Resolution No. 6530074
RESOLUTION NO. 6530
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CYPRESS,
AND ACTING AS EX- OFFICIO BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE
CYPRESS RECREATION AND PARK DISTRICT,
ADOPTING A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
WHEREAS, the term "social media" refers to web -based and mobile technologies
that allow for interactive dialogue, collaboration and sharing; and
WHEREAS, examples of social media sites include, but are not limited to,
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; and
WHEREAS, in recent years, an increasing number of persons use social media for
obtaining information and communicating with others; and
WHEREAS, many cities throughout the United States use social media sites to
increase communications with residents of their communities and have effectively used
social media sites for a variety of purposes, including civic engagement, economic
development and emergency notification; and
WHEREAS, the City Council, as part of its Strategic Planning Goals, recently
adopted the City's first Technology Master Plan, which calls for the implementation of
social media use by the City as a means of disseminating information to the public about
the City's mission, meetings, activities, and current issues; and
WHEREAS, the attached Social Media Policy serves to regulate use of the City of
Cypress' social media sites and ensure that the City's sites are properly maintained.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Cypress
as follows:
SECTION 1. That the Policy attached hereto as Exhibit A, and incorporated
herein by this reference, as if fully set forth, entitled "City of Cypress Social Media Policy"
is approved.
SECTION 2. Effective Date. This resolution shall be effective immediately upon
adoption.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Cypress, and acting as
ex- officio Board of Directors of the Cypress Recreation and Park District, at a regular
meeting held on the 10th day of August, 2015.
ATTEST:
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CITY CLERK OF THE CITY OF CYPRESS
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF ORANGE ) SS
MAYOR OF THE CITY OF CYPRESS
I, DENISE BASHAM, City Clerk of the City of Cypress, DO HEREBY CERTIFY that
the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted at a regular meeting of the said City Council
held on the 10th day of August, 2015, by the following roll call vote:
AYES: 5 COUNCIL MEMBERS: Berry, Morales, Peat, Yarc and Johnson
NOES: 0 COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
ABSENT: 0 COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
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CITY CLERK OF THE CITY OF CYPRESS
CITY OF CYPRESS
SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
I. PURPOSE
EXHIBIT A
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This Social Media Policy ( "Policy ") establishes guidelines for the establishment and use by
the City of Cypress ( "City ") of social media sites as a means of conveying information to
the public.
The intended purpose of City social media sites is to disseminate information from the City
about the City's mission, meetings, activities, and current issues to the public.
The City has an overriding interest and expectation in protecting the integrity of the
information posted on its social media sites and the content that is attributed to the City
and its officials.
II. DEFINITIONS
"Social media sites" means content created by individuals, using accessible, expandable,
and upgradable publishing technologies, through and on the Internet. Examples of social
media include, but are not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Linkedln,
Periscope, and Flickr.
"City social media sites" means social media sites which the City establishes and
maintains, and over which it has control over all postings, except for advertisements or
hyperlinks by the social media site's owner, vendors, or partners. City social media sites
shall supplement, and not replace, the City's required notices and standard methods of
communication.
"Posts" or "postings" means information, articles, pictures, videos or any other form of
communication posted on a City social media site.
III. GENERAL POLICY
A. The City's official website at www.ci.cypress.ca.us (or any domain owned by
the City) will remain the City's primary means of Internet communication.
1. City social media sites shall link back to the City's official website for
forms, documents, online services and other information necessary to
conduct business with the City.
B. The establishment of City social media sites is subject to approval by the City
Manager or his /her designee. Upon approval, City social media sites shall
bear the name and /or an official logo of the City or the appropriate
department.
1. Whenever possible, City social media sites should clearly state that
such sites are maintained by the City and that the sites comply with the
City's Social Media Policy.
a) The City's Social Media Policy should be displayed to users or
made available by hyperlink, when possible.
2. All City social media sites shall utilize authorized City contact
information for account set -up, monitoring, and access. The use of
personal email accounts or phone numbers by any City employee is not
allowed for the purpose of setting -up, monitoring, or accessing a City
social media site.
3. The City reserves the right to terminate any City social media site at any
time without notice.
C. The City Manager's Office shall monitor content on City social media sites to 076
ensure adherence to both the City's Social Media Policy and the interest and
goals of the City.
1. City social media sites may contain content, including but not limited to,
advertisements or hyperlinks over which the City has no control. The
City does not endorse any hyperlink or advertisement placed on City
social media sites by the social media site's owners, vendors, or
partners.
D. Employees representing the City on City social media sites shall conduct
themselves at all times as a professional representative of the City and in
accordance with all City policies. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary
action, up to and including termination.
E. City Council Members, Commission and /or Board Members may choose to
post and /or comment on various social media sites using their personal
accounts. In these instances, it is recommended that the content and tenor
of online comments and information posts should model the same decorum
displayed during City Council, Commission, Board and community meetings.
F. City social media sites shall adhere to applicable federal, state, and local
laws, regulations, and policies.
