social media policy

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GAY CITY BOWLERS CIC. Date of Policy 1st March 2025. Policy Review date 1st March 2026

Purpose and Scope

The opportunities for Gay City Bowlers to communicate directly and indirectly with non-members, each other and the world continue to evolve and get more and more varied day-by-day.

Social media creates opportunities to champion Gay City Bowlers and for personal expression, but it also creates risks and responsibilities. You should assume that anything you do on social media – whether in a GCB-managed chat group, on our Facebook Group, Instagram, other channels or your personal account – could be viewed by another club,  sponsor, ally, stakeholder, colleague, supplier, competitor, member or potential member.

Your activity on social media reflects on Gay City Bowlers and can impact the group, and, subject to applicable law, may not be exempt from this policy just because it occurred on a personal account or as a Gay City Bowlers member.

Related Policies and Consequence of Violations

As a Gay City Bowlers member, you are expected to adhere to this policy on social media, including but not limited to Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Whatsapp, Messenger, WeChat, YouTube, Flickr, Twitch, blogs, wikis or any other tool or service that facilitates interactions over the internet.

This policy supplements other Gay City Bowlers policies and standards, such as the Gay City Bowlers Code of Conduct, our Privacy Policy and Photography Policy. If your post would violate a Gay City Bowlers policy in another forum, it will also violate it on social media.

GCB members who violate this or other GCB policies may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including a ban on attendance to our socials and events in accordance with local laws and venue policies..

As a Gay City Bowler, you are required to follow these five principles in all social media activity.

• Be Nice, Have Fun and Connect!

Consistent with our Code of Conduct, every Gay City Bowler must be respectful to others when acting on behalf of Gay City Bowlers or when they identify or could be identified as a Gay City Bowler.

Remember, even when you are on a personal account, your social media activity could be seen by anyone so you should treat every interaction on social media as if you are dealing with a potential stakeholder. While we value member privacy and a diversity of perspectives across our group, Gay City Bowlers has zero tolerance for racism, bigotry, misogyny, express or implied threats of harassment or physical harm, or hate speech. “Hate speech” includes any speech – or endorsement or promotion of speech – that is derogatory toward a group of people based on a protected classification. This can include race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexuality, caste, gender or disability. For example, speech that dehumanizes, ridicules, or condones or promotes violence against a protected class of people is hate speech.

• Protect Information

As a rule, you should never post personal information about someone else on social media without their permission. Nor should you share the content of or comments made within a private chat group from one channel to another public forum or media (including directly to another person) without prior permission by the originator of the comment or creative – especially if this could cause damage to that person or other persons, to their reputations and relationships, or damage to Gay City Bowlers.  If you have seen a comment or post within a public forum or private Gay City Bowlers chat group, that has either caused you or you think is liable to cause offence or harm to another, please contact gcbhq@gaycitybowlers.com or speak directly with a Gay City Bowlers ‘Host’ or Director.

• Be Transparent and Disclose

When you talk about Gay City Bowlers on social media, ideally you should disclose that you are a member of the group.   This can be done simply by including the hashtag #GayCityBowlers.  However, note, only particular, authorized members may speak on behalf of Gay City Bowlers and issue official responses. Don’t post comments in heated discussion threads that imply that the comment you have made, or action you have taken, is representative of the group or it’s position. (Steer clear of ‘issue’ arguments or reacting to a ‘political’ position using the group’s accounts).

• Follow the Law, Follow the Code of Conduct

To avoid violating trademark, copyright or publicity rights, do not post images or other content without the consent of those who own or appear in the media. You are also personally responsible for complying with any terms of the social media platform you are using. These terms differ across platforms, and can include detailed community standards. You should familiarize yourself with the terms and standards for each platform you use.

• Be Responsible

Make sure you’re engaging in social media conversations the right way.

If you encounter questions or issues about Gay City Bowlers or spot anything that brings the club into disrepute on social media, please email our directors on gcbhq@gaycitybowlers.com for support.

Any response or action may be taken accordingly by the board and people acting officially on behalf of the club.

All Gay City Bowlers are encouraged to speak about the club and share news and information, but only authorised persons may speak on behalf of Gay City Bowlers and issue official responses. If you see something being shared related to Gay City Bowlers on a social media platform that shouldn’t be happening, immediately let us know using the contacts above.

Always remember that anything posted in social media – whether publicly or privately – can go viral or be ‘screenshot’, re-shared or re-posted as there is very little privacy protection for anything shared on social media, no matter what your privacy settings may be.  

Avoid posting when drunk. Our followers can wait most times to get a more interesting, edited, summation of a night out etc.  Take great care not to mix up your personal social media accounts with Gay City Bowlers. Double Check before you post.  THINK.

If you mistakenly post something on a social media platform, it will be hard to delete completely. So be sure you’re only posting content you would feel comfortable showing up in your boss’ inbox, your co-worker’s Twitter or Instagram feed, or the front page of a major news site. You should avoid posting content that might contain legal conclusions, intellectual property that belongs to other organisations, or defamatory or inflammatory language.

Everything you post online can be traced back to you, so be sure what you post is appropriate before you post it whether in a private messaging chat group or more publicly. Your post might be shared with others and archived even if you delete it later. Even if you put something in your bio about your content being just your own, that might not stop someone else online from complaining about your activity and noting that you play or are a member of Gay City Bowlers.

Social Media Account Ownership

If you participate in social media activities as part of a volunteer role at Gay City Bowlers on an account created for that purpose, that account is considered Gay City Bowlers property and remains so if you leave the group — meaning you will not try to change the password or the account name or create a similar sounding account or assert any ownership of the account or the contacts and connections you have gained through use of any such account. Any materials created for, or posted on, the account will remain Gay City Bowlers property.  This doesn’t apply to personal accounts that you may access, but does apply to all Gay City Bowlers branded accounts and messenger chat groups.

For any additional questions or support, reach out to gcbhq@gaycitybowlers.com

Thank you for your support!