7/31/2019 MRC Social Media Guidelines
1/6
Medical Research Council
Using social media in a
professional capacity - guide
7/31/2019 MRC Social Media Guidelines
2/6
Introduction 3
Personal use of social media 4
Use of social media in
a professional capacity 5
Other peoples use of social media 7
Social Media Assessment Flowchart 8
Medical Research Council2nd Floor David Phillips BuildingPolaris HouseNorth Star AvenueSwindonWiltshireSN2 1FL
Medical Research Council14th FloorOne Kemble StreetLondonWC2B 4AN
Phone (+44) (0)1793 416200
www.mrc.ac.uk Medical Research Council 2012 Published in April 2012
7/31/2019 MRC Social Media Guidelines
3/6
Social media is a term used to describe web services and tools that allow you to interact with others in the
sharing of information, opinions and content. Some of the most popular examples of services are Twitter,
Facebook, Flickr and YouTube as well as more generic activities like blogging. With social media, the emphasis
is very much on building communities of interest and encouraging people to participate, even in small ways
such as rating content or commenting on blogs.
All information conveyed through social media should be considered public, and it should be assumed that
unless particular restrictions are put in place all such information could end up anywhere at any time.
This document is a guide to staff (including students and visiting workers) engaging with social media and
it is aimed at both new and existing users. It is appreciated that many staff have been active in this sphere
for some time in both work and personal capacities. This is not an attempt to control personal use of these
services. It is recognised that the blurring of the work and the personal space that is a feature of social media
can sometimes cause problems or conflicts of interest when posts made in a personal capacity are associated
with the MRC or mistaken for the official position on an issue. These guidelines aim to create an environment
that allows users to operate in their own best interests, as well as those of the MRC.
Staff should always be aware of their responsibilities to the MRC as outlined in the MRC Code of Conduct*
and any social media activity undertaken during working hours using MRC equipment should comply with the
MRC Computer Usage, Internet and Email Monitoring Policy.
*http://portal.mrc.ac.uk/ShortLinks/link.aspx?id=552http://portal.mrc.ac.uk/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_22751_16089_1725_3078_43/http%3B/portcont.headoffice.mrc.ac.uk%3B8080/publish/_
communities_of_practice/working_communities/information_security_group/info_sec_policy/policy_guidance/articles/computer_usage__email_and_
internet_monitoring_policy_1.pdf
7/31/2019 MRC Social Media Guidelines
4/6
Social media can blur the boundary between the personal and the work space. It is an individual choice; some
people like to keep separate accounts for their work and personal life, but many people do not.
This is not a bad thing at all and can help to build relationships by revealing shared interests and provide
welcome humour and informality. However, it can sometimes cause problems when personal posts that
maybe at odds with or critical of organisational objectives identified with the MRC. Blogs or websites which
do not identify the author as an MRC employee, do not discuss their work or the activities of the MRC and are
purely about personal matters would normally fall outside this guidance.
However, if you identify your employment with the MRC and regularly post on work matters or the activities
of the MRC in a public forum, you will be associated with and could be viewed as, a spokesperson for the
MRC, whether you intend to be or not. There is potentially a conflict of interest and, as an employee, you
need to take responsibility for that. The guidelines below relating to the use of social media in a professional
capacity apply.
MRC staff should maintain the same high standards of professional behaviour that is expected of them in
other public fora and should avoid any activity that could bring the MRC or its work into disrepute.
If there is any doubt, staff should refer to the Code of Conduct for clarification of the behaviour expected of
MRC employees.
Where appropriate, it may be useful for staff to publish attributed official digital content using their personal
accounts.
In this situation the following rules apply:
Official attributed content is subject to all the same restrictions and legal requirements as any online media.
Data protection, freedom of information, copyright, intellectual property and privacy requirements
apply to all our online media.
Staff should not release personal data (ie. telephone numbers, home addresses etc)
Staff should be clear that they are representing the Medical Research Council.
