Eureka to consider social media policy for employees, public

EUREKA – Eureka City Council looks to establish its first social media policy.
Staff will present a draft that calls for respectful, professional and ethical behavior online.
It outlines who will have access to the city’s numerous Facebook and other social media accounts.
The policy gives the city discretion to remove profane or threatening language whether it was posted by an employee or a member of the public. It also clarifies that if employees use their personal social media accounts to comment on city business that person should offer a disclaimer that their views are not shared on behalf of the city.
Eureka City Manager Greg Sparks said, “Certainly there have been court decisions in recent years with both public and private employers that found employees can be held accountable for what they put on social media. There have been employees that have been disciplined and in some cases terminated because of very inappropriate things put out on their social media.”
The meeting begins Tuesday night at 6:00 at Eureka City Hall