The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) mission is to lead and enable a united high performance (HP) system that supports Australian athletes/teams to achieve podium success.
The AIS recognises the value of social media as an important tool for athletes, coaches and staff of National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) to engage, interact, communicate, learn, promote and build a brand.
In addition to the value of social media, e-safety and reputation management is crucial in order to protect high performance (HP) sport stakeholders. The impact to careers, reputations and health can be significant when HP staff and athletes are subject to, or engage in, inappropriate social media use.
The Principles and Guidelines can be used to assist NSOs to review current or establish tailored social media strategies specific to their unique needs. They are intended to operate in conjunction with other components of an organisation’s relevant policies, such as its Member Protection Policy, IT/email Policy and Privacy Policy.
36554_AIS-Social-Media-Guidelines.pdf Social-Media-Policy-Template.docx
Social media is a collective term for websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking. Social media tools enable communication, community-based input, interaction, content-sharing and collaboration, in real-time.
The types of websites and applications that are considered social media for the purposes of the AIS Social Media Best Practice Principles include, but are not limited to:
Social networks (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, WeChat, etc)
Media sharing networks (e.g. Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Vimeo, etc)
Instant messaging (e.g. WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegraph, etc)
Blogging and publishing networks (e.g. WordPress, Tumbler, Medium, etc)
Podcasting platforms (e.g. Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, etc)
Sporting team apps (e.g. TeamApp, Heja, etc)
Discussion forums (e.g. Reddit, Quora, Digg, etc)
Bookmarking and content curation networks (e.g. Pinterest, Flipboard, etc)
Music sharing networks (e.g. Spotify, Soundcloud, Last.fm, etc)
Gaming networks (e.g. Discord, Twitch, etc)
Social review networks (e.g. Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, etc)
Social shopping networks (e.g. Amazon, Etsy, etc)
Anonymous social networks (e.g. Whisper, etc)
Sharing economy networks (e.g. Airbnb, Uber, Airtasker, etc)
Online encyclopedias (e.g. Wikipedia, etc)
Online Dating apps (e.g. Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, etc)
Other interest-based networks
The AIS Social Media Best Practice Principles for NSOs are:
NSOs develop and implement a social media strategy. The strategy should consider the coordination and responsibility for social media, including communication; digital education; athlete and NSO promotion; and the management of inappropriate social media activity by athletes, staff and members.
Social media is no different to any other area of a NSOs business or communications function – it requires consideration, investment and strategy to fully optimise its use.
Social media management can be a time-consuming task when an athlete or organisation has a large following and high levels of engagement. To effectively manage social media, the NSO should consider how coordination and responsibility between different areas of the business will operate. The NSO should consider its social media strategy, not only to effectively use social media but also to ensure the NSO is across any compliance obligations, including in relation to defamation and workplace health and safety issues where an online presence is part of an employee's job description. NSOs should also implement appropriate monitoring of social media in conjunction with their wider communications strategy.
Monitoring does not imply scrutiny at all times over content. Rather it is about engagement with other social media users and being able to engage in conversations and/or respond to arbitrary/inappropriate/spam messages. It is ensuring processes and systems are in place for social media content both outwardly (publishing of content) as well as inwardly (responding to content, be it genuine enquiry or inappropriate material).
Go to the strategy and responsibility guideline
NSOs ensure that athletes and staff are provided guidance on how to use social media effectively and ethically for promotion, branding and networking both socially and professionally.
Due to the unique nature of sport and NSOs, the boundaries between work, volunteer time and social life can often be blurred. It is therefore essential that social media users make a clear distinction between the actions they take in a professional capacity and the actions they take or the things they say in a personal capacity.
NSOs should consider the development of guidelines or processes to help athletes and staff manage social media for their personal and professional benefit, and to avoid putting themselves in situations which could ultimately bring themselves or the NSO into disrepute. The guidelines should assist athletes, coaches and staff to understand their obligations under the NSO’s Social Media Policy and help ensure healthy use of social media and reduce the risk of misuse.
Go to the digital health and wellbeing guideline
NSOs ensure robust processes for dealing with any alleged or suspected breaches of their social media policies are in place. NSOs to ensure that athletes, coaches and staff are assisted or supported as required in the event of social media misuse (for example, cyber abuse).
It is important that NSOs consider implementing procedures for the identification and proportionate management of contraventions of the NSOs social media policies and for responding to inappropriate content and cyber bullying. NSO procedures in this regard should consider both internal management procedures, as well as how and when matters should be referred to external processes.
This is also important to ensure the NSO minimises its risk arising from any inappropriate or defamatory content that is posted on its social media by third parties.
Go to the responding and reporting guideline
NSOs ensure athletes, coaches and staff are educated in relation to the organisation’s social media principles, policies, rules, guidelines and resources, and of the recourse and assistance available in the event of cyber bullying or cyber abuse.
NSOs should invest in social media education programs. Many athletes, coaches and staff will already know how to use technical features of social media but may lack an understanding of the ‘effective’ use of social media including digital wellbeing, healthy habits, digital reputation management and digital relationships.
Social media education should focus on highlighting the expected standards for social media use within the NSO and best practices, and provide reminders about accessing support for issues (e.g. eSafety Office resources). Education and training is particularly important where employees of the NSO have social media roles within their job description.
NSOs have in place policies, procedures and rules to protect, promote and educate athletes, coaches and staff about using social media in a safe and appropriate manner.
To maintain good governance, it is important to implement a social media policy to ensure athletes and staff are provided guidance on how to use social media without breaching the rules of the organisation.
A quality social media policy provides athletes and staff with clear rules of engagement that are acceptable both internally and externally. NSOs should have in place a Social Media Policy, and other accompanying policies and/or rules, that work together to integrate areas such as:
NSOs should have formal investigation and disciplinary processes applicable to social media policy breaches by athletes and staff (for example, under the organisation’s Code of Conduct).
Adopting and implementing appropriate policies and procedures is important for an NSO to ensure it is complying with its ongoing workplace health and safety obligations.
For those NSOs who need assistance in developing a Social Media Policy, The AIS has developed a template Social Media Policy. The Policy was developed in conjunction with expert legal advice. Please email conductandprofessionalism@ausport.gov.au for a copy of the template.
The AIS Social Media Guidelines to support four of the principles:
For more information please contact Alison Cooke alison.cooke@ausport.gov.au.