SocialmediaPolicyAndGuidelines - WhatDoTheyKnow€¦ · Web viewA Councillor Guide to Blogging...

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Approved by: Town Hall, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 7QF Date Approved: Tel: 01768 817817 Review Frequency: Annually Fax: 01768 890470 Responsible Officer: Anna Malina Email: [email protected] Social Media Policy 2011-2015 www.eden.gov.uk

Transcript of SocialmediaPolicyAndGuidelines - WhatDoTheyKnow€¦ · Web viewA Councillor Guide to Blogging...

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Approved by: Town Hall, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 7QFDate Approved: Tel: 01768 817817Review Frequency: Annually Fax: 01768 890470Responsible Officer: Anna Malina Email: [email protected]

Social Media Policy 2011-2015

www.eden.gov.uk

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English

You can get a copy of this document in different formats such as large print, Braille, audio, or in a different language by calling the Access and Diversity Officer on 01768 212268 or email [email protected] Media Policy and Guidelines

www.eden.gov.uk 2

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1.IntroductionThis policy covers use of Eden District Council’s social media platform. At the time of writing, social media used by the Council includes Blogs, Twitter and YouTube. Use of Flickr, Facebook and audio is under consideration, but is dependent on resources available.

The Council’s social media policy is for Council employees, Members in their official capacity and partners or other third parties (including contractors) working on behalf of the Council. Our policy must also be considered when Council representatives are contributing in an official capacity to social networking applications provided by external organisations.

The Council’s ‘Engage Eden Group,’ chaired by the Community Services Portfolio Holder, will review the Policy and oversee its development.

This policy describes what social media is and why and how the Council intends to establish and manage its social media platform. All staff and Members will be involved. The Policy will cover:

Overview of social media

Our objectives in using social media

Risks, problems and mitigation

Social relations

Publicity: Communications compliance with the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity

Good practice

Content principles

What users should do

What users should not do

Monitoring and evaluation

Social media auditing

Building knowledge

Guidelines

2. Social Media Overview Social media is a collective term for a variety of tools that can be used to create, publish and share content and conversations online. The new media – supporting use of text, video and pictures - is open to everyone. Many people, including those who have been seldom heard in the past, are able to see, comment on and collaborate in relation to themes of interest.

There are hundreds of different social media tools available, including social networks, blogs, message boards, podcasts, microblogs such as Twitter, lifestreams,

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social bookmarking, wikis and video blogs (Vlogs). Appendix 1 provides a brief description of commonly used social media and some of the terms associated with its use. The tools are usually free or low cost and very easy to use. This means there are fewer barriers to interacting and sharing content with a diverse audience.

Over 70% of UK households have access to the Internet, with over 75% involved in social computing. It is no secret that use of social media is growing and this trend is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. The speed of change is blistering and there has been rapid growth in the use of certain platforms. In 2011, Twitter claim to have 175 million users, stating also that 95 million tweets are written each day. This is a staggering 250% increase on the previous year.

A massive 96% of the world’s population under 30 (52% of the world population as a whole) has joined an online social network. Around 640 million people worldwide have joined Facebook, with 50% of them logging in on a daily basis. 30 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, etc.) is shared on Facebook each month, which is an average of 7 billion pieces a week. In the UK, Facebook has 27 million users. The fastest growing group using Facebook is women over 55 years old.

Flickr hosts more than 5 billion images. Moreover, around 3,000 images are uploaded to Flickr every minute.

Videos on YouTube have 2 billion views world-wide in a single day. In excess of 24 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute.

3. Our objectives in using social mediaThe growing use and widespread availability of social media brings new opportunities to communicate with the public and publicise information, and it offers a range of new ways to engage, interact and consult with people in Eden District to support greater mutual understanding.

When used in a sensitive and knowledgeable way within supportive conditions, social media will help Eden District Council build trust and strengthen its connections with local communities.

‘Connected councillors: a guide to using social media to support local leadership’1 argues that “as representatives of their local areas and democratically elected leaders, Councillors must take the lead in using the social web.

Use of social media will allow the Council to:

1Available at Internet site: http://socialmedia.21st.cc/wp-content/uploads/connected_councillors.pdf

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Have a more active relationship with the community

Develop a more ‘human face’

Engage with a younger audience who actively use social media

Make us more accessible to the whole community

Offer immediate communication/interaction

Be more cost effective

Offer opportunities for feedback from the public

Get our own message across

Provide live coverage of major events

It is very important that where social media is introduced, it is resourced and used effectively, flexibly and meaningfully. It is also important to ensure that use is balanced with our duties to service users and partners, our legal responsibilities and our reputation.

The key objectives of this policy are to:

Support a change in mind-set and help achieve more with fewer resources

Ensure processes and resources are in place to maximise potential of social media

Ensure best practice use of social media for publicity, public engagement and consultation

Ensure the reputation of the Council is not harmed through use of social media

Ensure that users are aware of, and fully comply with, all relevant legislation, policies and regulations relating to the use of social media.

Ensure that all users are able to clearly distinguish where information provided via social networking applications is legitimately representative of the Council

Ensure that we use social media alongside our website as the Council’s primary source of information for its services.

Ensure that social media is recognised by Council Members and staff as a legitimate and valid communications channel and correspondence received via social media holds the same validity as a letter, Email or telephone call etc.

Support and be consistent with the Councils IT Use Policy, Communication Policy and Consultation and Participation Strategy.

