Social Media Policy - Louisville Baseball Club

Louisville Baseball Club recognizes the importance of the Internet in shaping the public’s perception of our organization. Louisville Baseball Club also recognizes the importance of our Board members, Advisory Committee, coaches, employees, and volunteers in leading and setting the tone of social media interactions in a manner that advances Louisville Baseball Club’s
mission and goals.

Louisville Baseball Club Vision Statement:

To build an athletic environment that:

Presents a program which shapes character and creates role models;
Positively impacts athletes, parents, coaches and all communities who come in contact
with our participants;
Enables athletes to develop strong mental and physical skills to help them succeed now
and in the future;
Enables players to compete at the highest possible level.

Applicability
This Social Media Policy applies to all Board members, Advisory CommiEee, coaches, employees, and volunteers. (“Louisville Baseball Club Members”). This Social Media Policy applies to all social media content posted by Louisville Baseball Club Members in their professional and personal capacity to the extent such content is related to Louisville Baseball Club.

Aspirations
Louisville Baseball Club strives to create a positive and inclusive organization that is dedicated to helping young athletes reach their potential. In furtherance of this goal, Louisville Baseball Club aspires to engage members of the community in positive, honest, transparent, and knowledgeable dialogue about Louisville Baseball Club through social media. Louisville Baseball Club views social media as an important tool for communicating its successes and opportunities for athletic and individual development. Louisville Baseball Club also views social media as a platform for receiving constructive feedback from the community and for discussing Louisville Baseball Club’s challenges and opportunities for improvement in a positive and
constructive way.

Guidelines
All Louisville Baseball Club Members shall abide by the following guidelines when using social media:

Be positive and respectful, and always take the high road. When disagreeing with others’ opinions, remain appropriate and polite. If you find yourself in a situation online that is becoming antagonistic, ask the Louisville Baseball Club Board of Directors for advice on how
to disengage from the dialogue in a polite and respectful manner that reflects well on Louisville Baseball Club.
Do not post content that would harm Louisville Baseball Club or damage Louisville Baseball Club’s reputation. Remember that even while you are on your own personal time, you are a representative of Louisville Baseball Club, and people may interpret your online postings or social interactions as though they were official Louisville Baseball Club
statements.
Use good judgment when posting comments on any official Louisville Baseball Club sites. Bear in mind that your comments can create liability for Louisville Baseball Club. If you are unsure whether a comment is appropriate to post, either do not post it or obtain prior approval from the Louisville Baseball Club Board of Directors.
Be smart about what you publish. Once something is posted, it exists online forever. Ask yourself, “would I want to see this published in the newspaper or posted on a billboard tomorrow or ten years from now?” If the answer is “no,” do not post.
Encourage others to engage in positive interactions on social media. If you are concerned about any Louisville Baseball Club Member’s use of social media, please bring your concerns to the attention of a member of the Louisville Baseball Club Board of Directors.
Personally identifiable information (information, such as a name and date of birth and/or a street address which, when taken together, can identify a particular individual) should not be disclosed in any manner on official Louisville Baseball Club social networking sites without the approval of the Louisville Baseball Club Board of Directors.

Louisville Baseball Club Social Media Policy
Louisville Baseball Club recognizes the importance of the Internet in shaping the public’s perception of our organization. Louisville Baseball Club also recognizes the importance of our members, directors, coaches, employees, and volunteers in leading and setting the tone of social media interactions in a manner that advances the Louisville Baseball Club mission and goals.

Online, social media and other electronic communication tools such as text messaging have become a prevalent and effective means of personal and professional communication, and have fundamentally changed the way many people and organizations interact. This policy sets forth our expectations with respect to the use of online and social media, as well as other forms of
electronic communications.

The term “social media” as used in this policy encompasses a wide array of online media and communications and their scope is constantly evolving. For purposes of this policy, the terms “online media” and “social media” are to refer to internal and external websites, blogs, online social networks (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), wikis, video and photo sharing sites (e.g., YouTube, SKYPE and Flickr), and other forms of personal online publishing and discourse. Policies regarding text messaging, email and individual telephonic communications are also covered by these policies.

All Louisville Baseball Club Members shall abide by the following guidelines when using social media. Abide by a “two-deep” policy for all communications and activities. This means at least two adults. There should be no private messages and no one-on-one direct contact through Facebook messages, Twitter, direct messaging, Skype, chats, instant messaging. This two-deep
policy also applies to all activities, outings, excursions, or other meetings between an adult and a player.

Ø Be positive and respectful, and always take the high road. When disagreeing with others’ opinions, remain appropriate and polite. If you find yourself in a situation online that is becoming antagonistic, disengage from the dialogue in a polite and respectful manner.

Ø Do not post content that would harm or damage the Louisville Baseball Club’s reputation. Remember that even while you are on your own personal time, you are a representative of the Louisville Baseball Club, and people may interpret your online postings or social interactions as though they were official Louisville Baseball Club statements.

Ø Use good judgment when posting comments. If you are unsure whether a comment is appropriate to post, either do not post it or obtain prior approval from Board of Directors of the Louisville Baseball Club.

Ø Be smart about what you publish. Once something is posted, it exists online forever.

Ø Personally identifiable information (information, such as a name and date of birth and/or a street address which, when taken together, can identify a particular individual) should not be disclosed in any manner on official Louisville Baseball Club social networking sites.

A coach may respond to a direct inquiry via text message or email from a player regarding logis=cs of prac=ce =mes, cancella=ons, schedules, etc. but our coaches should strive to include another adult on messages whenever possible.
Coaches and team representatives should only use text messages and email on issues that are soccer related and all communications should include a parent or guardian copied on the message.
Coaches and team representatives should avoid cell phone conversations with players to the greatest extent possible, and cell phone communications should only be used when absolutely necessary, and should only be soccer related.
Staff members, reserve coaches, and volunteer coaches, may not be “friends” on Facebook with a player.

Violations of the Social Media Policy
The Louisville Baseball Club Board of Directors shall have the authority to monitor and enforce this Social Media Policy. The Louisville Baseball Club Board of Directors, and any individual appointed by the Board of Directors, shall have the authority to remove any inappropriate or offensive comments from official Louisville Baseball Club sites and to block any individual or
organization from posting on any official Louisville Baseball Club social media platform if they determine, in their sole discretion, that such removal or block is in the best interests of Louisville Baseball Club.

The failure of any Louisville Baseball Club Member to adhere to this Social Media Policy shall be considered a violation of the Louisville Baseball Club Code of Conduct, and any Louisville Baseball Club Member who fails to adhere to this Social Media Policy shall be subject to disciplinary
action, up to and including termination of such individual’s involvement in Louisville Baseball Club, in accordance with the Louisville Baseball Club Disciplinary Procedures.

Adopted by the OHYA Board of Directors: _____________________

Internet Safety

INTERNET SAFETY FOR PLAYERS
◦ Do not give anyone online, not even your coach or other parent volunteers, your phone numbers at home or school, your parents’ workplaces, or the name or location of your school or home address unless you have your parents’ permission first. Never give your password to anyone but a parent or other adult in your family.
◦ Do not “friend” your coach on Facebook or other social media sites.
◦ Do not participate in “one on one” conversations via email text message, Skype, Facebook, telephone or other social media sites with your coach.

INTERNET SAFETY FOR PARENTS
◦ Discuss internet safety, and the “Internet Safety for Players,” section above, with your children.
◦ Let your children know that their coach, and other adults, should not communicate with them without your explicit knowledge and approval.
◦ Review your child’s online and electronic communications as appropriate to minimize risk.
◦ Report any suspicious online or electronic communications to the club executive director as soon as possible.