Connecticut State Dental Association

REQUIREMENTS FOR USE OF CSDA-ASSOCIATED SOCIAL MEDIA:

1. All social media sites or pages associated with the CSDA presence must be approved by the Executive Director.

2. To the extent permitted by the social networking site, every CSDA-associated page shall include an introductory statement that clearly specifics the purpose and topical scope of the blog or social networking page. Where possible, social networking sites should link back to the official CSDA site for forms, documents and other information.

3. All content posted on CSDA-associated pages must be related to the mission of the CSDA. The CSDA reserves the right to remove any postings to CSDA-associated sites that do not relate to the mission of the CSDA. The CSDA may authorize its employees, and volunteers as appropriate, to review on a daily basis content posted on CSDA-associated sites and, where possible, remove content that it deems inappropriate. The CSDA has sole discretion to determine whether content should be removed from social media pages associated with the CSDA. The CSDA will provide a contact on all CSDA-related sites to permit people to report inappropriate content.

4. The CSDA may authorize its employees, and volunteers as appropriate, to review on a daily basis content posted on CSDA-associated sites. The CSDA will respond to posts as appropriate, however, not all questions/comments will receive a direct response from the CSDA.

5. While the CSDA reserves the right to restrict or remove any content that it deems inappropriate, the CSDA does not assume any duty or obligation to do so. Because the CSDA does assume any obligation to monitor sites associated with the organization and because the CSDA may not be permitted to remove certain postings, employees, volunteers, and members should use these sites at their own risk, recognizing that comments posted by others on may be offensive or upsetting and the CSDA may be unable to remove them.

6. Only information subject to public disclosure can be posted. Employees and volunteers may not post anything that is confidential CSDA information or that provides personal information about any CSDA employee, volunteer, or member (with the exception of contact information for an event). Further, no one may post identifiable or confidential information about a patient, or confidential or personal information about any other person.

7. Certain types of posts are not permitted on CSDA-associated sites, including, but not limited to, those that contain:
a. Offensive or derogatory comments about the CSDA or any vendor, or any employee, volunteer, member, or other person;
b. Profane language or content;
c. Content that promotes, fosters or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, physical or mental disability or sexual orientation;
d. Sexual content or links to sexual content;
e. Commercial advertisements;
f. Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity;
g. Personal information about employees, volunteers or members;
h. Photographs or videos of any employee, volunteer or member posted without prior written permission;
i. Any comments intended to signal or to reach any kind of agreement with respect to prices, divisions of territory or patients, a boycott or blacklist of a particular vendor or patient, or an attempt to harm a competitor;
j. Any confidential or trade secret information belonging to the CSDA or any member; and
k. The CSDA’s logo or trademarks.

GUIDELINES FOR THOSE USING CSDA SOCIAL MEDIA:

1. Be mindful that anything you post online will be public and may be available for a long time. People can copy posts available on the internet and, therefore, they may be difficult to delete entirely off the internet. As a result, take care that any post is accurate and professional. When in doubt about the facts, don’t post.

2. Be aware of security risks while online. Be cautious about clicking on links, as you may be unwittingly infecting your computer and CSDA’s network with a virus. Do not download or install software that you find through social networks onto your work computer. Educate yourself (or ask an IT team member) about common social networking phishing and spamming schemes.
3. Identify yourself—name and, when relevant, role and contact information at the CSDA—when discussing the CSDA or CSDA-related matters. Do not comment or interact under an anonymous or fake handle/username.

4. Speak for yourself only. Do not speak on behalf of the CSDA without the express consent of the Executive Director. All other comments must include a disclaimer such as “the views expressed are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CSDA.” Do not create websites or social media pages/accounts that use the CSDA’s name or logo without the prior permission of the Executive Director.

5. Give credit when it is due. Be aware of others who may be blogging or publishing on the same topic and cite them when necessary, or give credit if your post is inspired by another blog or post. When you do make a reference, where possible, link back to the source.

6. Don’t forget about your job. Make sure that your social media activities do not interfere with your job or the CSDA’s commitments to its members, or create an undue burden on the CSDA’s IT resources.
7. Respect copyrights, fair use and the intellectual property rights of others. Posting copyrighted, trademarked or other proprietary material without the express permission of the owner is not allowed. By posting such material, you assume all liability for any resulting legal action. CSDA will not be held responsible in such cases.
8. Be advised that the CSDA considers personal and public websites to be public record and it may review public records of this type at its discretion. However, the CSDA assumes no responsibility to monitor, or liability arising from, the content of any such public records.

9. Employees and volunteers should recognize that there are various ways in which online activity can establish a connection to the CSDA:
(a) If you identify your affiliation with the CSDA (either directly or indirectly), anything you do or say – even if unrelated to the CSDA - may be perceived as an official position of the CSDA; and
(b) If you post with your CSDA email address.

QUESTIONS:
Any questions about this policy should be addressed to Carol Dingeldey, CSDA Executive Director, at (860) 378-1800 or cdingeldey@
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