This policy sets forth the intent and guidelines for use of social media platforms by the Mecklenburg County Bar (MCB) and applies to all social media use on behalf of the MCB.
The use of social media platforms by the MCB is designed to increase member engagement; provide information and resources to members and the public; and raise awareness of MCB services, programs, events, and other member benefits. In furtherance of that purpose, the MCB will maintain one official presence on any social media platform to protect the MCB’s brand and maximize its reach through social media. Thus, MCB committees, sections, divisions, and other groups may not create individual social media accounts in the name of the MCB.
- Purpose: To maintain control of content, provide for the most effective use of staff time, and avoid confusion over what is deemed the official MCB message.
- Benefit: A single account per social media platform is believed to be better for group branding than multiple accounts for various subgroups of the brand. This is because the larger the brand’s audience, the more a group’s message will spread, and the more a message spreads, the larger the brand’s audience.
Members of MCB committees, sections, divisions, and other groups are encouraged to “like” and/or “follow” the MCB’s social media accounts; submit content to the MCB for inclusion on the MCB’s social media platforms consistent with these guidelines; and interact with MCB posts by sharing, reacting to, or commenting on the posts.
The MCB’s social media platforms should be set up so that only the administrator can post to the “wall” of the platform. Posts shall be consistent with applicable legal precedent and relevant to the MCB’s mission and/or goals and should avoid inflammatory, political, or religious topics. If a post contains a mistake, a correction should be made as soon as possible. When posting material from other sources, the post should contain a link, tag, or other attribution to the original source.
Only the MCB Executive Director and/or the Executive Director’s designee (the administrator) may make content determinations and publish content on behalf of the MCB. Comments, images, and links added to MCB posts do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the MCB. The administrator will monitor the MCB’s presence on social media platforms for inappropriate content and retain the right to remove content deemed inappropriate and/or inconsistent with this policy.
Approved by Board of Directors October 28, 2021.