Policy overview and purpose

 

Social media is changing the way we communicate.

 

This policy has been developed to inform our community about using social media so people feel enabled to participate, while being mindful of their responsibilities and obligations. 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 Nunawading Netball Club (NNC).

 

This policy contains NNCs guidelines for the community to engage in social media use. It also includes details of breaches of the 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 Nunawading Netball Club’s core values:

 

To encourage participation in the sport of netball as a means of improving health, fitness, enjoyment and quality of life.

 

We aim to achieve this by pursuing the following objectives:

• Providing a coaching program which guides beginners through to advanced players to improve their fitness, ball handling skills, competitiveness, confidence, teamwork and self esteem;

• Encouraging participation from families within the local community; Providing a motivated, forward thinking and cohesive committee dedicated to the attainment of the mission;

• Fostering an environment of friendship, collaboration and support between parents, players, committee members and coaches in working towards a common goal;

• Promoting of virtues such as respect, dignity and equality; and encouraging coaches, players and parents to be positive role models and team players, to act responsibly, to be positive in their outlook and to strive for excellence.

 

The President & NNC committee are responsible for all matters related to this policy.

 

Coverage

 

This policy applies to all persons who are involved with the activities of Nunawading Netball Club including:

 

• members, including life members of NNC

• persons appointed or elected to the committee and sub-committees

• coaches and assistant coaches;

• players;

• umpires and other officials;

• member associations

 

Scope

 

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:

• Social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, Instagram etc)

• Video and photo sharing websites or apps (e.g. YouTube, Instagram etc)

• Blogs and blogging platforms

• Review sites

• Live broadcasting

• Podcasting

• Instant messaging (e.g. SMS, Skype, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Viber, etc)

• Online voting or polls

• Public and private online forums and discussion boards

• Any other online technologies that allow individual users to upload and share content.

 

 

This policy is applicable when using social media as:

 

1. an officially designated individual representing NNC on social media; and

 

1. if you are posting content on social media in relation to NNC that might affect NNC’s competition, events, sponsors, members or reputation. 

 

NOTE: This policy does not apply to the personal use of social media where it is not related to or there is no reference to NNC or its competitions, teams, participants, events, sponsors, members or reputation.  However, any misuse by you of social media in a manner that does not directly refer to NNC may still be regulated by other policies, rules or regulations of NNC.

 

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Using social media in an official capacity

 

You must be authorised as the Social Media Coordinator before engaging in social media as a representative of NNC.

 

To become authorised to represent NNC in an official capacity, you must have a current Working with Children Check, have read and understood the NNC policies and refer to https://esafety.gov.au for up to date information, support and guidance regarding eSaftey.

 

As a part of NNC’s, community you are an extension of the NNC brand. 

As such, the boundaries between when you are representing yourself and when you are representing NNC can often be blurred. This becomes even more of an issue as you increase your profile or position within the club. Therefore, it is important that you represent both yourself and the club appropriately online at all times.

 

Guidelines

 

You must adhere to the following guidelines when using social media related to NNC or its competitions, teams, participants, events, sponsors, members or reputation. 

 

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 NNC.

 

Protecting your privacy

Be smart about protecting yourself and your privacy.  

 

When posting content online there is potential for that 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.

 

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. NNC 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.

 

Use of disclaimers

Wherever practical, include a prominent disclaimer stating who you work for or are affiliated with (e.g. member of NNC) 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 -– it may not have legal effect.

 

Respect confidentiality and sensitivity

When using social media, you must maintain the privacy of NNC’s confidential information. This includes information that is not publicly accessible, widely known, or not expected to be shared outside of NNC.

 

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 NNC, it is perfectly acceptable to talk about the club and have a dialogue with the community, but it is not okay to publish confidential information of NNC.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Abiding by copyright laws

It is critical that you comply with the laws governing copyright in relation to material owned by others and NNC’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.

 

Discrimination, sexual harassment and bullying

The public in general, and NNC'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.

 

When using social media, you may also be bound by NNC’s values / mission statement and Code of Conduct Policies.

 

Avoiding controversial issues

Within the scope of your authorisation by NNC, if you see misrepresentations made about the club in the media, you may point that out to the relevant authority i.e. President, Vice President. 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.

 

Dealing with mistakes

If Nunawading Netball Club 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 that you have done so. If someone accuses NNC 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.

 

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 appointment as the Social Media Coordinator at risk.

 

You should always follow the terms and conditions for any third-party sites in which you participate.

 

Branding and intellectual property of Nunawading Netball Club

You must not use any of NNC’s intellectual property or imagery on your personal social media without prior approval from the club / committee.

 

NNC’s intellectual property includes but is not limited to:

• trademarks

• logos

• imagery which has been posted on NNC’s official social media sites or website.

 

You must not create either an official or unofficial NNC presence using the organisation’s trademarks or name without prior approval from the club / committee.

 

You must not imply that you are authorised to speak on behalf of NNC unless you have been given official authorisation to do so by the club / committee.

 

Policy breaches

 

Breaches of this policy include but are not limited to:

 

• Using NNC’s name, crest and/or logo in a way that would result in a negative impact for the organisation, clubs and/or its members.

• Posting or sharing any content that is abusive, harassing, threatening, demeaning, defamatory or libellous.

• Posting or sharing any content that includes insulting, obscene, offensive, provocative or hateful language.

• Posting or sharing any content, which if said in person during the playing of the game would result in a breach of the rules of the game.

• Posting or sharing any content in breach of NNC’s Code of Conduct policies.

• Posting or sharing any content that is a breach of any state or Commonwealth law.

• Posting or sharing any material to our social media channels that infringes the intellectual property rights of others.

• Posting or sharing material that brings, or risks bringing NNC, its affiliates, its sport, its officials, members or sponsors 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.

 

Reporting a breach

If you notice inappropriate or unlawful content online relating to NNC or any of its members, or content that may otherwise have been published in breach of this policy, you should report the circumstances immediately to the club / committee:  

 

• president@nunanetball.com.au

• secretary@nunanetball.com.au

 

Investigation

Alleged breaches of this social media policy may be investigated according to NNC’s Code of Conduct Policies.

 

Where it is considered necessary, NNC may report a breach of this social media policy to police.

 

Disciplinary process, consequences and appeals

Depending on the circumstances breaches of this policy may be dealt with disciplinary action by NNC / committee.

 

Appeals

Any person who is sanctioned under a disciplinary process for breach of this policy may have a right of appeal.

 

Related policies

• Code of Conduct

• Child Protection Policy

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Other legal considerations that may be applicable include but are not limited to: 

• Defamation 

• Intellectual property laws, including copyright and trade mark laws, Privacy, confidentiality and information security laws

• Anti-discrimination laws

• Advertising standards

• Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006

• Information Privacy Act 2000

• Equal opportunity laws

• Contempt of Court

• Gaming laws