I.    Policy Statement:

Social media and social network sites serve to further enhance communications between the SKC Partnership and the public in support of the goals of the Sustainable Knowledge Corridor project. Social media facilitates further discussion of regional issues, operations and services by providing members of the public the opportunity to participate in many ways using the Internet.  Submission of comments by members of the public constitutes participation in a limited public forum.

1.    Identification

All visitors to SKC.org which partake in social media aspects of the portal shall be clearly identified by their name and image as provided to the social media service in use.

2.    Disclosure requirements

Participants in SKC.org’s social media sites also agree to the Intellectual Property, Use and Dissemination statements under SKC.org’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Freedom of Information Act and e-discovery laws and policies apply to social media content and therefore, all social network sites and entries will are subject to public disclosure.

3.    Content Moderation

The SKC Partnership reserves the right to restrict or remove any content that is deemed in violation of this policy or any applicable law or regulation. SKC.org social networking content and comments containing any of the following forms of content or commentary shall not be allowed for posting:

• Comments not topically related to the particular site or blog article being commented upon;
• Profane language or content;
• Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, national origin, physical or mental disability or sexual orientation;
• Sexual content or links to sexual content;
• Solicitations of commerce;
• Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity;
• Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public; or
• Content that violates a legal ownership interest of any other party.

Further, the SKC Partnership also reserves the right to delete comments that:

• Encompass spam or include links to other sites;
• Promote particular services, products or political organizations;
• Infringe on copyrights or trademarks;
• Foster personal attacks of any kind.

4.    Twitter and Facebook

Twitter is a free social networking site that allows users to send and read other users' short updates (up to 140 characters in length). Facebook is a social networking service that allows users to connect with others and share information and media. While people use Twitter and Facebook in many different ways for both personal and professional reasons, as a matter of policy:

• The SKC.org use of Twitter and Facebook is intended as a means to provide announcements and updates on current events or notices to any other users who elect to watch or follow our Twitter and Facebook feeds.
• The accounts are maintained and monitored by SKC Partnership members.
• Unless you protect your updates, messages you post on Twitter are received by the Agency may be public records and may also be publicly available. Because not everyone knows that we are on Twitter, we occasionally search for 'tweets' that talk about Mass.Gov but don't reference our account, "@massgov" and let that user know about our account. We periodically perform these searches to enable us to more effectively listen to and engage with constituents.
• Messages posted on the SKC.org Facebook page will also be visible to all visitors of that page.
• Twitter and Facebook are one of the many means we're using to connect residents in the Knowledge Corridor. We'll review and update the SKC.org Twitter and Facebook accounts as much as possible as we monitor and maintain other channels of feedback. However, the SKC Partnership may not respond via Twitter and Facebook to press inquiries, resident questions or complaints, or other constituent matters. Instead, interested parties can use the ‘contact us’ page to reach the SKC Partnership with questions and concerns.
• Also note that these services are hosted by third parties and are governed by their own website policies, which include Twitter’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, and Facebook’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. These policies will also apply to your use of Twitter and Facebook on SKC.org.

II.    Definitions:

1.    CCRPA

Refers to Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency. CCRPA is the regional and metropolitan planning organization for the cities of Bristol and New Britain and the towns of Berlin, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, and Southington in Connecticut. For forty-five years, CCRPA has worked with government, business, and the public to develop a vision for the region and resolve its challenges. For more information see www.ccrpa.org.

2.    CRCOG

Refers to Capital Regional Council of Governments. CRCOG is guided by the chief elected officials of 30 municipalities in the metropolitan area of Hartford, Connecticut. For more than 30 years, members have collaborated on a wide range of projects to benefit their towns individually and the region as a whole. For more information see www.crcog.org.

3.    IP Address

A series of numbers that identifies each computer and machine connected to the Internet. An IP address enables a server on a computer network to send you the file that you have requested on the Internet. The IP address disclosed to us may identify the computer from which you are accessing the Internet, or a server owned by your Internet Service Provider. Because it is machine-specific, rather than person-specific, an IP address is not, in and of itself, personally identifiable information.

4.    PVPC

Refers to Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. Since 1962, PVPC has been the designated regional planning body for the Pioneer Valley region, which encompasses 43 cities and towns in the Hampden and Hampshire county areas. PVPC is the primary agency responsible for increasing communication, cooperation, and coordination among all levels of government as well as the private business and civic sectors in order to benefit the Pioneer Valley region and to improve its residents' quality of life. For more information see www.pvpc.org.

5.    SKC.org

Refers to the SKC Partnership internet web portal, accessed through www.sustainableknowledgecorridor.org and other similar referral domains. SKC.org also references accessory pages and services, such as the SKC Partnership social media and survey sites, and other sites that are used to convey information to the public through the portal.

6.    SKC Partnership

Refers to the partnership between CCRPA, CRCOG and PVPC to develop the Sustainable Knowledge Corridor project.

7.    Social Media

A social media website is a website on a social media application that is usually maintained by an individual and has regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. A social media identity is a specific user identity that has been registered on a third party social media site and is associated with the Agency.  Government social media sites or identities typically provide forums for commentary or news on topics related to the government agency that hosts the social media site or has secured the social media identity. A typical social media site (whether hosted by the Agency or a third party) combines text, images, and links to other websites related to the topic and enables readers to leave comments in an interactive format.