Social Media Policy

Last revised: April 2024

Summary

  1. Declaration and scope 

  2. Roles and responsibilities 

  3. Online platforms

  4. Security and account management 

  5. Posting and engagement 

  6. Bullying and harassment 

  7. Annual review

(1) Declaration and Scope

The purpose of this policy is to outline the responsible use of social media platforms and online communications in the context of Wexford Pride’s aims and objectives as a community organisation as outlined in its constitution: 

  • A1.  To celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Aromantic and other community-affiliated individuals and groups (referred to as “our community”), in and through culturally sensitive educational activities, support activities, and festivities throughout the year

  • A2. To continuously promote awareness, and celebrate the achievements, visibility, and diversity of our community in partnership with all stakeholders (in-community individuals and organisations) and allies (individuals and organisations supportive of our community)

  • A3. To showcase the creative and artistic talents of our community and allies in Wexford

  • A4. To source funding and other support to enable the hosting of ‘for and by’ community events throughout the year that directly benefit members of our community

(2) Roles and Responsibilities

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) is responsible for oversight of media engagements, including committee member interviews by the media, press releases and promotional material releases to media partners and news outlets, the administration of Wexford Pride’s social media presence, the approval of any posting to Wexford Pride social media accounts, and management of the organisation’s website. 

The Community Liaison is the Vice-PRO, i.e., takes the responsibilities of the PRO should the PRO be unavailable, and has deputised access to all social media accounts.

During busier periods (i.e., lead up to Pride season) a volunteer may additionally support the Public Relations Officer (PRO) and Vice-PRO in promotional activities where necessary. This volunteer must have access to and read the Social Media Policy and have a clear definition of their role and responsibilities. Upon completion of their role, platform access passwords must be updated and access revoked.  

While an individual may affiliate themselves with Wexford Pride in their personal capacity online, it must be made explicit that their thoughts, views and content is entirely their own and not representative of Wexford Pride as an organisation.

(3) Online Platforms 

Wexford Pride may maintain an online presence via online platforms as a tool pursuant to the overall aims and objectives of the organisation. Understanding the scope of online engagement may progress and change online platform(s) may include but are not limited to 

  • Social Media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn)

  • Messaging & Communications (e.g., WhatsApp, Signal, Messenger)

  • Video (e.g., Youtube, Vimeo)

  • Images (e.g., Instagram, Flikr)

  • Web-Publishing  (e.g., WordPress, Wix, Issuu)

  • Email (e.g., Gmail, Mailchimp)

  • Cloud-Based Platforms (e.g., G-Suite, One Drive, DropBox)

  • Management Platforms (e.g., Buffer, Zoho, Mailchimp, Sprout)

It may be in the organisation's interest to establish a new account on a particular platform. This must be agreed on by a majority of the committee before doing so. Should the need to close an online account arise, this must be agreed upon by a majority of the committee and data pertaining to this account downloaded (where possible) and retained by the organisation. 

(4) Security and Account Management

Access

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) and Vice-PRO have access to all online platforms. The whole committee has access to email and cloud-based platforms used to facilitate the organisations' work.

Password Management

Passwords must remain confidential, conform to security recommendations, and be stored in a secure place. Password access to all online accounts will be updated within the week following the election of a new committee at the Annual General Meeting each year.

Security

Access to online platforms must be supported by two-factor authentication through the Public Relations Officer (PRO) and Vice-PRO.  Device access to online accounts must be reviewed when requested before approval. In the event of an access request from an unknown device, it is recommended that security measures are reviewed and updated.  Two-factor authentication information (associated phone numbers, trusted devices) must be removed and updated within the week following the election of a new committee at the Annual General Meeting each year. 

Data and Confidentiality

Through the nature of Wexford Pride’s engagement with and support of LGBTQIA+ community, our online presence presents one of the first port of calls for engagement or support. As such, Wexford Pride may receive requests for support or additional information regarding events, support or community resources. In this light, it is imperative that confidentiality is upheld while engaging with individuals, particularly in the disclosure of personal details relevant to an individual's query. Wexford Pride's online presence cannot act as a substitute for professional support or interventions. In the case of concerns surrounding individual welfare the signposting of appropriate supports (e.g., Samaritans, LGBT Helpline, LGBT Ireland) is advised. 

Subscriptions and Advertising

In some instances, the possibility of paying for a subscription to a particular platform (e.g., receiving access to additional online tools) or advertising a post (e.g., to promote an event) might be considered. Any spending must be approved by a majority of the committee and facilitated by the Treasurer. 

(5) Posting and Engagement

Posting Guidelines

Wexford Prides’ online presence is one of many tools that support the organisation in its aims and objectives in supporting the LGBTQIA+ community across Co. Wexford and beyond. It also facilitates to connecting and engaging with similar community organisations. The Public Relations Officer (PRO), supported by the Vice-PRO, is responsible for the generation, scheduling and promotion of content in collaboration with the wider Wexford Pride committee.