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4. Risks, problems and mitigationRisk MitigationCriticism from general public – use of social media may be seen as a waste of time/resources

Establish clear reasons for using social media, and make use of monitoring and evaluation to chart use

Technical security of the accounts and potential for hacking

Monitor accounts and restrict access to suitably trained staff only

Vandalism of content and unsuitable comments from other users

Be vigilant and check comments in social media accounts daily. Any unsuitable posts should be removed immediately

Inappropriate use by Council Officers/representatives

Ensure that officers and other representatives who want to use social media for Council purposes have access to clear guidelines for using it

The Council could be held liable for material published by its employees, Members and third parties connected with the Council

It is vital to ensure all those using social media for or on behalf of the Council are aware of this policy, best practice use and guidelines, and strictly comply with all relevant legislation and regulations listed in Appendix 2.

5. Social Media Relations‘Social media relations’ is essentially a discrete practice of public relations which involves influencing reputation through direct two-way interaction. The important element of this is the fact that the communication is two-way rather than only one-way flow. Just using social media as tools for broadcasting messages without being prepared to engage in a dialogue with recipients of messages misses a key facet of social media.

Not listening and engaging using social media can damage reputation. Evidence suggests that one of the strongest drivers of perception is word of mouth, particularly from trusted sources. Social media, and in particular social networks, provide the opportunity for word of mouth networks to function more quickly, grow rapidly and extend beyond the geographic boundaries that face to face networks experience.

Traditionally ‘conversations’ have taken place in the ‘real world,’ and the Council has not always been able to hear exactly what has been been said, nor has it had much opportunity to join in the conversations. Changing the Council’s ethos and using social media to engage in two-way conversations will help staff and Members interact with our local communities.

This is a big cultural step for those in the Council who are more familiar with traditional conversations, one-way or asymmetric two-way communications. However, in not overcoming fear of the unknown, the risk is that local stories discussed by local people using social media platforms will be picked up by local

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journalists and stories may then be written up in offline media before the Council has an opportunity to get involved.

6. Publicity: Communications Compliance with the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority PublicityTaking a constructive approach to developing social media will help support public relations. However we also need to ensure that all publicity and communication using social media is in accordance with the provisions of the law and statutory guidance such as the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity. Otherwise, such publication carries the risk of challenge and formal complaint.

Following public consultation during late 2008, the Code was annexed with new criteria related to publicity, including the use of social media. In line with changes to the Code which came into force in January 2011 and described in Circular xx/10 (Department for Communities and Local Government), areas such as public forums on the Council website will continue to permit the posting of material by the public, however, where this is the case, they will be supported by a robust system of moderation to ensure any unacceptable material is removed.

The guidance is grouped into seven principles that require the Council to:

Be Lawful

cost effective

objective

even handed

appropriate

to have regard to equality and diversity, and

be issued with care during periods of heightened sensitivity (such as during elections).

The Council must also consider how publicity organised using social media might contribute to the promotion of any duties applicable in relation to the elimination of discrimination, the advancement of equality bearing in mind new equality criteria introduced in 2011, and the fostering of good relations with local communities.

Where appropriate, our publicity may seek to influence (positively and in accordance with relevant law) the attitudes of local people or public behaviour in relation to matters of health, safety, crime prevention, race relations, equality, diversity and community issues.

Publicity about local authorities and the services they provide should be freely available to anyone who wishes to receive such information in a format readily accessible and understandable by the person making the request or by any particular group for which services are provided.

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It will also be acceptable for the Council to host blogs which contain links to an external site. However, care will be taken, particularly during the period before elections and referendums (purdah period), to ensure no breach of any legal restriction takes place. Hosting of material produced by third parties or on public forums which contain links to impermissible material will be suspended during such periods.

7. Good Practice Account Profiles

Members and staff who have social media accounts should ensure they have gained appropriate knowledge and understanding and have read the guidelines associated with the social media they are using.

Where the Council logo is required, it should be used in accordance with Corporate Identity Guidelines

Where possible descriptions should include a link to www.eden.gov.uk

Where appropriate, the departmental email address of the appropriate social media account holder should be included e.g for the Scrutiny Officer [email protected] or if a Councillor [email protected] Using departmental email addresses ensures that any correspondence is picked up during any periods of leave, particularly when mailboxes have been assigned to more than one officer.

Possible sources of content

RSS feeds from Eden District Council about news, jobs, events and blogs

Invitations to events and groups

Photographs and video footage from Council events

Videos created for Council services

Replies and responses to people’s questions and comments

Live coverage of events

Urgent and important messages and communications

8. Content Principles Varied – a wide range of content types should be used to retain interest levels

Frequent – updates must be made at least once a day. It is important that the channels remain closely monitored and are not left to become out of date.

Timely – posts should be about issues of relevance when they are posted or about events or opportunities coming soon. Posts can be set up for release at specific times of the day.

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Human – while RSS feeds are used, these should be mixed in with written tweets and replies, as a demonstration that there is someone behind the keyboard prepared to listen and respond.

Credible – whilst some updates may occasionally be more fun or light-hearted, they should also be concerned with something related to the Council. Links back to the website should be used as much as possible.

Corporate – social media is an extension of the Council’s voice, and must remain a source of official communication and public engagement at all times.

Short – Twitter has a character limit of 140 characters and while Facebook has no limit, messages should be kept succinct and to the point. Links can be shortened manually using bit.ly. Text speak should be avoided, unless absolutely vital to adhere to character limits.

