House rules for social media users

Thank you for checking out our social media house rules.

We want everyone to feel they can come to us for important information from our services and partners. We want you to join in the conversation and let us know how we’re doing, but we also need to make sure our social media accounts are safe, appropriate and factually informative spaces. That’s why sometimes we will need to remove the occasional comment here or there which is offensive or inappropriate. In rare cases we may even need to block accounts that are repeatedly offensive.

These house rules set out what you can expect from us, and what we expect from you in return to ensure our social media accounts remain welcoming spaces for all. We are here to help and inform and will do so politely and professionally. All we ask is that you treat each other and us the same way.

By interacting with the Council on social media, you are agreeing to comply with our terms of use. Remember, you must also comply with the social media platform’s terms of use as well.

This is what we promise we will do

1. We will make it clear that it’s us: if you see a corporate Wandsworth Council account online you can be confident it is a legitimate account. View all of our accounts, including our Customer Service X account
2. We will listen: we will try our best to read all messages and where possible, raise issues with the most relevant part of the organisation. If you need a reply urgently, please contact Customer Services
3. We will be human and polite
4. We will follow people where we can - but this doesn’t mean we endorse what they share on their own accounts
5. We will publish content which is factually accurate

Political neutrality

We must always remain politically neutral and will not reply to, endorse or engage with any content that is of a party-political nature. Any political comments promoting political parties during a pre-election period will be removed.

This is what we expect from you

Our aim is to create a space that is relevant and valuable to our community.

Breaches of our terms of use may result in comments being removed, or in extreme cases, users being blocked from our social media platforms.

We value feedback and constructive criticism about all Council services. Feel free to share your thoughts respectfully but we will remove comments which go against the following terms of use:

1. Be respectful: treat all users with respect and courtesy, regardless of their opinions or beliefs. Differing views on a topic the Council has posted about are acceptable when expressed sensibly
2. No hate speech: we will not tolerate any form of hate speech, including discriminatory or offensive comments about race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation or other protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010
3. No spamming or posting repetitive content: engage in meaningful conversations instead
4. Maintain privacy: respect the privacy of our staff and residents. Do not share personal information or engage in doxing (publishing personal information with a malicious purpose). Our staff are doing their jobs. You may disagree with what they do, but it is not appropriate to photograph or name them without permission and publish these details on social media
5. No conspiracy theories, misinformation, or speculation: do not spread or promote conspiracy theories, false information, irrelevant theories, or baseless speculation about our staff, actions, or operations
6. Ensure that your comments are relevant to the content of the post and the topic being discussed: keep the conversation focused on matters directly related to the Council and its work
7. Use appropriate language: avoid offensive, vulgar, or inappropriate language in your interactions

If any comments or interactions go against our house rules, they will be removed. We will take screenshots of the offending post, comment, or message and store it for our records, in accordance with our privacy notice. This is so there is a record of why the post was removed.

Any accounts repeatedly engaging with us using content or language which falls into the above categories will be given one warning via private message, and then if it continues, they will be blocked and/or reported to the associated social media platform. We also reserve the right to contact the police. We will not tolerate or respond to abusive messages.

Remember, you are wholly responsible for any content you post including content that you choose to share, and you are solely responsible for maintaining the security of your own account. If necessary, the account owner will be held liable for the actions of their account. If you have any questions about our social media, email twitter@wandsworth.gov.uk.

Blocking

Blocking means that a person’s social media account will be prevented from viewing or commenting on the Council’s posts on the social media platform where they have been blocked.

Other forms of communication remain open to individuals who are blocked, such as e-newsletters, the website and news articles.

Appeals

If you have been blocked and would like to regain access to the platform from which you’ve been blocked, all appeals must be made in writing, either via email or letter to our complaints department. If you choose to appeal the Council’s decision, the appeal will be reviewed by the Complaints Manager in conjunction with the Head of Communications. The result of the appeal is final and will be communicated to the complainant in writing.

Find out how to make a complaint.