Aims

1.     The Glebe Society’s Constitution provides for various powers, including: 

to print and publish any newspapers, periodicals, books or leaflets or like material as the (Management) Committee may deem necessary or desirable for the promotion of the objects of the Society;

2.     This power extends to a variety of media, including:

  1. print – The Glebe Society Bulletin;
  2. principal website – www.glebesociety.org.au;
  3. linked websites with a specific focus, such as Glebe Walks and Glebe Island Bridge;
  4. social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube; and
  5. other social media which may be established in response to Society need or technological and social change.

3.     All media platforms exist to further Society’s objectives as laid down in its Constitution.  Specific aims are to:

  1. communicate the Society’s vision for Glebe to members, residents of Glebe, and the wider community including decision-makers in Local and State Government;
  2.  engender public support for achieving the Society’s objectives, particularly in the areas of heritage, community and environment; and 
  3. encourage membership of the Society and participation in its activities.

Policy

4.     The Society does not publish or provide links to material which is discriminatory (whether on the basis of race, age, gender, disability, religion or sexual orientation), sectarian, party political or likely to be seen as offensive or culturally insensitive.

5.     The Society, through its various media platforms, will communicate with its membership and the wider community by publishing: 

  1. news about the activities of the Society;
  2. the Society’s views on issues of the day, which usually will be published as articles by the President, or relevant subcommittee convenor;
  3. news and notices about other events that are relevant to the aims and objectives of theSociety;
  4. the views of members on issues of the day, usually as letters to the editor in theBulletin, on Facebook, or in tweets; and
  5. material submitted by other members of the community relevant to the activities and views of the Society, provided it contributes to constructive debate and does not prejudice the achievement of the Society’s aims and objectives or unnecessarily offend or denigrate the Society or people or organisations associated with the Society.

The Bulletin

6.     In addition to its role as the primary means of communication with the Society’s membership the Bulletin acts as an historical record of The Glebe Society.  Hard copies of almost all issues from 1969 to the present are available at the Glebe Library and copies are sent to the City of Sydney, State and National libraries. The Glebe Society website contains copies from the year 2000, with earlier copies being scanned and added gradually.

Social Media

7.     The role of the Society’s social media platforms is to:

  1. encourage sharing of information amongst its members and the wider community; and 
  2. to take advantage of the interactive capabilities of social media, where appropriate.

8.     Because of the interactive and temporal nature of social media it is inevitable that material inconsistent with one or more of the Society’s objectives or published policies will be posted occasionally, and therefore it is particularly important that administrators of social media platforms pay close attention to paragraphs 4 and 5e and ensure that published material is current.  

Responsibilities


President

9.     It is the responsibility of the President to ensure that:

  1. members of the Management Committee are aware of the requirements of this policy
  2. any breaches of this policy are brought to the attention of the Management Committee and dealt with appropriately; and
  3. the Communications Convenor is assisted, when requested, by providing advice on potentially contentious matters which have been submitted for publication. 

Subcommittee Convenors

10.  It is the responsibility of subcommittee convenors to ensure that their contributions to the Bulletin and other media platforms are consistent with existing Glebe Society policies and, in the event that their contribution is not addressed by existing Glebe Society policy, to seek clearance for publication from the Management Committee.

All convenors of subcommittees and the Events Coordinator are administrators on the Society’s Facebook page, and are authorised to post and edit material relevant to their responsibilities.

Communications Subcommittee Convenor

11.  It is the responsibility of the Communications subcommittee convenor to:

  1. ensure members of the subcommittee are familiar with the requirements of this policy;
  2. oversee the Society’s communication activities;
  3. select appropriate members of the Society to act as administrators of all Glebe Society social media platforms;
  4. ensure that all social media posts are in keeping with this and other Society policies; and
  5. lead the Communications subcommittee in: overseeing the expansion of Glebe Society social media, developing the Society’s social media strategy and initiating reviews of this policy from time to time. 

Bulletin Editor

12.  The editor of the Bulletin is appointed by the Management Committee. The role of the editor is discussed in Annex A.

 

Annex A

Role and Authority of Editors and Administrators


The Bulletin

1.     The Editor determines the content of each edition of the Bulletin.  He/she has discretion to seek articles for publication, particularly if a topic of importance is not covered in a particular edition, or when other material being published requires balancing facts or opinions (this material need not necessarily appear in the same edition).

2.     The Editor has creative control of the design, layout and overall presentation of the publication. 

3.     The Editor decides deadlines and publication dates for each edition.

4.     The Editor may alter or delete copy in order to:

  1. maintain consistent usage; e.g. date, spelling, punctuation, etc.
  2. clarify meaning, or
  3. improve layout; provided that the alterations do not change the overall impact or meaning of an article. 

5.     Other changes must not be made without the author’s approval. Should it not be possible to achieve this by the publication deadline, the article will be held over until the author has been consulted.

6.     If it is anticipated that problems may arise from the publication of an article, the Editor will consult with the President/management committee. Should the matter involve the possibility of legal action the Editor will also consult a member of the Society who is a lawyer.

Website

The website content editor is responsible for:

  1. Adding Calendar Events to the website, with dates and descriptions of each event, with information either taken from the Bulletin or provided by the Event Coordinator.
  2. Adding Reports to the website, at the request of members of the Management Committee.
  3. Maintaining other areas of the website, including list of Management Committee members, Bulletin schedules, and the Community Directory.
  4. Responding to various requests from the Management Committee, members of The Glebe Society and others.
  5. Identifying website technical and design issues for referral to the technical support member.
  6. Management of email redirections for members of the Management Committee and office-holders.
  7. Compilation and distribution of the President’s Glebe Society Update emails.

The Society’s technical support member is responsible for:

  1. Website design, preferably carried out by third parties under contract and supervised by the technical support member.
  2. Maintenance (or supervision of maintenance) of the website and other Society iplatforms.
  3. Advice on the development and implementation of new Glebe Society internet initiatives.

Social Media Platforms

Administrators of social media platforms are responsible for:

  1. the accuracy, quality, appearance, relevance and timeliness of the content and of their respective platforms;
  2. seeking appropriate material for publication;
  3. determining, after taking advice from the President/Management Committee if necessary, whether unsolicited material should be published; and
  4. taking appropriate action should material which contravenes these guidelines appear on a Society social media platform. 

 

December 2016