9. What users should do when using social media on behalf of the CouncilDepartments, Members or other users acting on behalf of the Council may want to use social media to support their work. As a starting point, all users should consider:

Why they want to use it

What benefits they will get

How they will use it

What information they have to share

Who in the department is going to manage social media presence

How they will fit daily monitoring and updates into their work schedule

When these questions have been answered and goals clarified, users should develop a clear plan showing how use of social media will help to engage different audiences. The plan should highlight benefits and risks. For service departments, the plan should be approved by the Head of Service.

The rationale for using additional social media, for example, Facebook, should be taken to the Engage Eden Group to decide on resources and who is responsible for setting up and using the new media.

It is important to remember that Eden District Council’s reputation is heavily influenced by its people; and what is published will reflect on the Council’s reputation. In particular:

No-one should use social media for Council purposes unless they have gained appropriate knowledge, understanding and sensitivity and have read the appropriate guidelines, eg. A Councillor Guide to Blogging; Guide to Twitter; and Guide to YouTube available in the ‘Guidelines’ section of this policy.

Anything posted should respect copyright and be consistent with the relevant

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legislation and rules (listed in Appendix 2). It is the responsibility of the employee to make sure that they are familiar with how these apply to social media. If in doubt, employees should consult with their line manager.

Council employees and Members who use social media for personal reasons should be aware that the content they post could be construed as relevant to their employment, duties or responsibilities at Eden District Council.

o Employees should not write or report on conversations, meetings or matters that are meant to be private or internal to Eden District Council

o Unauthorised disclosure of confidential information would constitute misconduct/gross misconduct in accordance with the Council’s disciplinary policy.

o Employees should not cite or reference customers, partners or suppliers without their written approval.

Users should also: o Provide worthwhile information and perspectiveo Be aware that content on social media sites may be subject to

Freedom of Information requests.o Disclose their name and role within the Council when discussing the

Council or Council related matters.o Take personal responsibility for the content the publish on Council

blogs, wikis or any other form of user-generated mediao Be personally liable for any unauthorised, inappropriate or illegal use of

social mediao Be mindful that what they publish will be public for a long time and

cannot be retracted once published.o Make sure that professional use of social media adds value to the

environment in which they are participating and to the Council’s delivery of services to Eden residents.

o Ensure that their use of social media is consistent with the Council’s IT Use Policy

Sickness and Leave cover

Arrangements for the management of sites and monitoring must be made to cover the event of employees leaving, being on annual leave or being sick.

Tone of Voice

While use of social media may appear to be anonymous, it is essential to remember that voices are corporate on behalf of the Council

The social media accounts are an extension of the website, so the tone must reflect this and messages must remain corporate.

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appear overly formal. Messages or comments directed at specific users can be more conversational.

10. What users should not do when using social media on behalf of the Council

Users must not use social media to comment on matters of policy that are restricted to those employees who have been identified as media spokespeople.

Users must not use social media to make defamatory or negative comments about Eden District Council, its Officers and Members, or publish content that may result in breaches of copyrights, data protection or other claims for damages. This includes but is not limited to material of an illegal, sexual or offensive nature that may bring the Council into disrepute. If these rules are broken, disciplinary action may be taken against the individual(s) concerned or legal action may be initiated on a collective or individual basis.

Users must not use social media for party political purposes or specific political campaigning purposes.

Users must not use social media in an abusive or hateful manner.

Staff must not use social media for their own purposes in work time.

11. Monitoring and evaluationIt is clear that social media is a continuously growing trend that needs to be closely monitored and evaluated. An Equality Impact Assessment accompanies the Policy to make sure steps are taken to recognise the diverse needs of different groups and ensure everyone in the community is included.

It will also be important for all Eden Council Officers and Members using social media to monitor their own use of social media and for the Engage Eden Group to review and evaluate outcomes.

The following questions will help guide the monitoring process.

Blogs

Who and how many people link to the blog?

Do people appear to be authentically engaged?

Are there any comments or questions; if so, are they followed up?

Is information about the blogger available and is there an email address for contacting the blogger?

Is a photograph or a video of the blogger available?

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Is an RSS feed available to allow readers to stay in touch and become regular visitors?

Is the blog well written in terms of flow and idea development, and is it relevant?

Is the tone stiff, does it read like a marketing brochure, or is it friendly and conversational?

Is the blog self promotional?

Does the blogger share links to others?

YouTube

Number of views

Number of Comments

Tone/sentiment of comments

Twitter

Number of followers

Number of @replies

Number of retweets

Number of direct messages

Tone/sentiment of tweets

Number of Twitter users directed to eden.gov.uk (through Google Analytics)

Tracking of shortened weblinks created by MediaFunnel

12. Social media auditingA proactive approach to developing social media involves deploying a planned approach to online public relations with specific objectives, target audience and messages. It also involves developing a good understanding of the environment in which the Council is operating. Conducting an audit of the local internet scene involves research into local websites and local presences on key social media platforms. The main purpose of regular audits is to identify key influencers and networks that exist online and that relate to Eden District, bearing in mind they can change fairly quickly.

There are a number of free services that can be used to support a basic online/social media audit:

Google Alerts2 – particularly good for “normal” websites, blogs and online news

2 Google Alerts at: http://www.google.com/alerts

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sites. Provides web interface, email alerts and RSS feeds.

Twitter Search3 – keyword and advanced search of Twitter messages. Provides web interface and RSS feeds. Tweetbeep4 is good for email alerts.

Facebook search5 – search people, pages, groups and places. Main issue here is that I haven’t yet found a reliable alerting system for Facebook so regular manual searching seems like the only option (this is probably because FB want to keep people on their site as much as possible – so search results aren’t exposed much through the site API).

