1. WCCF Social Media Policy
These guidelines help outline the use of social media by employees of Wisconsin Council on Children
and Families ("WCCF") in WCCF-specific platforms. For the purposes of this policy, social media
means any facility for online publication and commentary, including blogs, wikis, and social
networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube. This policy is in addition
to and complements any existing or future policies regarding the use of technology, computers, email
and the internet.
WCCF employees are encouraged to publish or comment via social media in accordance with this
policy. WCCF employees are subject to this policy to the extent they identify themselves as a WCCF
employee (other than as an incidental mention of place of employment in a personal blog on topics
unrelated to WCCF). This policy discusses personal usage of social media only when noted explicitly.
When in doubt, this policy refers to use of WCCF-specific social media platforms and social media
work as a representative of WCCF.
Publication and commentary on social media carries similar obligations to any other kind of
publication or commentary, basically:
Be responsible. All employees are personally responsible for their posts and participation.
Your participation in social media on behalf of WCCF is not a right but a privilege that needs
to be taken seriously and with respect. What you write, post, or contribute is ultimately your
responsibility.
Setting up Social Media
Assistance in setting up social media accounts and their settings can be obtained from WCCF's
Communications Manager.
Social media identities, logon IDs and user names or associated email accounts may not use WCCF's
name or account without prior approval from the Communications Manager. Examples would be a
Twitter account using @WCCFBob or using your @wccf.org email address to set up a personal
Facebook page. Just as you would not use WCCF letterhead for a letter to the editor expressing your
personal views, do not use your wccf.org email address for your personal views.
Respect Organizational Confidentiality
Social media seems more informal, and it's perfectly acceptable to talk about your work and have a
dialog with the community, but it's still important to respect confidential information (like
embargoed reports or personnel matters).
Be Honest
When working on social media as a representative of WCCF, it’s important to always do “WCCF
quality” work. We believe in transparency and honesty. Use your real name, be clear who you are,
and if applicable, identify that you work for WCCF. Nothing gains you notice in social media more
than honesty - or dishonesty. Do not say anything that is dishonest, untrue, or misleading. If you

2. have a vested interest in something you are discussing, point it out. What you publish will be around
for a long time, so consider the content carefully.
Respect copyright laws
It is critical that you show proper respect for the laws governing copyright and fair use of copyrighted
material, including WCCF’s own copyrights and brands. You should never quote more than short
excerpts of someone else's work, and always attribute such work to the original author/source. It is
good general practice to link to others' work rather than reproduce it.
Find the Right Balance
Productivity matters. Remember that in order for your social media endeavors to be successful, you
need to find the right balance between social media and other work.
Controversial Issues
If you see misrepresentations made about WCCF in the media, you may point that out. Always do so
with respect and with the facts. If you speak about others, make sure what you say is factual and that
it does not inappropriately disparage that party. Avoid heated arguments. Brawls may earn traffic,
but nobody wins in the end. Don't try to settle scores or goad competitors or others into
inflammatory debates. Make sure what you are saying is factually correct. If possible, link to an
outside validator online.
Be the first to respond to your own mistakes
If you make an error, be up front about your mistake and correct it quickly. If you notice a mistake by
someone else from WCCF, inform the person who posted and take appropriate steps. If you choose to
modify an earlier post, make it clear that you have done so. If someone accuses you of posting
something improper (such as their copyrighted material or a defamatory comment about them), deal
with it quickly; better to remove it immediately to lessen the possibility of a legal action.
Respect your audience, WCCF, and your coworkers
Make sure that postings are relevant to our work and mindful of volume. Communications for
commercial sales not approved by WCCF or fraudulent or deceptive communications constitute
spam and should not be posted.If they are posted they should be removed immediately.
When posting as a representative of WCCF, don't say anything contradictory or in conflict with the
WCCF website. Don't be afraid to be yourself, but do so respectfully. This includes not only the
obvious (no ethnic slurs, offensive comments, defamatory comments, personal insults, obscenity,
etc.) but also proper consideration of WCCF’s style and broader communications strategy.
As a 501(C)(3), WCCFmust adhere to strict limits on its participation in electoral and partisan
activities. These limits apply to our social media platforms. Please check with the communications
manager if you’re not sure what is permissible.
Personal Usage

3. We respect that staff have personal social media platforms. If your personal pages post things that
would reflect poorly on WCCF or are directly partisan in nature, post a disclaimer on your site like,
“the views expressed on my personal account are mine alone, and do not reflect the views of WCCF.”
Make sure it’s clear when your comments on social media networks are or are not being made as a
representative of WCCF. For example, consider what might happen if a WCCF employee is in a
meeting, and someone from outside WCCF pulls out a print-out of your blog and says "This person at
WCCF says that ____ at WCCF sucks."
Once again, it's all about judgment: using your blog to trash or embarrass WCCFor your co-workers
is dangerous and ill-advised.
Social Media Tips
The following tips are not mandatory, but will contribute to successful use of social media:
The best way to be interesting, stay out of trouble, and have fun is to write about what you
know. There is a good chance of being embarrassed by a real expert, or of being boring if you
write ontopics you are not knowledgeable about.
Be a good conversationalist. Consider content that’s open ended and invites response.
Encourage comments. Always add value and insight, attempt to educate, solve a problem, or
just don’t bother.
Tag ally organizations and the media whenever it’s appropriate, especially when we use their
information or insights.
When WCCF is mentioned in an article, video, press release, blog, etc. – Facebook it!
Quality matters. Use a spell-checker. If you're not design-oriented, ask someone who is
whether your blog looks decent, and take their advice on how to improve it.
Being able to publish your thoughts instantly is both a great benefitand a great hazardof
social media. The time to edit or reflect must be self-imposed. If in doubt over a post, or if
something does not feel right, either let it sit and look at it again later before publishing it, or
ask someone else to look at it first.
Language in this policy came from SocialFish and Croydon Consulting’s white paper, “Social
Media, Risk, and Policies for Associations,” (http://www.socialfish.org/wp-
content/downloads/socialfish-policies-whitepaper.pdf) and Policy Tool for Social Media
(http://socialmedia.policytool.net/).
Community Guidelines
(this will go in our “info” section on the Facebook page)
Comment Policy: Thank you for engaging with WCCF via Facebook! We try to post creative content
that is thought-provoking and conversation-starting, and we will keep our posts respectful, civil, and
on-topic. We ask that you do the same, while commenting or posting on our page. We do moderate

4. posts and comments and reserve the right to remove any that we deem to be spam, off-topic,
offensive, abusive, inappropriate, or violate privacy. As a 501(c)(3) organization, we do not engage in
partisan activities,including on Facebook.