the Reeve or designated individuals with greetings or updates.
• Occasional live coverage of events (including partnership events such Facebook streaming with the Town of Lamont).
• Posting of event content that is videoed, e.g., Open House or event messages and video sharing of Lamont County activities, events and general information.

Availability

We will update and monitor our YouTube account during regular office hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, and occasionally after hours if we are live posting an event or during an emergency (typically it may take 24-48 hours for reply). Service may occasionally be unavailable/delayed and Lamont County accepts no responsibility for lack of service due to network or system downtime.

#Hashtags, @Replies, Direct Messages and (Post) Comments

We welcome feedback and ideas from followers and will try to join the conversation when possible; and we encourage you to provide relevant comments and feedback on our posts (including liking and sharing). 

While we may not be able to reply individually to all messages received, we read all comments, posts, @replies and Direct Messages, monitor relevant #hashtags and will ensure any emerging themes or helpful suggestions are passed along to the relevant County department. In the event of a major emerging or live breaking issue, we will respond to as many messages as possible, but we may not be able to personally get to all messages or comments directed our way. In this case, we will address major issues and themes to the wider audience.

The usual ways of contacting us for official correspondence are detailed in the contact us section of our website. 

Background

Lamont County recognizes the use of social media is a viable means to engage colleagues, members of the public, residents, officials and other community/municipalities. The County supports staff use of social media to interact knowledgeably and responsibly.

Definitions

Social Media:
refers to a group of internet-based applications that promote communication among participants. Social media includes blogs, wikis and other interactive sites such as, but not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or LinkedIn. 

Terms of Reference:
refers to the requirements of use as outlined by the specific social media application.

Users:
refers to all employees, contractors and volunteers using the related social media accounts.

Lamont County staff are expected to behave appropriately on their private social media accounts. Staff should always be aware that their public behavior reflects on Lamont County, regardless of if they are acting on behalf of Lamont County or not. 

The Communications Coordinator acts as the official spokesperson for Lamont County and is responsible for approval of all external messaging, including newspaper, television/radio interviews, and social media posts.

Procedures

1. Users shall not disclose confidential or personal information as defined by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act without first obtaining written consent from the individual. The posting of full names, addresses, pictures, videos and audio recordings that allow the identification of individuals must have signed consent as per Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act.
2. Staff using social media shall comply with copyright laws.
3. Staff shall use their personal (non-County) email account when accessing or creating a personal social media account.
4. On an ongoing basis, the Communications team can provide training and guidelines on the effective and safe use of social media.
5. On an ongoing basis, Communications will monitor and assess the risk posed by social media applications and the potential effect on municipal equipment and data systems. Users will be informed when a social media site is disabled due to risk or threat to the system.
6. The use of Lamont County logos on social media sites must be pre-approved by the Communications team (for correct usage and consistency).
7. Should a department require a social media account, Communications shall, in addition to the originator, have administrative privileges for department social media accounts.
8. Standards for Staff:
   1. Staff shall set their privacy settings to the highest level of security.
   2. Users participating in social media activities shall adhere to the Terms of Reference for use of the specific social media application.
   3. Social media applications are public. Posts leave a digital footprint that cannot be erased. Users shall only post information that can be shared with friends, family, as well as present and future employers—and individuals should consider any possible implications before posting, sharing or commenting, especially if identifying or representing Lamont County in a posting.
      • Individual posts are a personal responsibility and at your discretion; however, you should be aware, regardless of position or post, employees of the County represent the municipality. 
   4. Staff shall follow all rules and behavioural expectations and appropriate code of conduct when using social media.
   5. Inappropriate content may be followed up with Human Resources and if identified, should be removed immediately.
   6. Staff are not authorized to use social media to represent a department or the municipality without written permission from the CAO or department director  and Communications.