Backtype6 – good for tracking conversations in comments on blogs. Email alerts only, no RSS.

Technorati7 – blog-focussed. Used to be one of my favourites, but doesn’t seem to pick up keywords as quickly/widely as Google Alerts on blogs now. Web based search and RSS feeds available.

Icerocket8 – quite a broad search engine, but particularly useful as it includes

MySpace9 results. Web based search and RSS feeds available.

Socialmention10 – billed as “Google Alerts for social media”, this sites covers a broad range of social media properties, including bookmarks. Offers web-based search interface, RSS feeds, email alerts and downloadable results. Also has some sentiment and other metrics.

Social media firehose11 – a raw Yahoo Pipes mash-up allowing search of a many different social media sites effectively. Web-based search, RSS, email alerts and other options available.

Nielsen Blogpulse12 – blog-focussed, but with plenty of other analytics. Includes RSS feeds and email alerts.

BoardReader13 – forum-focussed search engine. Offers RSS feed and email alerts.

3 Twitter Search at: http://search.twitter.com/

4 Twitbeep at: http://tweetbeep.com/

5 Facebook Search at: http://www.facebook.com/search.php

6 Backtype at: http://www.backtype.com/

7 Technorati at: http://technorati.com/

8 Icerocket at: http://www.icerocket.com/

9 MySpace at: http://www.myspace.com/

10 Socialmention at: http://socialmention.com/

11 Social media firehose at: http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/pipe.info?_id=f1ae63990f6d5b9e48ce807a77bb9995

12 Nielson Blogpulse at: http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/pipe.info?_id=f1ae63990f6d5b9e48ce807a77bb9995

13 Board Reader at: http://boardreader.com/

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13. Building knowledge Several tools have been put in place to help deliver this social media policy. First, in depth descriptions of social media tools along with videos explaining how they can be used are available in the new media training wiki.14 This wiki can be used in self learning to build knowledge, understanding and sensitivity in relation to using social media on behalf of the Council.

14. Guidelines In order to choose the most appropriate tool or set of tools, think about the purpose – that is: what are the social media tools for and what blend of face-to-face, online and multi-media methods might be needed over the timescale?

In addition to the wiki mentioned above, several guides have been compiled to help support this social media policy.

A Councillor Guide to Blogging is in Appendix 3

A Guide to Twitter can be found in Appendix 4

A Guide to the Council’s use of YouTube is available in Appendix 5

These guides and any additional guides required to cover use of new tools will be made available via Sharepoint.

14 Found at: http://newmediatraining.wikispaces.com/

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Appendix 1

Commonly used social media toolsA blog (a combination of "web log") is a website where news entries are written in chronological order and commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. Bloggers can also add video (from YouTube and other video-sharing sites), audio (such as podcasts), and even embed documents in easy to read formats. A major feature of blogs is their RSS feeds, which allow people to subscribe to the content and view it in feed readers. Bloggers can also add the ability to subscribe to automatic e-mail updates via feed management services.

YouTube is a video sharing website on which users can upload, share and view videos. Anyone can view the videos, but users have to be registered in order to upload clips. The Council’s Corporate YouTube channel can be found at: www.youtube.com/edendistrictcouncil

Twitter is a micro-blogging site which lets users post short messages of up to 140 characters in length. Users ‘follow’ one another, which means essentially that they subscribe to a feed of their updates. All updates are visible in the Twitter public timeline, but there is also a direct message facility for private messages. The Council twitter feed is at: Twitter @edencouncil  

Flickr is an image hosting and video storage website, web services suite, and online community. Registered users can upload images for free, subject to a monthly limit, or pay for a premium service.

Facebook is a social networking site that allows users to create a profile and friend or fan pages. It is more appropriate for the Council to create ‘Facebook’ pages and invite fans. The site then allows the Council and its representatives to post photos and videos, create and join events and groups, write publicly on fan walls and send private emails on the inbox system. Rather than set up a Council facebook page and inviting ‘friends,’ many local Councils are now setting up separate pages for specific themes/developments/consultations

A few terms associated with social media

Blogosphere – the totality of weblogs or blog-related webs.

Chat – Same time (synchronous) web-based text interaction. Typically fast moving, chat can be used for large events where there are presenters and audiences, smaller group work meetings or social interactions, or small one-to-one sessions. Some chat applications can now integrate voice as well as text chat.

Comments/Commenting – (Relating to blogs) – “comments are a way to provide discussion on blog entries. Readers can leave a comment on a post, which can correct errors or contain their opinion on the post or the post’s subject” (Wikipedia).

Communities of Practice (CoPs) – Communities of Practice are groups that emerge around a discipline or problem – a work related subject such as ‘the use of

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social media by local authorities.’ They have no agenda and are defined by the subject that engages them, not by project, rank, department, or corporate affiliation. They are where learning and innovation can occur.

Crowdsourcing – refers to harnessing the skills and enthusiasm of all those outside an organisation who are prepared to volunteer their time contributing content and solving problems.

Culture – social media works well in a culture of open-ness, where people are prepared to share. For that reason commitment and attitude are important.

Facilitator – An on-line facilitator’s role is to help a group achieve their goals. Facilitators need to have a good grasp of the technologies used.

Log-in – The process of going to a website which requires the user to input a username and password to get access to that space. Most on-line conference spaces require logging in. This allows posts to be attributed to unique users and to track progress through the discussion space.

Lurking – Someone who reads in an online interaction space but rarely or seldom posts.

Mashup – Website or ‘Web 2’ application that uses content from more than one source to create a completely new service.

