RFH YOUTH LACROSSE

SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

 

Policy overview and purpose

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. This policy provides practical guidance, allowing parties to benefit from the use of social media, while minimizing potential risks and protecting those involved.

This policy assists to establish a culture of openness, trust and integrity in all online activities related to Rumson-Fair Haven Youth Lacrosse (RFHYL).

This policy contains RFHYL guidelines for the RFHYL 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 RFHYL’s core values:

 

RFH Youth Lacrosse Mission Statement:

1. Provide a fun, safe, instructive, competitive environment for any boy in grades Kindergarten through 12th and any eligible girl in grades 5th through 8th who lives in Rumson/Fair Haven who wants to learn, and participate in, the sport of lacrosse.
2. Instill the core values of sportsmanship, commitment, team play and respect for members of your own team, coaches, officials, parents and opponents.
3. Educate players in the age appropriate fundamental building blocks of the sport of lacrosse.
4. Prepare as many kids as possible on a team, individual skill, and intelligence level to participate in the RFH High School program.
5. "Honor the game"

 

Coverage

 This policy applies to all persons who are associated with RFHYL, whether they are in a paid or unpaid/voluntary capacity and including:

• members of RFHYL, including parents and players;
• persons appointed or elected to RFHYL boards, committees and sub-committees;
• paid and volunteer coaches;
• referees, umpires and other officials;
• member associations
• spectators and family members

 

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, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, Yammer, etc)
• Video and photo sharing websites or apps (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, Flickr, Vine, etc)
• Blogs and micro-blogging platforms (e.g. Tumblr, WordPress, Blogger, etc)
• Review sites (e.g. Yelp, Urban Spoon, etc)
• Live broadcasting apps (e.g. Periscope, Meerkat, Facebook Mentions, etc)
• Podcasting (e.g. iTunes, Stitcher, Sound cloud, etc)
• Geo-spatial tagging (e.g. Foursquare, etc)
• Online encyclopedias (e.g. Wikipedia, etc…)
• Instant messaging (e.g. SMS, Skype, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Viber, etc)
• Online multiplayer gaming platforms (e.g. World of Warcraft, Second life, Xbox Live, 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 RFHYL on social media; and
2. if you are posting content on social media in relation to RFHYL that might affect RFHYL’s program, services, 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 RFHYL or its program, competitions, teams, participants, services, events, sponsors, members or reputation.  However, any misuse by you of social media in a manner that does not directly refer to RFHYL may still be regulated by other policies, rules or regulations of RFHYL.

 

Using social media in an official capacity

You must be authorized by the RFHYL board before engaging in social media as a representative of RFHYL.

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

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

 

Guidelines

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

 

Use common sense

Whenever you are unsure as to whether 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 RFHYL.

 

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. RFHYL 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 you are affiliated with (e.g. member of RFHYL) 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 RFHYL’s confidential information. This includes information that is not publicly accessible, widely known, or not expected to be shared outside of RFHYL.

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 authorization by RFHYL, it is perfectly acceptable to talk about RFHYL and have a dialogue with the community, but it is not okay to publish confidential information of RFHYL. Confidential information includes, but is not limited to, details about players, parents, teams, coaching practices, coaches, administrators and financial information.

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. (Parental consent for the use of photographs is part of registration).

You should also refrain from posting any information or photos of a sensitive nature. This could include accidents, incidents or controversial behavior.

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 RFHYL’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 RFHYL'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 will be bound by RFHYL’s Code of Conduct.

 

Avoiding controversial issues

Within the scope of your authorization by RFHYL, if you see misrepresentations made about RFHYL in the media, you may point that out to the relevant authority in RFHYL. 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 you make an error while posting on behalf of RFHYL 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 RFHYL 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 behavior and awareness of the consequences

Keep in mind that what you write is your responsibility, and failure to abide by these guidelines could put you and your players membership at risk.

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

You must not create either an official or unofficial RFHYL presence using the organization’s trademarks or name without prior approval from RFHYL.

You must not imply that you are authorized to speak on behalf of RFHYL unless you have been given official authorization to do so by RFHYL.

Where permission has been granted to create or administer an official social media presence for RFHYL, you must adhere to the RFHYL Guidelines.

Policy breaches

Breaches of this policy include but are not limited to:

• Using RFHYL’s name, motto, crest and/or logo in a way that would result in a negative impact for the organization, clubs and/or its members.
• Posting or sharing any content that is abusive, harassing, threatening, demeaning, defamatory or libelous.
• 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 RFHYL’s anti-discrimination, racial discrimination, sexual harassment or other similar policy.
• Posting or sharing any content that is a breach of any state or Federal 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 RFHYL, 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 organization in the eyes of the ordinary members of the public.

 

Reporting a breach

If you notice inappropriate or unlawful content online relating to RFHYL 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 a member of the RFHYL board.

Further information about reporting breaches:

• For a complaint about the misuse of social media relating to a match or competition that occurs either prior to, during, or after a game; refer to the Grievance Protocol specified on the RFHYL website- http://www.rfhyouthlacrosse.org/program-info/code-of-conduct/
• For a complaint about the misuse of social media that is general in nature and/or ongoing and does not apply to a particular game; refer to the Grievance Protocol.

 

Investigation

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

Where it is considered necessary, RFHYL may report a breach of this social media policy to the appropriate authorities.

 

Disciplinary process, consequences and appeals

Depending on the circumstances breaches of this policy may be dealt with in accordance with the disciplinary procedure contained in RFHYL’s Code of Conduct.

Members of RFHYL who breach this policy may face disciplinary action up to and including termination of membership for their player and themselves without financial reimbursement in accordance with RFHYL’s Code of Conduct.

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
• Employment laws
• Advertising standards
• Chilren's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
• Equal opportunity laws
• Contempt of Court
• Gaming laws