This policy governs the publication of and commentary on social media by employees of ArtWorks Trenton and its related programs (“AAD & AAN”).
For the purposes of this policy, social media means any facility for online publication and commentary, including without limitation blogs, wiki’s, social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Flickr, Instagram, and YouTube. This policy is in addition to and complements any existing or future policies regarding the use of technology, computers, e-mail and the internet.
ArtWorks Trenton employees are free to publish or comment via social media in accordance with this policy. ArtWorks employees (volunteers, temp) are subject to this policy to the extent they identify themselves as an ArtWorks employee (other than as an incidental mention of place of employment in a personal blog on topics unrelated to ArtWorks.
Notwithstanding the previous section, this policy applies to all uses of social media, including personal, by ArtWorks employees who are (describe employees who this applies to outside of work as well by title or job responsibilities), as their position with ArtWorks would be well known within the community. Publication and commentary on social media carries similar obligations to any other kind of publication or commentary. All uses of social media must follow the same ethical standards that ArtWorks employees must otherwise follow.
Setting up Social Media
Assistance in setting up social media accounts and their settings can be obtained from ArtWorks Marketing/Advertising employee.
- Don’t Tell Secrets Privacy/Privileged information: It’s perfectly acceptable to talk about your work and have a dialog with the community, but it’s not okay to publish confidential information. Confidential information includes things such as unpublished details about our software, details of current projects, future product ship dates, financial information, research, and trade secrets. We must respect the wishes of our corporate customers regarding the confidentiality of current projects.
- Protect Artworks your own privacy Privacy settings on social media platforms. Social Media should be set to allow anyone to see profile information similar to what would be on the ArtWorkkrs website. Other privacy settings that might allow others to post information or see information that is personal should be set to limit access. Be mindful of posting information that you would not want the public to see.
- Do not blog anonymously, using pseudonyms or false (unauthorized) screen names. We believe in transparency and honesty. Use your real name, be clear about who you are, and identify that you work for ArtWorks. Do not say anything that is dishonest, untrue, or misleading. If you have a vested interest in something you are discussing, point it out. But also be smart about protecting yourself and your privacy, and also be cautious about disclosing personal details.
- Respect copyright laws It is critical that you show proper respect for the laws governing copyright and fair use or fair dealing of copyrighted material owned by others, including ArtWork’s own copyrights and brands. You should never quote more than short excerpts of someone else’s work and always attribute such work to the original author/source. It is good general practice to link to others’ work rather than reproduce it.
- Respect your audience, ArtWorks, and your coworkers The public in general, and ArtWorks’ employees and customers, reflect a diverse set of customs, values, and points of view. Don’t say anything contradictory or in conflict with the ArtWorks website. Don’t be afraid to be yourself, but do so respectfully. This includes not only the obvious (no ethnic slurs, offensive comments, defamatory comments, personal insults, obscenity, etc.) but also proper consideration of privacy and of topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory – such as politics and religion. Use your best judgment and be sure to make it clear that the views and opinions expressed are yours alone and do not represent the official views of ArtWorks.
- Protect ArtWorks customers, business partners, and suppliers. These individuals Customers, partners or suppliers should not be cited or obviously referenced without their approval. Never identify a customer, partner or supplier by name without permission and never discuss confidential details of a customer engagement. It is acceptable to discuss general details about kinds of projects and to use non-identifying pseudonyms for a customer (e.g., Customer 123) so long as the information provided does not violate any non-disclosure agreements that may be in place with the customer or make it easy for someone to identify the customer. (*ArtWorks Donors, and Sponsorship)
- Controversial Issues If you see misrepresentations made about ArtWorks in the media, you may point that out. Always do so with respect and with the facts. If you speak about others, make sure what you say is factual and that it does not disparage that party. Avoid arguments. Brawls may earn traffic, but nobody wins in the end. Make sure what you are saying is factually correct. Be the first to respond to your own mistakes If you make an error, be up front about your mistake and correct it quickly. If you choose to modify an earlier post, make it clear that you have done so. If someone accuses you of posting something improper (such as their copyrighted material or a defamatory comment about them), deal with it quickly – better to remove it immediately to lessen the possibility of legal action.
- The Executive Director (?) can provide you with applicable disclaimer language and assist with determining where and how to use that.
Social Media Tips The following tips will contribute to the successful use of social media. Quality matters.
- Use a spell-checker.
- Follow the ArtWorks design aesthetic, media marketing templates
(creating an ArtWorks standard) and take their advice on how to improve it.
- If in doubt over a post, or if something does not feel right, either let it sit and look at it again before publishing it, or ask the ED to look at it first.
- Enforcement Policy violations will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination for cause.