Multimedia – Multimedia includes digital photos; videos and audio recordings; interactive maps; online surveys; text messages; electronic voting; online discussion spaces and communities; serious games. Multimedia online allows the creating, publishing and sharing of multimedia through video sharing websites such as YouTube, interactive mapping sites, blogs and social networks.

Netiquette – The set of ‘online manners’ generally know as netiquette or etiquette on the net.

Networks – are structures defined by nodes and the connections between them. In social networks, the nodes are people, and the connections are the relationships that they have. Networking is the process by which you develop and strengthen those relationships.

Podcast – is audio or video content that can be downloaded automatically through a subscription to a website so you can view or listen offline.

Post – A messages added to an on-line discussion.

RSS – At its simplest a mechanism to allow you to subscribe to updated web content such as blog posts and forum messages and have the content delivered to you through a feed.

Seeding – Posting an initial message or series of messages in a discussion space to get the conversation started.

Social Reporters – A term closely related to citizen journalism, coined by David Wilcox to describe the role of reporting in digital engagement. An average person, formerly part of an audience, often has skills in using new media. As a result,

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members of the public with social values can take on an active role, as social reporters, in collecting, reporting, analysing and disseminating news and information using a range of social media.

Thread – A series of posts on a single topic. This term is used in a variety of ways. When the topic starts drifting from its original intent, people sometimes suggest starting a new ‘thread.’

Upload – To copy a file from a user’s hard drive to the web based interaction space, thus making the file available to other members of the online interaction space.

Web 2 – is a term used to describes blogs, wikis, social networking sites and other Internet based services that emphasise collaboration and sharing, rather than less interactive publishing (Web 1.0). It is often associated with ‘new-ness’ and the idea of the Internet as an interactive platform.

Wiki – A wiki is a web page – or set of pages – that can be edited collaboratively. The best known example is Wikipedia, an encyclopedia created by thousands of contributors across the world. Once people have appropriate permissions – set by the wiki owner – they can create pages and/or add to and alter existing pages. Wiki supports hyperlinks and has a simple syntax for creating new pages and cross-links between internal pages.

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Appendix 2

Legislation and Regulations

Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity (2001) – The Publicity Code provides guidance on the content, style, distribution and cost of local authority publicity. It also covers issues such as advertising, the provision of assisitance to others for publicity; publicity about individual Members; and the restrictions during an election period. Note the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity (2001) – A Consultation (2009). This consultation paper was one of a series consulting on a number of policy commitments set out in the White Paper ‘Communities in Control: Real people, real power. It sought views on the future of the Publicity Code and in particular on the code as an instrument for protecting public money while allowing Councils to issue effective publicity. See also the Department for Community and Local Government Circular xx/10, which refers to changes in the Code to come into force from January 2011.

Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulation (2008) – These regulations set out how commercial practices can be unfair through misleading or aggressive practices and lists 31 practices which are banned. Examples include ghosting (creation of fake blogs), falsely representing oneself as a customer and falsely advertising on social media sites.

In addition, Astrosurfing – the practice of falsely creating the impression of independent public support by means of orchestrated and disguised public relations practice (in social media via blogs, postings on sites and ‘amateur’ video) and Flogs – fake blogs by PR professionals that poses as a customer to promote goods of services are no longer permitted.

Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) – The ASA Code of practice has certain legal powers to protect consumers from new forms of social media. All marketing communications must be legal, decent, honest and truthful and if a complaint is made evidence will be required to substantiate any claims made.

Intellectual Property (IP) – IP includes copyright, trademarks, patents and designs. Before using any images, music, information of content, which is protected by P, permission must be gained by the publisher. Short quotations of text usually require citation. This may also include links to websites (check the website’s Terms of Use and Copyright section before making links).

Disclosure/confidentiality – employees and Members may have access to information which is confidential in regard to contracts, clients, customers, staff or other Members. Any disclosure of such information could constitute a breach of terms and conditions or of the Officers or Members codes of conduct.

Data Protection – Employees and Members may also have access to personal information which is subject to the Data protection Act 1998. This relates to data

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from which a living individual can be identified and includes photos and videos. Before any such data can be used in a social media context full written permission must have been sought.

Defamation – this is the act of making a statement about a person or company that is considered to harm reputation. It is written down (in print or online); it is libel and if spoken known as slander. Employers can be held responsible for something an employee or Councillor has said if it is on behalf of the Council or in Council sanctioned space.

Invasion of Privacy - This is a complex area covered by several laws, however, the Human Rights Act incorporates the right of privacy for individuals and companies. Practical areas where this could be of concern are disclosing information about colleagues on a personal blog or personal social network site and collecting information about visitors to your sites and using it inappropriately.

Professional Standards – Those PR and marketing professionals employed by the Council as employees or as contractors should be mindful that both the Chartered Institute of Public relations and Chartered Institute of Marketing have professional codes of conduct which relate to social media and that breaches of these codes could lead to removal of accreditation of membership status. Other Institutes may have similar rules.

Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity - Local authorities are accountable to their electorate. Local accountability requires local understanding. This is promoted by local authorities explaining their objectives and policies to their electors and ratepayers. In recent years authorities have increasingly used publicity to keep the public informed, and to encourage greater participation. Local authorities also need to tell the public about the services which they provide. Increasingly, local authorities see the task of making the public aware of the services available as an essential part of providing all kinds of services. Good, effective publicity, aimed at improved public awareness of a Council's activities, is to be welcomed. This Code is not intended to discourage such publicity. It provides guidance on the content, style, distribution and cost of local authority publicity. It also covers issues such as advertising; the provision of assistance to others for publicity; publicity about individual Members; and the restrictions during an election period.

Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (EC) 2003 - is a law in the UK which made it unlawful to, amongst other things, transmit an automated recorded message for direct marketing purposes via a telephone, without prior consent of the subscriber. It includes all electronic communications such as email or SMS mobile phone messages. One of the key points of this legislation is that it is unlawful to send someone direct marketing who has not specifically granted permission (via an opt-in agreement). It is unlawful to add peoples’ details to a database and offer an opt out after having started to send any kind of direct marketing.

ASA CAP Code – In the UK, the British Code of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing is the rule book for non-broadcast advertisements, sales promotions and direct marketing communications (marketing communications). The Code is primarily concerned with the content of marketing communications and not

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with terms of business or products themselves. Some of the rules concern the use of personal information in direct marketing. Editorial content is specifically excluded from the Code, though it might be a factor in determining the context in which marketing communications are judged. From 2011, the rules in the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing (the CAP Code) will apply in full to marketing communications online, including the rules relating to misleading advertising, social responsibility and the protection of children. The new digital remit will apply to all sectors and all businesses and organisations regardless of size and will ensure the same high standards as in other media and will cover advertisers own marketing communications on their own websites and marketing communications in other non-paid-for space under their control, such as social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

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Appendix 3

A Councillor Guide to Blogging

Introduction:Blogs provide Elected Members in Eden District Council with one of the most established and popular social media tools. The name derives from ‘web log’ and is best described as an easily updated web journal intended for public consumption. Blogs are almost always commentable, meaning readers can share their opinions about what the author has written. Blogs have been used by many Councillors in the UK, to share their views on public policy, share information about council services or issues of local interest, and canvas opinion. Councillors can put their own thoughts in writing and take it to the wider electorate through a personal blog. From there the electorate can interact with them and receive feedback on various issues. Most Councillor blogs have a personal feel with bloggers sharing some detail of their daily lives, for example sharing how changes in local services have affected them, how much they enjoyed taking their kids to the village fete, or sharing pictures of tasty local produce.

Using both offline and online approaches

Blogging is not a substitute for face to face interaction, but, like other social media, it can be used along with established methods to enhance community engagement. A blend of online and off-line methods will help the Council engage with all ‘representatives of the people,’ a key facet of the ‘Duty to Involve.’

Using blogs, Elected Members can take good news directly to people, publicise events, keep residents informed, make solid connections and solve urgent problems more effectively. Moreover, it is not necessary to rely on the local press to air views. Fraser Macpherson, a local Councillor in Dundee West End Scotland has had several hundred thousand hits on his blog.15

Examples of other Councillors who blog are:

Sean Brady, Independent, Formby Parish Council16.

Daisy Benson, Liberal Democrat Reading17

Mike Causey, Conservative, Waverley Borough Council18

Anthony Mckeown, Labour, High peak Borough Council19

15 Internet Site: http://www.dundeewestend.com

16 Internet site: http://www.formbyfirst.typepad.com

17 Internet Site: http://www.redlandslibdems.org.uk

18 Internet Site: http://www.mikecausey.wordpress.com

19 Internet Site: http://www.anthonymckewn.info

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Starting and using a blog

Blogging sites allow users to post text, video and photographs, and have a facility for readers to post comments. Starting a blog is quick and straightforward and can be up and running very quickly using free blog templates. Speak to the web team to discuss.

Before you start, it may be helpful to speak to Councillors who already blog elsewhere. Learn from reading their blogs and look at different styles to distinguish what might suit you best.

The great advantage of having a blog is that it is your own web journal, so the style and content posted is entirely up to you. However, most Elected Members who already blog tend to share views on various subjects affecting their ward. They often provide information on topical issues concerning the Council and they also use their blog to campaign and canvas opinion.

Your blog could give a local slant on national issues and is a useful tool for highlighting any positive work being done in the district or your ward. Even the smallest event can make for a good blog posting and generate good feedback.

Tips for producing a successful blog

Most Councillors who run successful blogs give the same advice – blog regularly and vary the content of the posts. If readers know your site will be updated several times a week, they will be more likely to come back regularly. Likewise, if the text is augmented with photographs and video footage, it makes the site more attractive.

Think very carefully before you write anything, and don’t post anything you wouldn’t say at a public meeting. This is crucial. While the content of a blog might seem to belong to you alone, nothing is further from the truth. Word spreads fast on the Internet and what you post will be there forever, so don’t post a rant you will regret. Use good sense at all times.

Remember also to take legal issues into consideration. Blogs are not immune from the laws surrounding areas of libel, copyright and data protection. (Refer Appendix 2).

It would be wise not to view a blog solely as a platform to air your own opinion. Listen to your electorate and use the blog to join in the real conversations that people are having. Members may find it useful to hold Q and A sessions with constituents, entering into dialogue and discussing their queries and/or concerns.

Maximise the exposure of your blog by incorporating an RSS feed into your site. RSS means ‘Really Simple Syndication’ and lets you subscribe to content updates from websites and then receive them in one place without having to visit the sites. It also means that your subscribers will be automatically notified when you update your blog. You can also link your blog to Facebook and Twitter (if you are using them).

The main message is take the news out to people and don’t wait for them to find you.

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The whole purpose of the blog is to ensure the electorate engage and interact with you. People will often visit your blog looking for advice or a solution to a specific issue, so make it easy for them to have a ‘conversation’ with you.

Your blog has to be designed in such a way that it is instantly recognisable. Constituents should be able to identify the blog as yours and your name, ward, position and party should be prominent.

