Federal Retirees community guidelines

Introduction

Federal Retirees' online presence and social media channels are an extension of the Federal Retirees community. In the interest of maintaining a safe space and fostering constructive discussions, we ask you to respect these guidelines. Please take a minute to read them and keep them in mind when you participate in our community.

We value open discussions without interference. However, we reserve the right to moderate input that does not adhere to our guidelines and ban individuals who repeatedly violate them. All comments and questions are individually reviewed, and we address issues and inquiries that require follow-up as soon as we can, typically within two business days.

 

Be respectful

We strive to create a supportive and fun community on our social media channels. In order to help us, we ask that you treat each other with respect and keep comments civil. In particular, the following behaviours will not be tolerated:

  • Personal attacks against other members of the community
  • Aggressive, vulgar, explicit or threatening language including curse words
  • Hate speech or hateful speech including (but not limited to) comments that are racist, sexist or homophobic

 

Stay on topic

When you participate, be sure to add to the conversation. Don’t be deliberately disruptive or misleading. Everyone has a right to participate, so be supportive and don’t monopolize the dialogue. Also, avoid posts that constitute “spam” or that seek to promote your own blog/service/company.

 

Be safe

When individuals post or comment on our social media channels, that content is public. So, it is important to ensure that you don’t say something you may regret later or that you don’t want someone else to know. In particular, don’t share personal information or private contact information.

Additionally, be wary of fake news and inaccurate advice while online. Engaging with others on social media and tracking important local and global news can be both informative and rewarding. However, not all posts and shared articles are reliable and may include misinformation or “fake news”. Individuals on social media may also take it upon themselves to provide unqualified medical, financial, political or other advice to you. Always use your best judgment and rely on news outlets you trust.

 

Non-partisanship

The National Association of Federal Retirees is an advocacy organization; our priority is to spread awareness of our advocacy campaigns and help enact positive policy changes for our members. As a non-partisan association, Federal Retirees employees and volunteers regularly meet with Members of Parliament from all political parties to ensure that the advocacy priorities of our organization are understood. These meetings do not constitute support for one party or politician over another. Likewise, though we are non-partisan, some of our commenters, supporters and followers are not. Respect opinions that are different than your own and be willing to disagree with other commenters in a manner that is positive and constructive.

 

Official languages

Federal Retirees’ national social media feeds are available in English and French. However, most media outlets do not publish articles in both official languages. When we share significant news and research with you, we strive to find translated or comparable articles in both English and French but, unfortunately, sometimes there are none to be found. In these cases, we will share the article on our feed but indicate that it is only available unilingually. Please be understanding of this as you receive updates from our social media feed as we have no control over the news coverage of various media outlets, nor can we translate their work and put it up on our own website. Importantly, any content that appears on our national news roll is available in both French and English.

 

Parting thoughts

While we are excited to hear from our online community, it is important to note that posts and comments by individuals on our social media channels do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the National Association of Federal Retirees, nor do we confirm their accuracy. If you have any concerns regarding content or behaviour on a Federal Retirees social media channel, please contact our communications team at communications@federalretirees.ca. We reserve the right to modify these guidelines according to our discretion at any time.

We can’t wait to hear what you have to say, and we are grateful for your help in ensuring a safe and supportive online community!

 

Last updated: April 23, 2021