Social Media Policy and Guideline
1. Definitions
1.1. “Affiliates” means (i) in respect of a person, any person which controls (directly or indirectly) that person and any other person controlled (directly or indirectly) by such first mentioned person, including, where a person is a company, the ultimate holding company of such person, any holding company of such person and any subsidiary (direct or indirect) of such holding company; (ii) suppliers of Where To Next;
1.2. “Where to Next” refers to Where to Next (Pty) Ltd, a private company duly incorporated in terms of the company laws of South Africa, with registration number 2023/231970/07, and its principal place of business in Pretoria, and shall include the description “We”, “Us”, and “Our”;
1.3. “Identifiable Person(s)” means any person associated with the Where to Next brand, including:
1.3.1. members of the group on the relevant Social Media platforms;
1.3.2. employees;
1.3.3. Affiliate member’s employees;
1.3.4. Suppliers;
1.3.5. Any representative/any party that makes themselves out to be a representative of Where To Next.
1.4. “You” means an Identifiable Person;
1.5. “Social Media Platform” means a web-based or mobile application technology that provides the ability to create social media accounts that enable Users to create and share content or to participate in social networking functionality and includes but is not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, You Tube and WhatsApp;
1.6. “User” means any person who has a social media account on any Social Media Platform and who communicates with Us;
2. Recordals
2.1. Words and meanings as described in the Terms of Use shall have the same meaning herein, unless indicated otherwise.
2.2. As a result of Where to Next endeavours to create a unique and positive brand with goodwill associated thereto, We pride ourselves in how We present Our public image, Our employees and Our Affiliates products or Services and Our Services to You.
2.3. This policy replaces any previous versions of a social media policy or guideline that may exist/have existed at Our Head Office.
2.4. The overarching purpose of this policy is to enhance Our public image, in particular by guiding Identifiable Persons on the best practices regarding the establishment and/or use of Social Media Platforms. The policy is based on a number of fundamental principles, including:
2.4.1. Our values on freedom of expression, a plurality of diverse views, and opposition of discrimination on the basis of race, age, religion, gender, marital status, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation or other grounds as contained in the South African Constitution, or that which causes incitement to harm (such as “hate speech”).
2.4.2. Our encouragement of both transparent contact via social media and honest, open communication that is timeous and accurate, as well as a definite leaning towards building good customer relationships through rapid response rates, large scale User awareness, brand recognition and relevant feedback to questions or during discussions on Social Media Platforms.
2.5. This policy does not derive from a frame of reference that is aimed at restricting the Constitutional rights to freedom of expression/association but aims to facilitate the promotion and positioning of Where To Next achievements and Services in the public domain in a professional and accountable manner.
2.6. However, all Constitutional rights invoke corresponding responsibilities, and You hereby acknowledge your obligation to promote the positive image/reputation of We and that We reserves its right to hold You accountable for harming the good standing of the brand by means of public commentary that might bring We into disrepute.
2.7. The policy promotes the dissemination of current, informative and engaging material that is presented in a consistent, accurate and professional manner during all forms of social media interaction.
2.8. In order to avoid any problems or misunderstandings, We have developed this policy and guidelines to provide helpful and practical advice for You when operating on the internet and intranet as an Identifiable Person.
3. Scope of the Application
3.1. This policy applies to all Identifiable Persons – including its employees and suppliers, if such suppliers associate themselves with the Where to Next brand on any Social Media Platform whether in their personal capacity or official capacity as a Where to Next representative.
3.2. This policy does not aim to regulate the private receiving or imparting of information by Identifiable Persons, except for in instances where such conduct directly harms the goodwill of Where to Next (and which is regulated by the prevailing policy), or where the behaviour of the individual directly impacts the functioning and/or brand of Where to Next negatively.
3.3. Identifiable Persons should take particular care in social media conduct to clarify that the information that is being disseminated or the response that is offered in reaction to an enquiry, is put forward in either their official capacity as an authorised representative of Where to Next or that the Identifiable Person is acting in their personal capacity as particularly in the instance of social media, the lines between the two can easily be blurred.
3.4. While this is the Where to Next policy, it is also your responsibility to adhere to the terms of use of the various Social Media Platforms and You hereby indemnify Us from any liability whether direct or indirectly and however so arising from your conduct on the Social Media Platform.
3.5. You agree that We shall not be liable, under any circumstances, for any errors, omissions, loss or damages claimed or incurred due to any of your postings on any Social Media Platform.
3.6. This policy explicitly does not apply to instances of protected disclosures (or “whistle-blowing”), which is separately regulated by the relevant legislation in South Africa.
4. Creation of a Social Media Account
4.1. Any Identifiable Person who intends to create a social media account directly associated with Where to Next shall complete and submit Annexure B to Us at least 7 (seven) days prior to establishing the social media account.
