Using Whitby and Esk Valley Active Travel‘s social media channels — appropriate conduct is as follows

1. Who can post. Trustees alone are responsible for setting up and for providing access for members (hereto referred to as social media members to Whitby and Esk Valley Active Travel‘s social media channels. This provides consistent messaging through established channels.
2. Branding. All posts should be representative of our brand. Social media members should ensure they reflect Whitby and Esk Valley Active Travel values in what they post and use our tone of voice in any postings. Our brand guidelines set out our tone of voice that all members should refer to when posting content on Whitby and Esk Valley Active Travel‘s social media channels.
3. Purpose of posts. All social media content should have a purpose and a benefit for Whitby and Esk Valley Active Travel, and accurately reflect Whitby and Esk Valley Active Travel‘s agreed position.
4. Add value. Bring value to our audience(s). Answer their questions, help and engage with them. As a general rule don’t get involved in debates / discussions.
5. Quality. Take care with the presentation of content. Make sure that there are no typos, misspellings or grammatical errors. Also check the quality of images. Always pause and think before posting. That said, reply to comments in a timely manner, when a response is appropriate.
6. Subject of posts. Don’t post content about supporters or service users without their express permission. If sharing information about supporters, service users or third party organisations, this content should be clearly labelled so our audiences know it has not come directly from Whitby and Esk Valley Active Travel. If using interviews, videos or photos that clearly identify a child or young person, social media members must ensure they have the consent of a parent or guardian before using them on social media.
7. Accuracy. Social media members should not automatically assume that material is accurate and should take reasonable steps where necessary to seek verification, for example, by checking data/statistics and being wary of photo manipulation.
8. Honesty and transparency. Be honest in all posts. Say what you know to be true or have a good source for. If you’ve made a mistake, don’t be afraid to admit it.
9. Personal opinions. Refrain from offering personal opinions via Whitby and Esk Valley Active Travel‘s social media accounts, either directly by commenting or indirectly by ‘liking’, ‘sharing’ or ‘retweeting’. If you are in doubt about Whitby and Esk Valley Active Travel‘s position on a particular issue, please speak to trustees.
10. Safety. It is vital that Whitby and Esk Valley Active Travel does not encourage others to risk their personal safety or that of others, to gather materials. For example, a video of a stunt. Additionally posts should not encourage people to break the law to supply material for social media, such as using unauthorised video footage. All relevant rights for usage must be obtained before publishing material.
11. Politics. Whitby and Esk Valley Active Travel is not a political organisation and does not hold a view on party politics or have any affiliation with or links to political parties. We have every right to express views on policy, including the policies of parties, but we can’t tell people how to vote.
12. Complaints / reputation harm. If a complaint is made on Whitby and Esk Valley Active Travel‘s social media channels, social media members should seek advice from trustees before responding. Sometimes issues can arise on social media which can escalate into a crisis situation because they are sensitive or risk serious damage to the charity’s reputation. The nature of social media means that complaints are visible and can escalate quickly. Not acting can be detrimental to the charity.
13. Monitoring. Social media members should regularly monitor our social media spaces for mentions of Whitby and Esk Valley Active Travel so we can catch any issues or problems early. If there is an issue that could develop or has already developed into a crisis situation, trustees should be notified. If any members outside of the social media group become aware of any comments online that they think have the potential to escalate into a crisis, whether on Whitby and Esk Valley Active Travel‘s social media channels or elsewhere, they should contact trustees immediately.
14. Content. Where possible aim to include 1 or 2 photos per post; photos should observe safeguarding rules. Include hashtags as appropriate. Make posts as positive as possible. Include an action message to provoke engagement.
15. Frequency of posting. Do not post more than 2 posts per day on any social media platform. Posting less frequently than every 2 weeks can lose engagement.