1. City social media sites shall be managed consistent with the Brown Act.
Members of the City Council, Commissions and /or Boards shall not
respond to, "like ", "share ", retweet or otherwise participate in any
published postings, or use the site or any form of electronic
communication to respond to, blog or engage in serial meetings, or
otherwise discuss, deliberate, or express opinions on any issue within
the subject matter jurisdiction of the body.
2. City social media sites are subject to the California Public Records Act.
Any content maintained on a City social media site that is related to City
business, including a list of subscribers, posted communication, and
communication submitted for posting, may be considered a public
record subject to public disclosure.
G. City social media sites shall comply with usage rules and regulations
required by the site provider, including privacy policies.
H. The City reserves the right to change, modify, or amend all or part of this
policy at any time.
IV. AUTHORIZED USE
A. The City Manager or his /her designee is responsible for determining who is
authorized to use social media on behalf of the City.
1. The City Manager or his /her designee will determine the appropriate
level of employee access, which includes identifying what social media
sites, or types of sites, each department or individual is approved to
use, as well as define their respective capabilities: publish, edit,
comment or view only.
B. Any employee authorized to post items on any of the City's social media sites
shall review, be familiar with, and comply with the social media site's use
policies and terms and conditions.
C. Authorized users shall be provided a copy of this Social Media Policy and are
required to acknowledge their understanding and acceptance by signing and
dating the last page of this document, and returning the original copy to the
City Manager's Office and retaining a copy for their record.
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V. CONTENT GUIDELINES
A. The content of City social media sites shall only pertain to City- sponsored or
City- endorsed programs, services, and events. Content includes, but is not
limited to, information, photographs, videos, and hyperlinks.
B. All of the content on City social media sites must be provided to the City
Manager or his /her designee for review, approval, and subsequent posting to
the social media site.
C. Wherever possible, content posted to the City's social media sites should link
back to the City's official website for forms, documents or online services and
other information necessary to conduct business with the City.
D. Any employee authorized to post items on any of the City's social media sites
shall not express his or her own personal views or concerns through such
postings. Instead, postings on any of the City's social media sites by an
authorized City employee shall only reflect the views of the City.
E. Postings must contain information that is freely available to the public and not
be confidential as defined by any City policy or state or federal law.
F. The City shall have full permission or rights to any content posted by the City,
including photographs and videos.
G. City postings to City social media sites shall NOT contain any of the
following:
1. Any personal information, except for the names of employees whose
job duties include being available for contact by the public;
2. Comments that are not topically related to the particular posting being
commented upon;
3. Comments in support of, or opposition to, political campaigns,
candidates or ballot measures;
4. Profane language, sexual content, pornography, obscenity, or links to
any such content;
5. Content that promotes, fosters or perpetuates discrimination on the
basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, disability, sexual
orientation /identity, political affiliations, citizenship, marital status,
military/veteran status, or national origin;
6. Solicitations of commerce, including but not limited to, advertising of any
business or product for sale;
7. Conduct in violation of any federal, state or local law and
encouragement of illegal activity;
8. Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the
public or public systems;
9. Comments on actual or potential legal claims, lawsuits or other legal
issues;
10. Defamatory or personal attacks;
11. Comments which may reasonably interfere with, inhibit, or compromise
law enforcement investigations, police tactics, police responses to
incidents and /or the safety of police staff and officers; or
12. Content that violates a legal ownership interest of any other party.
H. A comment posted by a member of the public on any City social media site is
the opinion of the commentator or poster only, and publication of a comment
does not imply endorsement of, or agreement by the City, nor do such
comments necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the City.
I. Comments posted to City social media sites will be monitored and
inappropriate content as defined above will be removed as soon as possible
and without prior notice.
J. The City reserves the right to deny access to City social media sites for any
individual who violates the Social Media Policy, at any time and without prior
notice.
K. The City reserves the right to remove any content posted by the City, or any
employee or agent of the City, on its social media sites, when deemed
appropriate by the City Manager or his /her designee. This includes, but is not
limited to, information, articles, pictures, videos or any other form of
communication that is posted on a City social media site. All users of the
City's social media sites acknowledge and agree by signing below that there
is no reasonable expectation of ownership, privacy and /or confidentiality for
any and all communications posted or made by that employee or agent of the
City on the City's social media sites. The City's social media sites are not a
public forum for all types of communication. All users of the City's social
media sites acknowledge and agree by signing below that content posted on
the City's social media sites can be changed or removed by the City for any
reason, and that the City shall not be liable for any claim, of any type or kind,
for doing so.
L. The City reserves the right to implement or remove any functionality of its
social media sites at any time and without prior notice. This includes, but is
not limited to, information, articles, pictures, videos or any other form of
communication contained on a City social media site.
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CITY OF CYPRESS
SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
Authorized User Acknowledgement Form
1, (Print Name), hereby acknowledge that I
have fully read, understand and will comply with the City of Cypress
Social Media Policy. I understand that violations of this policy may be
subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
Signature
Date
Approved by:
Department Head
City Manager
Title
(Please return this signed form to the City Manager's Office and retain a copy
for your file.)