Tell people about your blog and include the address on newsletters, emails and business cards. A photograph will also help. While the Council provides a link to personal blogs on the Council website, blogs are classed as personal sites.

Some bloggers use an alternative title but your contact details – name, email and phone number – should always be visible and easily accessible.

Moderating your blog

People may leave comments at the bottom of posts so be careful. If offensive comments are allowed to be posted, this can compromise your own position, so consider moderating comments before allowing them online. You could also suggest readers become members before commenting.

Other support and contacts

IDeA. Social media for the 21st Century: http://www.socialmedia.21st.cc/

IDeA. Connected Councillors social media guide: http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=17797214

Mashable: Blogging guide and news: http://mashable.com/tag/blogging

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Appendix 4

Guide to Twitter

Introduction: What is Twitter?

Twitter20 is basically a simple social network used by millions of people worldwide. Twitter has the ability to send direct messages to users instead of to everyone. The idea is that you broadcast to anyone who chooses to ‘foIlow’ you. Launched in 2004 as a micro-blogging service, Twitter enables users to send and read messages known as ‘tweets.’ These are short bursts of information made up of text based posts up to 140 characters in total. In essence, tweets allow the exchange of quick, frequent interactions, often about an event or what people are doing or have done. Often there are shortened weblinks to another social network, website or piece of information.

How do I set up and use Twitter?

The council uses ‘MediaFunnel’ as its Twitter ‘dashboard.’ When setting up for the first time, you will be asked to choose a username. Choose wisely since you are not able to change your mind later. The longer the username, the fewer letters you can type into the Twitter Update box, which means less space to give people your information.

Retweeting

You can delete a tweet but there is no guarantee that no-one will have seen it in the time it takes you to delete it. Just because it doesn’t exist anymore, does not mean there will not be adverse consequences because of it.

Retweeting is an integral part of the Twitter experience. The retweet (or “RT”) allows Twitter users to share the best links, tweets, and gems they find from others using the service. But for beginners, it’s not immediately obvious what retweets are, or what tools to use to make retweeting easier. Retweeting is how Twitter users share interesting tweets from the people they are following. They copy and paste the original tweet and send it out. To give credit to the original person, users usually put “RT” plus the originator’s username at the beginning of the tweet. Here’s an example:

- The Twitter user @johnsmith tweets: I just heard that the council is holding a public meeting about re-energising the town centre

- You retweet by posting RT @johnsmith I just heard that the council is holding a public meeting about re-energising the town centre

20 Twitter is at: http://www.twitter.com

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By using the “@” symbol and either retweeting or communicating with other people, you’ll have some of them responding to you, thus promoting your Twitter account to many of their followers.

Hints and Tips

If you do not intend to monitor your Twitter account daily, say so in your bio. Otherwise people may get annoyed if they are waiting for a reply to a comment.

If someone asks you to comment on a news story, refer them to the Communications Officer.

Avoid using text speak.

Don’t get into an argument on Twitter. If the tone of the discussion is going downhill, take it off Twitter and into a more appropriate channel such as email or the telephone.

People cannot send you a direct message unless you follow them. Therefore following people back will increase the chances of people communicating with you.

Be aware of other people wanting to pass on your tweets (retweet), so if you are posting news or information about an event try to keep it concise.

Bear in mind you only have 140 characters minus your username, the @ before it and the RT, which Twitter automatically inserts.

Spaces also count as a character, so if a retweet goes over 140 characters and you need to change it, don’t change the thrust of the message.

If you are unable to edit the message to make sense and you want to pass it on, it is usually fine to post the link in a new update and put via <username> where username is the person who originally brought the link to your attention.

If someone is asking for information, pointing them to a link which explains it in detail is fine. Not everything can be answered in 140 characters.

Be impartial if you are tweeting from a public meeting.

(N)Etiquette

Do not ‘spam’ people, for example, do not send six updates in quick succession when you can fit your message into one. The six updates won’t necessarily appear in other people’s ‘streams’ in succession. Instead, it is likely they will make no sense as tweets from other people may appear in between yours.

Do not butt into other people’s conversations unless you have spoken to one of the participants before. If you have something really important to say, send them a direct message.

Do not post too many updates per day. If you have a lot to say, consider whether twitter is the best communication channel to say it with.

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Do not send a batch of updates every morning and then say nothing again all day. People are likely to ignore six tweets from the same account assuming it is just ‘spam.’ You may want to use the feature on MediaFunnel to send your tweets at regular pre-determined times.

Never write anything in reply to someone if you would find it rude to say to them face to face.

Dealing with difficult situations

Engaging with people is always encouraged, however, if someone is spending hours complaining or asking inappropriate questions, Twitter is not the best channel. Ask them to either telephone or write to the relevant point of contact in the council’s service areas.

People may talk back to you. If you are comfortable answering their questions or dealing with complaints, then it is fine to do so. However, if not, refer them to the usual point of contact for such complaints.

Be aware that people you are communicating with may be dyslexic or not have English as their first language so try to be patient.

People will sometimes be rude. You do not have to interact with anyone making a racist or sexist remark or those being abusive. There is a block function on Twitter that can be used if necessary.

How can I promote my tweets and get people to follow me?

Essentially, Twitter is a shorter and more viral form of blogging, so many of the same principles apply. By constantly writing or tweeting about themes of interest, you’ll become known and more people will gravitate your way and ask to ‘follow’ you. If you already have a blog, then you can syndicate your posts on Twitter automatically.

