The Suffolk Horse Society
Suite 8,
Britannia House
Base Business Park
Rendlesham
Suffolk IP12 2TZ
Tel: 01394 380643
E-mail: sec@suffolkhorsesociety.org.uk
The office is usually manned from Mondays to Fridays, between 9.00am to 4.00pm.
Suffolk Horse Society & Social Media
Social media abuse, defamatory comments and the reputation of the Suffolk Horse Society
The Suffolk Horse Society acknowledges that that the Internet and social media are an integral part of life in the 21st century, and as such can provide us with a wonderful means of reaching a world-wide audience to share with them the amazing breed that is the Suffolk Horse.
Sadly, the Society needs to remind members of their responsibilities when using social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, home web pages and all other forms of electronic communication. Even though members are sharing their own personal views on their own pages and on platforms that are not official Suffolk Horse Society sites, nor endorsed by the Society, if the content of your message when sharing personal views would not be acceptable for face-to-face conversation, over the telephone, or in another medium, then it will not be acceptable for a social networking site.
This article is to remind members of the Suffolk Horse Society’s ‘Social Media and Internet Policy’.
Social Media and Internet Policy
No member of The Suffolk Horse Society shall conduct him or herself in a manner or be guilty of behaviour which is derogatory to the character or prejudicial to the interests of The Suffolk Horse Society and in particular (but without prejudice to the generality to the foregoing) no Member shall behave in an abusive or unpleasant manner to any person at any show or at any other location where Suffolk Horse business is being transacted or via social media or the internet or via any publication in whatever format or via any other written or electronic format.
Introduction
The Suffolk Horse Society acknowledges the importance of the internet and social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, messaging services and all other forms of electronic communication and the role that “social media” plays in the day to day lives of members. This policy note is to remind members that the Rules of The Suffolk Horse Society apply to members when using social media and the internet. Failure to adhere to this policy note could lead to disciplinary action being taken against a member.
Using social media
You should be aware that The Suffolk Horse Society may from time to time carry out internet searches to identify postings which include references to The Suffolk Horse Society and its members.
You should ensure that any material that you transmit or post to social media is clearly stated to be your personal view and is not held out to be, or could be mistaken as, the view of The Suffolk Horse Society .
You must not post or transmit any material which could damage the name or reputation of The Suffolk Horse Society , its members or former members, or which is derogatory to the character of or prejudicial to the interests of The Suffolk Horse Society .
You must not post or transmit any material relating to The Suffolk Horse Society , members or former members or their horses or ponies, or their business or private lives or which could otherwise be associated with or which may reasonably be attributed as coming from The Suffolk Horse Society :
- that is threatening, defamatory, obscene, indecent, seditious, offensive, pornographic, abusive, liable to incite racial hatred, discriminatory, menacing, scandalous, inflammatory, blasphemous, in breach of confidence, in breach of privacy or which may cause annoyance, distress or inconvenience.
- which constitutes or encourages conduct that would be in breach of The Suffolk Horse Society rules, or constitutes a criminal offence, or which could give rise to civil liability, or otherwise be contrary to the laws of, or infringe the rights of any third party in, the UK or any other country in the world.
Any breach of this policy may constitute a breach of The Suffolk Horse Society rules and could also lead to civil and/or criminal proceedings being brought against you.
Disclosure under law or regulation
You should be aware that The Suffolk Horse Society will fully co-operate with any law enforcement authorities or court order requesting or directing The Suffolk Horse Society to disclose the identity or locate anyone posting any material in breach of this policy. If we are requested by the police or any other regulatory or government authority investigating suspected illegal activities to provide your personal information, The Suffolk Horse Society is entitled to do so.
If a member considers they have a valid complaint regarding any element of the Society’s activities, the correct and proper action is to lodge a formal complaint via the Society’s complaints procedure. All complaints should be submitted by email or in writing to the Chairman of Council.
Any complaint must state clearly and precisely what the matter complained about is. The Chairman and officers will determine how the matter is to be investigated and make the final decision.
Further information can be found on the Society website:
https://suffolkhorsesociety.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Disciplinary-Procedure-June-2021.pdf
For the avoidance of doubt, the Society publishes the following statement:
Please note: any views or comments posted on social media, other than those on the official Suffolk Horse Society Facebook page, do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the Suffolk Horse Society and may be factually or consequentially inaccurate or incorrect.
Any member, breeder or interested party who wishes for more information should contact the Suffolk Horse Society office on info@suffolkhorsesociety.org.uk
No chat will be entered into on Facebook or other social media sites as previously these have been misconstrued and could be potentially detrimental to the successful furtherance of the breed.
August 2022