Ben Franklin Tuberculosis Clinic

Social Media Comment Guidelines

The City of Columbus’ social media accounts shall be closely monitored for appropriate conduct. Protective measures that adhere to the Records Retention regulations shall be taken when necessary. Social media comments shall be monitored according to various factors, including:

a. Appropriate Language

Social media comments and messages shall be monitored rigorously for appropriate language, so as to reflect a professional and positive image to the public. Profanity, sexually explicit and violent language shall be strictly prohibited in both user comments and the City of Columbus’ replies. Profanity filter settings on social media accounts shall be enabled where possible. Profane, sexually explicit and violent comments and messages shall be immediately removed by the Social

Media Manager or Designee(s) by means of hiding and/or deleting, blocking or banning offending users, if necessary.

b. Blocking

User blocking on the City of Columbus’ social media accounts is a measure to be taken in extreme situations and should not be taken lightly. Blocking of individual social media users shall be at the discretion of the Social Media Manager for such offenses including, but not limited to: use of profane language, personal or group attacks, spam comments and other offensive behaviors. In the event that a Designee encounters user behavior that may warrant blocking, he/she shall consult with the Social Media Manager for further guidance prior to taking action.

c. Criminal Activity, Emergencies and Legal Notices

Social media sites are not to be used to report criminal activity or emergencies and are not an official form of communication for legal notice, claims, etc., as individual accounts are not monitored continuously. In the event of receiving communications of a serious, threatening or violent nature, such comments shall be directed to appropriate department(s) and/or divisions, as well as local police when necessary.

d. Personal or Group Attacks

All persons shall be treated respectfully in their interactions with the City of Columbus’ social media accounts. To this effect, personal or group attacks via posts, comments or personal messages shall be prohibited. Examples of such behavior include, but are not limited to: discrimination of groups based upon race, color, religion, creed, sex, marital status and sexual orientation. Such comments and messages shall be immediately removed by the Social Media Manager or Designee(s) by means of hiding and/or deleting, blocking or banning offending users, if necessary.

e. Spam Comments

Spam commenting on the City of Columbus’ social media accounts shall be prohibited. Comments deemed as spam include, but are not limited to: sales pitches for products or services and comments promoting the personal interests of those commenting. Such comments shall be immediately removed by the Social Media Manager or Designee(s) by means of hiding and/or deleting, blocking or banning offending users, if necessary.

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