4.2. You hereby undertake to act in accordance with the policy and guidelines set out herein.
4.3. You shall grant Where to Next administrative access to your social media account. Should You change the password or access details in any way, You shall notify Us within 2 (two) days in writing thereof and provide the updated access details to Us.
4.4. Should We find that You have breached any of the terms set out in this policy, We reserves Our right to deactivate your social media account and/or take the necessary corrective action to mitigate the damage to Our brand.
4.5. Should You fail to adequately respond to a post/ comment, We reserves its right to respond on your behalf. However, in no way is such response to be construed as Us accepting or waiving any liability for any post/comment.
5. Roles and responsibilities
As a general principle, We shall be the first point of referral for all enquiries regarding a particular social media account. Identifiable Persons are strongly advised to contact/refer questions to Us as a very first step, who will channel the request to the appropriate function/person/ Affiliate and will also monitor that the matter receives the required attention.
6. Obligations and Responsibilities in terms of the Social Media Policy
6.1. Management issues and crisis communication
6.1.1. All Identifiable Persons are expected to bring any emerging issues of potential social media or public interest/sensitivity related to Us to Our immediate attention.
6.1.2. We together with the relevant Identifiable Person, will then develop a social media response that is consistent with Our marketing strategy.
6.1.3. No Identifiable Person is authorised to speak via social media on behalf of We in its entirety in the event of any crisis, unless authorised to do so in writing and in accordance with the We public relations protocols and strategy.
6.2. Social media assistance
We are available to assist Identifiable Persons who subscribe to Our Services, and employees with matters related to social media interaction (sere relevant), including assistance with account set-up, best practices guidance and support in attending to enquiries. Before new accounts are set up by franchisees, a Social Media Establishment Form as detailed in Annexure B must be completed and submitted per paragraph 4.1 above.
6.3. Social media engagement
6.3.1. We have a dedicated public relations officer. Unless given permission in writing, an Identifiable Person is not authorised to communicate on Our behalf nor may he or she create the impression that he or she does in fact speaking on Our behalf.
6.3.2. All information that is provided via social media should be truthful, accurate, unambiguous, clear and factual. Social media responses are hence always “on the record”.
6.3.3. Remarks may not include any disparaging comments about Us and/or Our Affiliates.
6.3.4. An Identifiable Person’s online presence is furthermore a reflection on Us and, images, posts or comments can reflect on Us even if the Identifiable Person is acting in their personal capacity.
6.3.5. We reserve the right to request the removal of its name, symbol or any registered trademarks from social media accounts. Social media activities may not interfere with employment, duties and responsibilities of the Identifiable Person.
6.3.6. We reserve its right to request an Identifiable Person to remove a post from a Social Media Platform if We believes the post to be inappropriate in any way.
6.3.7. All social media accounts or profiles that represent or are associated with Us should strictly adhere to Our corporate identity and bear Our approved trademark.
6.3.8. All authorised social media accounts must enable a “Contact Us” icon per Annexure A and We must be granted immediate access to same.
6.4. Social media monitoring
6.4.1. We assume responsibility for ensuring that a Social Media monitoring service is in place to monitor social media activities and to assist in managing Our reputation.
6.4.2. We reserve the right to monitor any online activity relating to the official Where to Next accounts and to remove inappropriate posts, block disruptive users, and/or report any inappropriate behaviour to the relevant social media authority.
6.5. Non-compliance
When completing the Social Media Establishment Form, You are entering into an agreement with Us in which You undertake to adhere fully to the requirements as set out in the form and those set out in the policy and guideline. Non-compliance could lead to termination of your account or further actions, as deemed fit by Us.
6.6. Confidentiality
6.6.1. Personal contact details of Identifiable Persons as well as those protected by the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 and such details may hence not be shared through any Social Media Platform without the Identifiable Person’s prior written and informed consent. This does not include official representatives who have agreed to their contact details being made publicly available.
6.6.2. If an item features the sentence “for internal use only” then that communication is not to be forwarded to anyone who is not employed by We, alternatively, any person who is not authorised to receive the communication.
6.7. Discretion
6.7.1. Proper consideration must always be given to the sensitivity and potential for causing offence when discussing the topics of religion, sexual preferences, race, politics or any other controversial issues that may provoke a charged, emotional response.
6.7.2. Identifiable Person’s herein acknowledge that anonymous postings can be traced back to Us.
6.8. Language
6.8.1. It is important that the language of Our social media content is accurate and up to date as well as in plain and simple language.
6.8.2. The Identifiable Person shall always write in the first person and shall not use their We email address for private communications.
6.9. Be respectful
6.9.1. Anything that an Identifiable Person posts in their role as an Identifiable Person reflects on Where to Next. Identifiable Persons are required to be professional and respectful at all times and not to engage in arguments or extensive debates with consumers and/or other Identifiable Persons.