Staff should only cover areas in which they are expert.
Staff publishing in this manner should only do so with the explicit permission of the Head Office
Communications team and/or their Director (or equivalent). The Director must take responsibility
for the content.
Not all types of social media will be appropriate for the MRC employees to engage in. Users should always
seek to understand and evaluate the specific benefits and risks of engaging with a social media service and
make an informed decision about whether or not to proceed.
Twitter and the Freedom of Information Act
Recent guidance from the Information Commisioners Office has confirmed that requests for information
via Twitter should be treated as official FOI requests under certain circumstances. On these occasions
the requester should be contacted via Direct Message and further details obtained before all the relevant
information is forwarded to [email protected] to be managed in the standard way.
7/31/2019 MRC Social Media Guidelines
5/6
Write in the first person (I think...). These are your opinions, no one elses, and you take personal
responsibility for them.
Write only about what you know. You add value by contributing your views and opinions on topics you
know something about. You can potentially damage the MRCs reputation (and your own) by posting on
subjects where you are not an expert or are not aware of all the facts.
Adopt an informal, conversational style. Social media is a chance to engage with people on a personal level,
as if you were talking to them at a conference.
Be open and honest. Do not try to control the message. Admit your mistakes and reflect on them. Do not
try to bluff people - you will be found out and exposed.
Be respectful. Just because this is an informal space, offensive language, personal insults and otherdisrespectful behaviour are just as unacceptable here as in your work environment.
Think about whom you are talking to. When talking with bloggers and journalists via Twitter, Facebook or
other social networks, you should treat their query just as you would any other media call and contact the
MRC Press Office at the earliest opportunity - at [email protected]
Be constructive. People are going to disagree with what you say and may express that in many ways, from
the helpful to the downright rude. Rise above it and ensure your engagement is constructive and positive.
Remember, some comments are not worthy of a response.
Your posts have a long l ife. Be aware that anything you post in a public space will live there for a long time
and may be copied, re-purposed and redistributed in different contexts from the one in which it was posted.
Do not fire off posts in anger or frustration. Consider what you have written carefully before posting and, if
you have any doubts, dont ignore them; come back to it later or ask a colleague to check it. Remember, you
are personally responsible for what you write Other peoples use of social media
Even if you do not engage with social media yourself, you need to be aware that other people will be and
this could have an effect on you. You cannot rely upon people automatically to respect your privacy or to
understand the emerging etiquette of the platforms they are using.
If you are speaking at an event, formally or informally, or even in a meeting, people may be commenting
about what you are saying in the social media space in real time. Do not assume that off the record remarks
will not attributed to you and redistributed multiple times via social networks within seconds.
Matt Jukes, Digital Media Manager ([email protected])
Last updated: 25 January 2012
Review date: 31 January 2013
7/31/2019 MRC Social Media Guidelines
6/6
Social Media Update
Has a mention of the
organisasation beenidentified on the social web?
Is it positive?
Trolls is this a site/page/accountdedicated to bashing others?
Do you wantto respond?
Monitor Only
Avoid responding
to specific
posts but
monitor updates
Let update stand
Fix the Facts
Respond directly
with factual
information including
references
Share Success
Proactively share positive
stories with the updater.
Restore Reputation
Respond and
work to identify
a solution to issue
raised include other
appropriate staff
Ranter is update just a rant,
joke or satire?
Misguided is the update
factually incorrect?
Unhappy Stakeholder is the
update the result of a negative
experience from a stakeholder?
Final Evaluation decide to respond
based on present circumstances,
influence of the poster and stakeholderprominence. Will you respond?
Response Considerations
Transparency
Disclose your
MRC connection
Sourcing
Cite your sources
by linking torelevant information.
Tone
Respond in a tone
that is both personaland professional.
Influence
Focus on the most
influential users ofsocial media related
to the Council
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Top Related