WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP SOCIAL MEDIA COMMENTS POLICY
DEFINITION
Social media is defined as any web application, site or account offered by Washington Township that facilitates the sharing of opinions and information about township-related subjects and issues. PURPOSE
Washington Township offers social media tools for educational, cultural, civic and recreational purposes. These tools provide a limited (or designated) public forum to facilitate the sharing of ideas, opinions, and information about township-related subjects and issues. Washington Township social media is intended to create a welcoming and inviting online space where users can interact with other interested citizens and township staff for civic engagement. The opinions expressed by individuals using Washington Township social media, except as specifically noted, are those of the individual authors. Views presented in these forums do not necessarily represent the views or policies of, or endorsement by, Washington Township. RULES FOR COMMENTING
Comments are moderated by Township staff which reserves the right to remove comments or content that are unlawful or off topic. Posts containing the following are against Township rules and will be deleted before posting or removed by Township staff:
1. Copyright violations;
2. Solicitations of commerce;
3. Off topic comments unrelated to the particular social medium article being commented upon;
4. Off topic comments unrelated to the overall topic of the page;
5. Comments in support of or in opposition to political campaigns or ballot measures;
6. Comments that promote particular services, products, or political organizations;
7. Personally identifiable medical information;
8. Commercial material/spam;
9. Duplicated posts from the same individual;
10. Obscene posts or profane language and content;
11. Sexual content or links to sexual content;
12. Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity;
13. Defamatory, abusive, harassing, stalking, or threatening comments or content;
14. Comments or content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, religion, age, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, national origin, physical or mental disability, or sexual orientation;
15. Comments, content, or information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems;
16. Libelous comments;
17. Comments or content that violates a legal ownership interest of any other individual or entity;
18. Comments that violate the privacy rights of others;
19. Links to other web pages
By choosing to comment, social media users agree to the foregoing rules. The Township reserves the right to restrict or remove any content that is deemed in violation of this social media policy or any applicable law. The Township further reserves the right to amend or modify this policy at any time.
