City of Brookhaven Social Media Policy

INTRODUCTION

The City of Brookhaven Communications Department uses a variety of tools, including social media channels, to disseminate information to its stakeholders. Social media is an effective means of reaching our constituents where they are. Brookhaven’s social media channels include, but are not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Nextdoor.

USAGE

The City of Brookhaven’s Communications Department manages the City’s main administrative social media pages. Usage is restricted to Communications staff and their designees. These pages are utilized to extend the permeation of news releases, make announcements that did not originate in press releases, post photos and coverage of City events, share information from our partners (Chamber of Commerce, Explore Brookhaven, etc.), share critical information in emergencies, and disseminate any other information in the public interest.

Both the Police Department and Parks & Recreation manage their own Facebook, Twitter and Nextdoor pages and have their respective administrators. The Communications Department regularly “shares” information from these sites and has administrative access to assist in emergencies and/or as needed.

Any other departments or employees are prohibited from creating social media pages with City branding or on behalf of the City without prior authorization from the Communications Department.

MONITORING CONTENT

The City of Brookhaven welcomes discussion and questions on its social media posts and seeks to maintain appropriate and civil discourse. The City reserves the right to permanently remove user content that:

• Is off-subject based on the original post’s scope and topic.
• Advocates illegal activity.
• Promotes services, products or political content.
• Infringes on copyrights or trademarks.
• Contains profane, obscene, vulgar or inappropriate language, pictures or other materials.
• Contains personal attacks or promotes discrimination of any kind.
• Contains any pictures, materials or hyperlinks to any of the prohibited material mentioned above.
• Originates from fake, commercial or political accounts that are selling a product or advancing an agenda.

While the City of Brookhaven Communications Department strives to monitor content and answer questions posted on its social media channels, the sites are not monitored 24/7.

Any user content that is deleted will be preserved via screenshot on the City’s server in a designated Communications folder along with a note explaining reason for deletion.

ARCHIVING

Social media posts and user comments are not records of the City, and as such are not generally an apparatus for official public comment on matters requiring public comment.  The City of Brookhaven does not own or archive social media content, rather that is the bailiwick of the specific social media companies. However, most original content exists in a document form (for example, press releases, photos, graphics, etc.) and is retained on the City server.

SOCIAL MEDIA STATS

The Communications Department documents and monitors social media stats and trends yearly as part of a Communications Annual Report.

POLICY AVAILABLE TO PUBLIC

A link to the policy will be posted on the City’s social media pages, website and intranet.