The more you tweet about things of common interest, the more people will remember you.

If you already have a blog and contact information in your email signature, you could add your Twitter ‘handle’ to promote yourself. As a result, each email you send has potential to bring in another ‘follower.’

Use the Council website to promote your Twitter address. People who browse it may be interested in following you.

You can also promote your Twitter account on your blog by first putting your Twitter address in one of the sidebars and promote it discretely in posts every now and again.

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Appendix 5

A Guide to the Council’s use of YouTubeYouTube is one of the Internet’s largest and most popular video sharing websites. It is free so anybody can watch videos, upload their own videos and comment on other people’s videos. The Council has registered a Corporate Account and is able to upload video clips. Anyone with Internet access can view the videos.

The Council’s use of videos to date

A pilot video was produced relating to Skate Park events organised by Leisure Services. Feedback was given by those attending the event. Another video was produced relating to the Penrith New Squares public consultation. The video, transcripts and analysis of the feedback were taken into consideration in the decision-making process.

The Council has uploaded 17 additional videos to its dedicated channel at www.youtube.com/edendistrictcouncil

Two videos are extracts from a short film about stone axes, which is shown at Penrith Museum. Another video is a one minute Christmas message from the Council Chairman.

The remaining fourteen videos relate to public engagement and consultation. In one video, Cllr. Richard Turner talks about the draft Supplementary Housing Consultation. In another, Cllr. Keith Morgan, Vice Chairman of the Scrutiny Co-ordinating Board and Chair of the Eden Environment and Economy panel talks about the new Scrutiny Work Plan for the Council and explains how people in Eden can get involved in helping the Council decide priorities. In two other videos, students from Queen Elizabeth Grammar School (QEGS) give their responses and outline the priorities they consider important. Ullswater College students outline their views in another video.

Cllr. Holliday outlines the Waste and Recycling review and public consultation in another video. After viewing this video and considering other information provided on the Council website, pupils from Queen Elizabeth Grammar School and Ullswater College give their considered responses in another two videos on waste and recycling, stating what they would like to see happening.

Four composite videos containing thirty two interviews gathered at the Vitality of Penrith event were edited together and uploaded. Those attending the public event were interviewed by pupils from Queen Elizabeth Grammar School who had taken on the role of ‘social reporters,’ using the digital features on a digital camera and a lap-top with webcam set up in a video diary room. See Appendix 2 for explanation of the term ‘social reporter.’

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In another video, Cllr Keith Morgan explains the function of Scrutiny. In the last video relating to public engagement and consultation, Cllr Lumley talks about the Scrutiny Work Plan and invites local people to take part in decision-making.

In summary, video so far is being used in the following ways:

Providing information in relation to reviews, public engagement exercises and consultations

Gathering public feedback

Publicity and public information

These are innovative uses of video that support the role of Members and the work of the Council. Given adequate resources, the use of video can be extended further for use by other Members and Sections of the Council. Other possibilities in future surround the use of audio clips. However, adequate resources are needed to develop these opportunities.

Using the Council’s digital cameras and related equipment

The Council has a number of digital cameras and tripods that can be booked out using the IT equipment booking system in Sharepoint. The cameras can be used to help engage and consult local people. The Consultation Officer can provide help in using the camera and also setting up a video booth for use in public engagement and/or consultation. As mentioned above, young people from local schools have taken on the role of social reporting in past consultations, using cameras to capture interviews and collect public views. Please discuss with the Consultation Officer if you would like to use this approach.

In producing a video, first, consider the purpose and plan your video. Then use the video function on the camera to shoot the video. Often very short, simple videos a few minutes long have the most impact. In any case, limit your video to a maximum10 minutes length unless by prior arrangement with IT. Make sure you record only original content – no copyrighted images or music. When the video is finished, save it to a data-stick (which can also be booked out from IT). Resources are slim so it is advisable to shoot the video in one clip. However, if editing is required, please discuss your video plan in advance with the Consultation Officer.

The camera and any other equipment should be returned to IT as soon as possible and the data-stick holding the video should be passed to the Web Team, who will upload it to the Council’s video library. To satisfy accessibility criteria, the videos will also be transcribed. The text will subsequently run along the bottom of the video synchronously with the audio speech. Please plan enough time for these procedures to happen before the video is made public.

Basic shooting tips

Test the video function and sound quality; poor sound ruins a promising video.

Ensure you have spare batteries.

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Steady does it. To avoid camera shake set the camera on a tripod

Set the scene by choosing an appropriate background and interesting angle and make sure the lighting is appropriate

Re-assure the people who are involved in the video and encourage them to be natural while talking to camera

Create the video using the video feature on the camera. Keep it short and simple

If necessary edit using video editing software.

Get permission to use/upload public interviews

Explain to all those involved that the video will be uploaded to the Council website

Always gain permission to use footage which includes members of the public

Remember that parental permission in writing is required for anyone under the age of sixteen taking part in a video or audio capture

Inserting video in Consultation Database information and/or online questionnaire

A link to a video can be included in the information about a consultation exercise contained in the Council’s Consultation Database.21 The video link can also be embedded in an online questionnaire which can also be linked from the information in the database. Please contact the Consultation Officer if help or advice is needed.

Information and Publicity

A link to the video can be used on web-pages relating to the theme of the video, eg. a public event, engagement exercise or consultation. The link can also be included in paper and electronic leaflets and other publicity or press releases. Please contact the Communications Officer in relation to publicity and press releases.

21 Eden District Council Consultation Database is at: http://www.opinionsuite.com/cumbria/eden-district-council

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