6.9.2. An Identifiable Person shall not use any ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, or engage in any conduct that would not be acceptable in the workplace and should also show proper consideration for other’s privacy and for topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory (e.g. religious or political opinions).
6.9.3. The use of an Identifiable Person’s public voice either internally or externally to vent, discourage or embarrass Us, Our customers, co-workers or even themselves is not permitted and may result in a disciplinary hearing and/or termination of the Subscription and/or access to the Social Media Platform and/or Website.
6.9.4. An Identifiable Person shall respect intellectual property rights (such as trademarks and copyright), and shall not use any name logo, image, artwork or other material that is not its property without first obtaining the owner’s consent.
6.10. Be transparent
An Identifiable Person shall make it clear that he/she is posting/blogging/tweeting/Facebooking, etc. in his/her own personal capacity, alternatively, in the capacity as the franchisee of a specific franchise, not on Our behalf. The Identifiable Person shall use the following disclaimer in the “About” or similar section of his/her personal social media account:
“The opinions of the individuals on this social media account are not an official statement or opinion of Where To Next.”
We reserve the right to remove Identifiable Persons, comments or other information that is contradictory to the vision, mission and values of We and detrimental to the reputation, order, discipline or performance by Us.
7. Identifiable Person’s obligations and responsibilities
7.1. Any Identifiable Person who has associated themselves with Us on any Social Media Platform shall conduct themselves in accordance with this policy and guideline.
7.2. When an Identifiable Person discusses Our brand-related matters, he/she must identify themselves with their name and, where relevant, their role or affiliation with Where to Next.
7.3. The Identifiable Person is personally responsible for the content he/she publishes on a Social Media Platform, both internally and externally. If the Identifiable Person is unsure about any content that it wishes to publish that is related to Where to Next and its brands, he/she shall discuss it with Us prior to publishing any content thereto.
7.4. On termination of the Subscription or Services, the employee shall delete, within 48 (Forty-Eight) hours any association it may have with Us on its Social Media Platforms.
7.5. Identifiable Persons hereby acknowledge that any communication on these Social Media Platforms could be inferred by the User as an official communication on behalf of Us. Accordingly, no Identifiable Person may enter into any arrangement or contract via social media and shall take specific care when discussing matters with Users on WhatsApp. Identifiable Persons are to clearly point out that no communication (including electronic communications) may be construed as entering into a binding agreement unless reduced to writing and signed on paper by both parties.
7.6. Save for undertaking to an agreed delivery date and time, the franchisee shall not be permitted to give a User any undertaking, warranty or guarantee on behalf of Us on any Social Media Platform.
8. Ancillary Social Media Best Practices – A Do’s and Don’ts Guideline
8.1. Social Media Do’s
8.1.1. Once a Social Media Platform is established, applicable Identifiable Persons are to include “Where to Next” in their account bio describing the affiliation.
8.1.2. Images and graphics should adhere to Our corporate identity.
8.1.3. When uploading content to your Social Media Platform think first and foremost about searchability. Search engines, such as Google and Twitter’s own search engine, will reveal accounts based on keyword relevance.
8.1.4. When customizing the Social Media Platform, the Identifiable Person should use simple graphics that represent Our brand.
8.1.5. Images including photographs posted on Social Media Platforms can easily be appropriated by users. Protect the intellectual property by adding a watermark or posting images at 72 dpi.
8.1.6. Ensure that adequate security measures are imposed on your Social Media Platform by regularly checking the security and privacy settings on each Social Media Platform.
8.1.7. Check pages/profiles/accounts in the morning, at midday and before You leave work. You should also have 24/7 access to pages and be able to instantly respond to urgent queries or deal with crisis situations. Should You anticipate a response taking longer, ensure that an initial response reaches the User within the first 48 (Forty-Eight) hours.
8.2. Social Media Don’ts
8.2.1. Do not have any discussions about revenues, future products, pricing decisions, unannounced financial results or similar matters will get You, the company or both into serious trouble. Stay away from discussing financial topics and predictions of future performance at all costs.
8.2.2. Don’t cite or reference Users, Affiliates or suppliers without their prior approval. When You do make a reference, where possible, link back to the source. Be aware that others will associate You with Us when You identify yourself as such. Please ensure that your social media account and related content is consistent with how You wish to present yourself to Users.
8.2.3. Don’t use copyrighted material without permission. Ensure that You have permission when using images or graphics. If a video You post is set to music, You must use royalty-free music and sound effects. To use a copyrighted piece, You must contact the owner. Most often the owner or publisher will be listed on sheet music or a CD label.
8.2.4. Do not provide your login or passwords to anyone, not even to family members.
8.2.5. Do not comment on any negative posts or criticism about Us. Immediately pass the comment or post on to Us in order to manage same.
8.2.6. Do not present your own opinions about Where to Next news from a subjective perspective.
Annexures