This is the handout I gave to participants at the Sex::Tech workshop I led about client confidentiality. You can use this as a starting point to develop your own organization's social media policies and guidelines.

1. Social Media and Client Confidentiality
Presented by: Carrie Rheingans Friday, February 26, 2010
Student, University of Michigan Sex::Tech 2010
School of Public Health & School of Social Work
Intern, HIV/AIDS Resource Center
Objectives
• Understand the need to create organization-wide guidelines regarding social
media and confidentiality issues
• Discuss what to consider when creating organization guidelines
• Begin writing your organization’s social media confidentiality policy
• Plan first step to getting social media confidentiality policy implemented
Stakeholders
– Who do you serve?
– Who could possibly be using social media to serve this population?
– Who needs to approve your social media guidelines?
– What do your funders say about social media use?
Policy Drafting
– Which types of social media should be included?
– Which staff should be included?
• Should board members, volunteers, clients be included?
– What is specific to your field?
– What will be your first step upon return to your organization?
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2. Report Back
– What was the easiest part?
– What was the most difficult part?
– What is your first step to start this process?
NOTES
**SAMPLE – HARC’s current draft of social media policy – pending approval**
Use of the Internet and Social Media Policy
The use of the Internet and social media venues, including Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter and
blogs, should not be conducted for personal use during work time. These are important resources,
however, that can also help in conducting outreach for the organization and promoting HARC's services
and events. When the purpose is work-related, then the use of these tools is acceptable during work
time, but should also be approved and discussed with the employee’s supervisor.
When using the Internet and other social media tools like those mentioned above, employees must follow
the following guidelines:
 Employees must comply with all of the agency’s policies and agreements, including any on
ethics, code of conduct, confidentiality and discrimination/harassment.
 Employees are personally and legally responsible for the content posted through social media
venues. Employees can be disciplined by the organization for commentary, content, or images
that are defamatory, pornographic, proprietary, harassing, libelous, or that can create a hostile
work environment
 Unless given permission by the President/CEO, you are not authorized to speak on behalf of the
organization, nor to represent that you do so.
 Never disclose any confidential or proprietary information concerning the agency or its customers
or clients.
 Act professionally towards yourself, your coworkers and your agency. Do not post anything that
will embarrass, insult, demean or damage the reputation of the agency, its services, customers or
clients, or any of its employees
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