Social Media Policy

   Code of Conduct                                 21st December 2017

 

 

The Ringwood District Cricket Association (RDCA) recognises that social media is an important part of the way members communicate. We actively encourage members to participate in social media and share their experiences in cricket. We recognise the importance of the internet and other social platforms to improve and increase the flow of information, shaping public thinking about our organisation, members, sponsors and stakeholders. Accordingly, the RDCA has developed and maintains its own online social media presence through which it delivers content to its members and the public to develop and increase opportunities in cricket at all levels in the metropolitan area bound by the affiliates of the RDCA.

 

However, the RDCA’s public reputation is valuable, as are the reputations of its affiliates, members, sponsors and stakeholders, and as such the RDCA expressly prohibits any communication on social media that is defamatory, obscene, proprietary, and misrepresentative of the RDCA, the Victorian Metropolitan Cricket Union (VMCU) and Cricket Victoria, or for commercial purposes.

 

Social media is a broad and changing concept. It generally refers to interactive electronic forums or online media where people are communicating, posting, participating, sharing, networking or bookmarking. For the purposes of this policy, social media extends to:

 

1. electronically communicated material, whether written, photographic, video, or audio, which is accessible by more than the member alone;

2. Facebook, YouTube, twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, Wikipedia, Flickr and other related domains;

3. Blogs; social networking sites; instant messaging; social bookmarking, media sharing and collaborative editing websites;

4. Any other forum which might reasonably be classified as social media as that term is generally understood; and

5. Any other forum for public comment

 

Prohibitions

 

When using social media, a person must not:

 

1. Abuse others or expose others to content that is offensive, inappropriate or for an illegal purpose;

2. Impersonate or falsely represent any other person or cricket entity, including the RDCA, VMCU, Cricket Victoria or another affiliate;

3. Abuse, harass or threaten any other person or entity, including the RDCA, VMCU, Cricket Victoria or another member;

4. Make defamatory or libellous comments;

5. Use obscene, offensive, insulting, provocative or hateful language;

6. Post material that infringes the intellectual property rights of others;

7. Intrude upon the privacy of other members of the RDCA, without the consent of such members;

8. Interfere with the conduct of any event run by the RDCA or with the role and responsibilities of the RDCA in conducting such events as a representative of the VMCU or Cricket Victoria;

9. Violate security measures instituted at any facility of the RDCA or its affiliates;

10. Comment in a way that may be construed as harming the reputation of him or herself, another member, the RDCA, VMCU and Cricket Victoria, including its sponsors and stakeholders;

11. Make excessive postings on a particular issue or post multiple versions of the same opinion or information on social media platforms operated by the RDCA;

12. Promote commercial interests in social media platforms operated by the RDCA, VMCU or Cricket Victoria; or

13. Without authority, post internet addresses, links to websites, email addresses or other personal information on social media platforms operated by the RDCA.

 

Consequences

 

The RDCA monitors online activity in relation to the social media of the RDCA and its affiliates. It encourages Members to report detected breaches or suspected breaches of this Policy to the RDCA, and any use of Social Media which is likely to harm the RDCA’s reputation.

 

In circumstances of a breach or suspected breach of this Code of Conduct, the RDCA may:

 

1. Make a necessary public comment such as a correction, clarification, contradiction or apology;

2. Issue a formal warning;

3. Report any breach of any law to any local authority or wronged party;

4. Take any disciplinary action available to it under the Cricket Victoria Member Protection Policy and the Rules of the RDCA; or

5. Exercise any of its available rights at law.

 

The RDCA expressly reserves the right to take any action, including dealing directly with Social Media providers, to remove any posted material that it considers to be in breach of this Policy.