Terms of Use for Social Media Commenting by the Public

The City of Winnipeg utilizes social media and social networking sites as a service and an additional form of communication with stakeholders and residents. The more we as a public service engage residents, the better we will be able to serve Winnipeggers.

The use of official City of Winnipeg social media websites signifies your agreement to the following terms of use:

  1. Submission or posting of comments by members of the public to an official City of Winnipeg social media site or account constitutes participation in a limited public forum.
  2. Content submitted to an official City of Winnipeg social media site or account is subject to public disclosure.
  3. All public commentators will be required to register prior to commenting and can use either their real name or a pseudonym. Anonymous comment postings shall not be allowed. Enrollment of public commentators shall be accompanied by valid contact information, such as a valid email address. Public commentators shall not create multiple accounts for one user.
  4. All content, whether publicly posted or privately transmitted, are the sole responsibility of the person from which such content originated. This means that the commentator and not the City of Winnipeg is entirely responsible for all content that the commentator uploads, posts, emails, transmits, or otherwise makes available via the social media website. Content is described as all materials, including but not limited to: information, data, text, software, music, sound, photographs, graphics, video, hyperlinks, and messages contained in a posting to an official City of Winnipeg social media site.
  5. Inappropriate Content may at times be posted by third party commentators. The City of Winnipeg cannot be held responsible for this third party content. The City of Winnipeg will monitor and moderate comments, and reserves the right (but not the obligation) at the sole discretion of the organization to (before or after content is posted) edit, move, delete or refuse content containing any Inappropriate Content as defined in the Definitions below.
  6. Users of the social media website must evaluate, and bear all risks associated with the use of any third party content, including any reliance on the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of such content. The City of Winnipeg cannot guarantee the authenticity, accuracy, nor security of such content including any links posted by a third party. Under no circumstances will the City of Winnipeg be liable for third party content including, but not limited to, errors or omissions, or loss or damage incurred as a result of the use of or reliance upon content posted, emailed, transmitted, or otherwise made available via the social media site.
  7. City of Winnipeg social media sites and their content are owned by the City of Winnipeg. The City of Winnipeg retains copyright on all text, graphic images and other content on all City of Winnipeg websites and social media sites. For more information see City of Winnipeg Conditions of Use.
  8. Comments must be submitted in either one of Canada’s two official languages - English or French.

In addition, commenting to the Winnipeg Police Service @wpgpolice Twitter account signifies your agreement to the Winnipeg Police Service Terms of Use - Twitter.

Definitions

Blog

Blog is an abridgment of the term “web log”. A “blog” is a specific type of social networking site which is regularly updated by the “blogger” who will post commentary, events, graphics or video, and which allows commentators to participate in a dialogue with the City of Winnipeg.

Comment

A comment is a response to social media content submitted by a user of the social media site, or commentator.

Commentator

A commentator is a resident, stakeholder and/or employee responding to or commenting on social media content.

Content

All materials, including but not limited to: information, data, text, software, music, sound, photographs, graphics, video, hyperlinks, and messages contained in a posting to a City of Winnipeg social media site by the City of Winnipeg or by third party commentators.

Inappropriate content

Inappropriate content is defined as:

  • Comments not topically related to the particular site or material being commented on;
  • Comments that are offensive to an individual or an organization, profane, hateful, insulting, rude, abusive, aggressive, or violent;
  • Defamatory or harassing remarks, or serious, unproven/unsupported or inaccurate accusations against individuals or organizations;
  • Comments that invade the privacy of others (ie. by providing personal information such as phone numbers and email addresses)];
  • Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, age, creed, gender, marital status, socio-economic status, physical or mental disability or sexual orientation;
  • Sexual content or links to sexual content;
  • Comments containing solicitations, advertisements, announcements, or endorsements of any commercial, financial, labour or political organization;
  • Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity;
  • Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems;
  • Content that violates a legal ownership interest of any other party;
  • Unintelligible or irrelevant messages;
  • Comments that are repetitive or are considered spam, such as the same comment being posted repeatedly;
  • Impersonating or misrepresenting someone else, including public figures or City officials;
  • Messages that the moderator feels will not add to the normal flow of conversation/dialogue/debate.

Social media

Social media is a term used to describe a user-friendly family of electronic tools for people to connect, participate and share information. Social Media can take many different forms, including discussion forums, blogs, wikis, podcasts, Really Simple Syndication (RSS), pictures, video, rating and bookmarking.

Social Media Moderator

A Social Media Moderator is an authorized employee designated by the Department Head whose responsibilities will include:

  • reviewing and posting content submitted by City of Winnipeg authors to a City of Winnipeg public facing social networking site.
  • monitoring content submitted by public commentators. Monitoring may include editing and/or removing posts that are inconsistent with the City of Winnipeg Terms of Use for Social Media Commenting by the Public.

Social media presence

The City of Winnipeg engaging with the public through use of public facing social software or social networking sites.

Social networking sites

Public web sites where users have a presence through personal profile or business related pages and share information about themselves or their business. Users have the ability to link to each other and create a list of contacts who can view each other's profiles. Social Networking Sites enable users to create, participate, connect, share or re-mix content and form communities around shared interests. Examples include Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Delicious, Flicker, blogs, etc.

Social software

Social software is also known as collaboration software. Social software is a software system that allows users to find and share information, as well as connect and interact with each other. Social software applications consist of tools that enable participants to:

  • create content;
  • participate in discussions;
  • blog;
  • post bookmarks;
  • manage, share and collaborate on documents;
  • customize their home page with information that is relevant to them; and
  • create a profile.
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