Download a pdf version of this policy here.
ABOUT SQIFF
SQIFF (Scottish Queer International Film Festival) was formed with the aim of adding to the exciting and growing amount of queer film stuff happening around Scotland. Since 2015, we have held an annual Festival in Glasgow alongside providing year round events across various locations. SQIFF aims to build community through queer films. Our goal is to get people watching, talking about, and making more queer films. We want to screen movies that people might not otherwise get a chance to see and create inspiring and informative events across Scotland. Moreover, we want to support marginalised groups within the LGBTQIA+ community by providing a networking system for queer filmmakers, as well as filmmaking workshops for audiences wanting to start on the medium. We want to challenge inequalities and barriers to accessing the arts.
This Social Media Policy outlines SQIFF’s commitment to ensuring safety and appropriate use of social media in the promotion of SQIFF’s work. SQIFF currently has social media platforms on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Letterboxd, TikTok, and Twitter.
This policy will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.
This Social Media Policy includes information on:
- Policy Statement
- Purpose
- Principles
POLICY STATEMENT
Scottish Queer International Film Festival (SQIFF) is an organisation which utilises social media to promote, document and in some cases, deliver, its work. It is important for SQIFF to utilise its online platform to engage with audiences, build connections, participate in online discourse, support the work of like minded organisations, and share news about the LGBTQIA+ community. This policy is intended for all staff members and Trustees and applied to content posted on behalf of SQIFF. Staff and Trustees must read this policy before engaging with work-related social media activity.
PURPOSE
This policy lays out guidelines on how social media should be used to support the work of SQIFF. It sets out what staff and Trustees need to be aware of when interacting in these spaces, and is designed to help staff support and expand our official social media channels, whilst protecting the charity and its reputation. This policy also lays out SQIFF’s specific commitments to embedding accessibility into social media content, and using social media safely and appropriately. This policy makes SQIFF responsible to the public as well its employees, voluntary staff, and audience members for acting on those commitments.
PRINCIPLES
Our social media strategies include, but are not limited to:
Employees and volunteers
- SQIFF staff members will only post on SQIFF’s official social media channels in their professional capacity.
- No member of the SQIFF staff will utilise SQIFF’s social media accounts for their own personal usage.
- The output of SQIFF’s social media content is overseen by SQIFF’s Director, who may delegate responsibility for this to other staff members at appropriate times.
- Only SQIFF staff members with permission from the Director will have access to SQIFF’s social media logins.
- SQIFF’s staff will respond to comments and questions received on social media platforms during their usual working hours. Additional plans will be made to monitor and respond to online engagement during busy periods, i.e. SQIFF’s annual festival.
- When posting on SQIFF’s social media channels, staff members will ensure to follow guidelines on SQIFF’s branding and tone of voice. Staff will endeavour to ensure no typos or misspellings are present, and will correct these if noticed using edit-post features, if possible.
- SQIFF will ensure all social media content has a purpose and a benefit for SQIFF, and accurately reflects SQIFF.
- All content on SQIFF’s social media channels will be accompanied with the appropriate access features, for example alt-text (also understood as image description) for all Instagram visual posts. Guidance on alt-text can be found here: https://www.dundee.ac.uk/guides/writing-alt-text
- SQIFF will always seek the permission of individuals before posting images of them across social media channels. If interviews, videos or photos include images of children or young people (under 18), SQIFF will only post such content with the permission of a relevant parent or guardian.
- When appropriate, SQIFF will share posts of other organisations. Care must be taken to ensure the posts and values behind these organisations are in line with SQIFF’s values and Code of Conduct.
- SQIFF will not share discriminatory content of any type, nor content that may encourage individuals to put their personal safety at risk, such as stunt videos.
- SQIFF is not a political organisation and does not hold a view on party politics or have any affiliation with or links to political parties. SQIFF has the right to express views on policy, including the policies of parties, but cannot tell people how to vote or encourage voting for a particular party.
- SQIFF reserves the right to express political comment, where it supports the delivery of SQIFF’s charitable purposes, for example in the promotion of LGBTQIA+ people and/or film; supporting LGBTQIA+ people across the world in sharing resources, community fundraisers, protest action; in situations of oppression of people across the world, war, genocide, and incidents of harm across the world. SQIFF commits to following government guidance on political comment as an organisation progressing into charitable status.
- Should a complaint be made across any of SQIFF’s social media channels, staff should seek guidance from the Director on response strategy.
- In response to any hateful or discriminatory comments made on SQIFF’s social media output, SQIFF staff will follow the following procedure: report comment, delete comment, block user.
Audience members, artists, performers, and guests
- In some instances, guests may be invited to design or ‘take over’ SQIFF’s social media channels. Guidelines will be followed in this process, overseen by SQIFF’s Director, Marketing and PR Coordinator, and/or Social Media Assistant.
Responsibility
The responsibility for implementation of SQIFF’s Social Media Policy lies with its staff team.
All members, employees, and volunteers have the individual responsibility to:
- Comply fully with SQIFF’s Social Media Policy.
- Draw the attention of SQIFF’s members to suspected or alleged discriminatory practices or breaches of its equality measures.
This policy was last reviewed on 05/12/2024. We welcome any comments and suggestions that can help us to develop our Social Media Policy: [email protected].