Transparency when using social media

Agencies should be fully transparent in their interactions within social media, including the addition and removal of content. Any officer responding to and/or posting new comments should identify the comment as an official response from an agency.

Identify as an official government presence

When publishing using social media, agencies should identify the account as an official government presence. For example, an officer seeking to respond to a post on an official Facebook account or publish an official video to YouTube should not do so using a personal account, but using the official account that is named to represent the agency or activity.

Other ways to identify and convey the official status of social media presences include:

• use of Queensland Government Corporate Identity where approved
• cyclic links between agency website and the social media account (for example, link to a page on the agency website that also links to the official social media account – evidencing its official status)
• use of custom disclaimer messages or terms of use hosted on the official agency website.

Communicate account closures

Where an agency wishes to close a social media account the agency should advise via the account:

• the reasons for closure
• options for further communication or engagement.