The posting of original content (content uniquely generated by Wexford Pride) via online platforms must conform to the community standards of the respective platform.  Content that contravenes this or Wexford Pride’s constitution will be removed.

Explicit consent (verbal or written) must be sought from members that can be seen in images or videos before they are posted to any Wexford Pride online space. Where consent cannot feasibly be sought, an individual’s images must be reasonably obscured and unidentifiable before publishing. Where this is not possible, the image or video cannot be published. 

The sharing of images or videos containing a minor is not permitted without the express written consent of a parent or guardian. 

To ensure accessibility, it is advised to use image descriptions and alternative text for those with limited visibility or using screen readers. Captions should be used in video content.

In the event of sharing a piece of content that may contain sensitive themes, content warnings or tigger warnings are advised. Trigger warnings should be formatted as such ‘tw: sensitive theme’.

Sharing  

Sharing refers to the unique posting of original content. Resharing refers to the posting of another account's content to a Wexford Pride page. 

The resharing of non-original content to Wexford Pride’s account page does not necessarily reflect an endorsement of views expressed in the post contents. 

The resharing of content from an individual's personal profile without the account owner's consent (or the Wexford Pride account being tagged or mentioned) is not permitted. The resharing of a minor’s content or image to the Wexford Pride profile without express consent from the parent or guardian is prohibited.

Copyright and Intellectual Property

Content created on behalf of Wexford Pride (e.g., graphics, posters, videos) remains the property of the rights holder or creator. 

Non-original content (content that is created by another individual or organisation) that is derived from another creator and shared to the Wexford Pride page must be correctly attributed to the creator and shared in line with copyright and intellectual property guidelines. 

All content must conform to the respective platform's terms of use and Wexford Pride’s Accountable Spaces Policy.

Connecting with Pages, Profiles and Groups 

Wexford Pride may connect with or follow pages that belong to non-governmental organisations, public figures, community groups, artists or content creators that are publicly accessible. It is not necessary or appropriate for any Wexford Pride profile to follow personal individual pages (those that are private or do not belong to the categories listed above). It is never appropriate for a Wexford Pride page to follow or connect with a minor’s page.  If it is found that a Wexford Pride profile is following a personal (non-public) page this must be removed.

Commenting

Responding to and engaging with comments is an important part of maintaining an online presence. Comments must conform to the respective platform's terms of use and align with Wexford Pride’s aims and objectives.

Private Messaging

Wexford Pride may utilise messaging platforms (e.g., Messenger or WhatsApp) to answer individual queries or create protected community spaces. In certain instances (such as WhatsApp) it may be necessary to request an individual's phone number or contact details. These details must only be used for their expressed purpose and remain confidential. Information exchanged through private messaging must be treated with sensitivity and confidentiality and must never be shared publicly. 

Where information exchanged causes concern, it may be referred back to the Community Liason or other responsible committee member for additional support.  Additional community-based resources and support should be signposted. 

For the purposes of continuity and clarity,  all private correspondence conducted via the Wexford Pride profile must be signed off with the respective committee members' first name and pronouns e.g., Jo (they/them). 

Private messaging through the Wexford Pride profile should not be used for any reasons other than that as outlined in this policy document or organisational constitution.

(6) Bullying and Harassment

Bullying is an ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social and/or psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power, or perceived power, over one or more persons who feel unable to stop it from happening. Harassment occurs when bullying is targeted toward an individual based on protected grounds such as gender, sexuality, ethnicity, disability, civil status, age, family status or religion. Sexual harassment is any form of unwanted verbal, non-verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. In both cases, it is defined as conduct that violates a person’s dignity and creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for the person and is prohibited under the relevant governmental Acts. 

In the event of online bullying or harassment, it is advised to take a record of the incident via a screenshot or recording before reporting the comment or message via the platform's reporting procedure. The profile in question should then be blocked and removed from the page. If the incident falls within the scope of a hate crime or a threat to safety it should be referred back to the committee and reported to the Gardaí.

Wexford Pride is committed to a zero-tolerance policy toward bullying or harassment. If it is suspected an individual with access to the Wexford Pride profile(s) is engaging in bullying or harassment that contravenes a respective platform's terms of use or the Wexford Pride Accountable Spaces Policy their access to the organisation's online profiles will be paused and their actions reviewed.  If it is found that the individual has engaged in bullying or harassment their access to Wexford Prides online profile(s) will be terminated. 

Conduct within Wexford Prides online spaces (e.g., messaging groups or online forums) is governed by the respective platform's terms of use and the Wexford Prides Accountable Spaces Policy.

(7) Annual Review

This policy will be reviewed annually. All committee members and community members will have access to a copy.