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“House Rules” for Users of Scouts Australia’s Social Media Sites
Version 2.0, July 2017
Introduction These “House Rules” are for users of Scouts Australia’s national social media sites. They’re designed to ensure that content and activities that users engage in are in line with the values of the Scout Movement, and that the rights of users and members are protected. Scouts Australia has a duty of care to its membership and will take action to protect its members, the organisation, and the worldwide Movement if needed.
Scouting is an organisation that develops and empowers young people, so it is expected that all users of any Scouts Australia social media site act in a manner that is consistent with Scouting’s Principles, Purpose and Method. This includes following the Scout Promise and Law, respecting the Child Protection and Privacy Policies, and understanding the Code of Conduct for Adults in Scouting. You can read these on the national website, www.scouts.com.au.
Scouts Australia welcomes constructive debate amongst users across social media. Users must be mindful that they are personally responsible for any content published online, and should always read and understand the social media site’s Terms of Service (or equivalent notice) viewed when creaing an account.
Users should also keep in mind that other users may be as young as 13 years of age, or at least the minimum age allowed according to that social media site’s Terms of Service.
Scouts Australia (the national Association) officially moderates numerous social media sites. However, there are a number of other unofficial sites that carry a Scouting related name, title, or topic, that are not moderated or endorsed by Scouts Australia. Also, there are official social media sites that are moderated by Branches of Scouts Australia, or by other formations such as Groups and Districts, and specialist Activity formations. This document doesn’t apply to any of these sites, although moderators should consider similar approaches. Many will have their own conditions of use set by each Branch of Scouts Australia.
Social Media Use The intention of the Scouts Australia official social media channels is to provide forums for people to:
• share Scouting related adventures, links, photos, and videos • celebrate the achievements of members of Scouts Australia, including youth members
• promote Scouting related events • provide feedback to Scouts Australia • engage directly with Scouts Australia national volunteers and professionals • promote Scouting to the wider community • debate current Scouting issues with other users • seek help and support of a Scouting nature from other users
Social Network Types Social media takes many different forms. Users can engage with Australian Scouting through different forms of social network. Scouts Australia maintains and moderates a variety of different social network types, which have different user access:
Discussion Groups – These forms of social network (for example, the Scouts Australia Facebook Group) require users to become members of the group. Often, membership is moderated, which means there may be a particular purpose for the existence of the closed group – members of an international contingent, for instance. If a user’s membership request does not meet that membership requirement, then it is the right of the administrator to deny the request.
Public Sites/Pages/Profiles – These forms of social network (for example, the Scouts Australia Facebook Page or Twitter Profile) allow any user to simply “follow” the entity. Anybody at all can read or be notified of content posted on these types of social network, as well as make posts and comments themselves.
Users should understand and take these differences into account when creating posts and comments.
Social Media Moderation Scouts Australia’s social media administrators may remove, hide or block a user’s comments, or close off further comments in a thread, if they are inappropriate, off topic, or repetitive. Reasons for taking such action include:
• content or tone that brings the Scout Movement into disrepute • bullying, intimidation, harassment, or any kind of personal put-down • posts that humiliate or attempt to discredit other people • abusive or obscene language or imagery • content that convenes National or Branch privacy or duty of care policies • imagery or content that convenes the National Child Protection Policy (Nov. 2016) and its’ Branch implementations • unlawful, misleading, malicious, or discriminatory content • hate speech, threats, or attempts to incite violence • pornography, nudity, or any sexually explicit content • graphic or gratuitous violence • spam or advertising for a product or service that is not directly related to Scouting • sensitive or personal information that is inappropriate to share about yourself or others in an open forum • copyright infringement • sharing of confidential information • impersonation of someone else, or posting on behalf of a blocked user • provocation of other users
Scouts Australia Social Media House Rules v2 (July 2017) pg. 2 of 4 • language that is not in accordance with the values of Australian Scouting. For example language that does not reflect Scouts Australia’s positon on diversity and inclusion. • attempts to block administrators from seeing posts and comments in Scouts Australia’s social media sites • attempts to encourage other users to make direct personal and private contact • images of minors for whom permission has specifically not been granted to display in a public forum
Personal issues between users are to be dealt with privately, away from Scouts Australia’s social media sites. If you are a current member of Scouting, you should follow the Complaints Resolution Process applicable to your Branch (see www.scouts.com.au/contact-us for your Branch contact details).
An occasion may arise where an individual’s membership of one of Scouts Australia’s Branches is terminated, which necessitates access to be removed or blocked from social media sites. This will occur under the direction of the relevant Branch’s Chief Commissioner or their delegate.
Administrators of Scouts Australia social media channels undertake to confer with at least one other administrator before removing a comment or post to ensure that action taken is fair and reasonable, and is not in the spirit of these House Rules. However, in some cases, immediate action will be required to protect the rights of individuals, including their right to not be exposed to innapropriate content, and that consultation won’t occur.
On occasions where a particular post is reported to Scouts Australia’s administrators for review, at least two administrators will confer before taking action. Sometimes, it is unclear why a post has been reported. Administrators will attempt to determine the reporter’s motives for making the report. Again, immediate action may be required for the reasons outlined previously.
Administrators will always endeavour to offer an explanation for hiding or removing comments and posts, halting further comments, or blocking a user. This may be in a private message to the user, publicly as part of the comment thread, or a notice on the social media site. There will be some occasions where this will not be possible, such as when illegal behaviour has occurred, or further investigation is required.
The Scouts Australia Closed Facebook Group This is an “official” Scouts Australia Facebook Group. This social network has the greatest user engagement with Australian Scouting members and therefore warrants some extra explanation. The Group is for Australian Scouts, Youth Members aged 13 or older (as described in the Facebook Statement of Rights and Responsibilities), and Adults. The purpose of this group is for discussions relevant to Australian Scouting, and therefore membership tends to be limited to Australians who are members of a Scouts Australia Branch. However, as it is virtually impossible to keep track of membership status, there are inevitably users in the group who don’t meet these requirements. Users should keep this in mind when posting in this Group.
Contact Us If you have a question or complaint, or have discovered content, either positive or negative, that you think Scouts Australia should know about, please make contact:
• [email protected] • call or message 0437 012 857
Suspicious behaviour can also be reported to the Australian Federal Police via www.thinkuknow.org.au/site/how- report
Scouts Australia Social Media House Rules v2 (July 2017) pg. 3 of 4 Posting and Commenting Considerations • When answering a question of policy, rules, procedures, guidelines, award scheme, and so on; it is far more helpful to cite a source of your knowledge, such as a web link, rather than give an opinion of what you think is the right answer. Be conscious that there can be differences around Australian states and branches, due to local laws or particular needs. • Before you post or comment, be prepared for the possibility of someone disagreeing with you, having an opposing opinion, or making a comment you disagree with. • Never provide personal details on a social media page, including school name, personal email address, mobile number, age, and so on. • Ensure written parent/guardian permission has been sought before using any photos containing minors, and only ever use their first name on any caption. Refer to your Branch’s documentation for the rules or guidelines pertinent to your state or branch. • Only use appropriate photos or video for social media posts; these are photos or video that you would be happy to see published in a newspaper or a public notice board. If not, don’t post. • Always keep social network profiles private, as everything that is published online is accessible, changeable, and shareable to others. • Children and young people should never meet up with a person they have only met online. • Know how to block someone from your online profile. • If you think you, or others, are being personally attacked or bullied, or otherwise breaking these House Rules, please contact Scouts Australia via the channels above. • Regularly review your privacy settings.
Scouts Australia Social Media House Rules v2 (July 2017) pg. 4 of 4