ICRS Social Media Ethics and Guidelines

ICRS Vision: To be a leader in coral reef scientific discovery, to contribute to the education of future coral reef scientists, and to be a strong voice for science informing policies that protect coral reefs.

ICRS Mission: ICRS promotes the acquisition and dissemination of scientific knowledge to secure coral reefs for future generations.

Goal: Our goal is to share accurate scientific coral reef research with the society at large, promote ICRS initiatives, and to attract new members. The overarching goal of ICRS Social Media channels is to further the vision and mission of the society.

Purpose: The purpose of these ICRS Social Media Channels is to act as a vehicle to disseminate accurate scientific knowledge about coral reefs to a wider audience. The purpose of this policy document is to regulate posts by all ICRS communications committee members and potentially all other ICRS council/ committee/ chapter members.

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Thank you for volunteering your time to contribute to the ICRS social media platforms. Navigating the dynamic social media landscape can be challenging; this document is intended to clarify our expectations regarding adherence to the ethical standards of the society. When posting to social media on behalf of ICRS, you agree to NOT:

1. Break the ICRS Code of Conduct.
2. Post material that is threatening, harassing, illegal, obscene, defamatory, libelous, or hostile towards any individual or entity.
3. Post phone numbers or email addresses of any individual or entity without unequivocal permission.
4. Post material that infringes on the rights of any individual or entity, including privacy, intellectual property, or publication rights. This includes, but is not limited to, the improper use of images, logos, videos, or content.
5. Post material that promotes or advertises a commercial product for the purposes of financial gain unless specifically instructed to do so by the society.
6. Post self promoting items; with the exception of a short initial introductory post at the start of your turn as lead poster.
7. Allow any other individual or entity to use your identification or login credentials for posting or viewing comments.
8. Post negative or derogatory comments about any person or entity.
9. Post political opinions unless specifically instructed to do so by the society.

General Guidelines:

• Stick to your area of expertise.
• Aim to provide brief, to the point, eye catching material.
• Provide unique, individual perspectives on what is happening within your field/community.
• Always “write what you know” in an interesting, educational manner. But also remember to be open to learning and exploring new topics in an informed manner.
• Social media is a two-way dialog – always remember to listen! Read comments, ask questions. Engaging with followers will increase interest and help retain your audience.
• There may be times when you disagree with comments or responses. Honest disagreement is fine, so long as you can detail and explain your opinion. But when engaging in such a discussion, always stay appropriate, polite and on point.
• When reposting or retweeting content from other users, make sure you attribute it, give credit, and link to it appropriately.

You may encounter individuals with alternate viewpoints. If you are comfortable, engage in constructive discourse. However, if you experience any form of harassment from a deliberate troll, please inform the account moderator Mark Eakin as soon as possible and we will take the necessary steps to block this individual if required.

What to Post:

Topics include, but are not limited to:

• New peer-reviewed publications
• Coral reefs media articles
• Conference updates (e.g. dates, deadlines, info about the host location)
• Committee and council news, including awards
• Topic appropriate photos/ news from society members and wider public
• Content from ICRS regional and topic chapters and organizations related to ICRS
• Content that may attract funding and new members to ICRS

If you are ever unsure if a post is appropriate or not, please contact Liz Drenkard (at the address above).