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DEFENCE MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION
POLICY
Issued by:
This Defence Media and Communication Policy (the ‘Policy’) has
been issued by the Associate Secretary.
Purpose:
This Policy describes Defence’s agreed approach for engaging with
the media and governs al media and communication activities. This
Policy is supported by a range of products on the Ministerial and
Executive Coordination and Communication Division intranet page,
including the Defence Communication Strategy and the Defence
Media and Communication Guide, which must be read and adhered
to, in conjunction with this Policy to enable Defence personnel to
meet the expected outcomes.
Scope and
This Policy is an administrative policy framework document. It
applicability:
applies to all Defence personnel.
The terms of a relevant contract may extend the application of this
Policy to a person/s engaged under a contract.
Defence Instruction – Administrative policy should be read in
conjunction with this Policy. In accordance with Defence Instruction –
Administrative Policy, the Secretary and the CDF expect Defence
personnel to comply with this Policy.
Defence personnel who award or manage contracts should consider
whether there is a specific and documented reason to include the
requirement to comply. If so, include such terms in the contract.
Management:
This Policy wil be reviewed within five years from its date of issue. A
review may occur sooner to ensure it continues to meet the intended
policy outcome/s.
Availability:
This Policy is available at the Defence policy documents website. Its
currency cannot be guaranteed if sourced from other locations. It is
not available for public release.
Policy domain:
Administration and Governance.
Accountable
Associate Secretary.
officer:
Policy owner:
First Assistant Secretary Ministerial and Executive Coordination and
Communication.
Policy contact:
Assistant Secretary Media and Communication.
Cancellation:
The publication of this Policy cancels any earlier editions of the
Media and Communication Policy.
Definitions:
Definitions that apply to this Policy are at Annex A.
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DEFENCE MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION POLICY
POLICY STATEMENT
1.1
Defence aims to build public confidence and support for its mission, priorities,
policies, activities and operational outcomes through the provision of effective
communication and media engagement. This Defence Media and Communication
Policy (this ‘Policy’) enhances Defence’s reputation by enabling proactive, high
quality, and well-coordinated media and communication products and activities in
support of our ministers, the Government and the department.
1.2
Defence’s media and communication function operates on a centralised
control, decentralised execution model to deliver against the Defence
Communication Strategy in accordance with this Policy.
1.3
This Policy acknowledges the unique and distinct Service brands, and the
fundamental link to recruitment and warfighting efforts. This Policy supports Defence
to manage its reputation through effective media and public engagement, with
appropriate consideration of the associated risks.
POLICY RATIONALE
1.4
Public awareness and understanding of Defence policies and activities:
a.
builds public confidence and support for Defence’s mission, priorities,
policies, activities and operational outcomes; and
b.
strengthens Defence’s credibility and reputation.
1.5
Unauthorised disclosure of information and online behaviour of Defence
personnel can:
a.
pose a risk to national security;
b.
harm Defence personnel, information and national interests;
c.
negatively impact Defence’s reputation, Australia’s international relationships,
and the level of confidence the Australian community, the Government and
industry has in Defence; and
d.
put Defence personnel and their friends and family at risk of targeting from
criminal and terrorist organisations, ideologically motivated groups, foreign
intelligence services and other individuals seeking information about Defence
capabilities.
1.6
Unauthorised endorsement of, and association with, external parties, real or
perceived, may compromise Defence’s impartiality, integrity and credibility.
1.7
The participation of the Prime Minister or a Defence portfolio minister in
Defence events or activities provides the opportunity to reinforce strategic
messaging.
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1.8
Provision of accurate and authorised information to journalists and media
organisations in a timely manner may help to prevent public perceptions of Defence
being disproportionately shaped by speculation, misinformation or unbalanced
reporting.
1.9
Achievement of media and communication outcomes will enhance
confidence in Defence’s ability to support its strategic priorities.
1.10 Effective, timely and authorised communication during a crisis or issue:
a.
protects life, public safety and property;
b.
preserves the integrity of the Department of Defence and the Australian
Defence Force (ADF); and
c.
enables the continued operation of Defence’s core business.
1.11 Consistent application of Defence’s brands helps:
a.
tell our story;
b.
uphold our reputation;
c.
enhance awareness of the work we do; and
d.
influence how Defence is perceived and valued by its people, stakeholders
and the community.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
1.12 Defence personnel comply with this Policy and requirements of the Defence
Media and Communication Guide.
1.13 Defence personnel respond to requests for media and communication
products and activities within assigned deadlines.
1.14 Where appropriate, media are provided opportunities to engage in what we
do, including interacting with Defence senior leadership and being embedded in
regional exercises and deployments.
1.15 Information provided by Defence is accurate, represents a whole-of-Defence
view, and is aligned with Defence Values and Behaviours, policies and strategic
communication objectives and plans.
1.16 Defence personnel actively incorporate the One Defence ethos by engaging
early and effectively with relevant areas across the department to provide a single,
wel -coordinated and consistent enterprise response.
1.17 Effective, high-quality and well-coordinated media and communication
products and activities in support of our ministers, the Government and the
department that:
a.
articulates the Government’s defence policy and strategy; and
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b.
builds public confidence, understanding and support for its mission, priorities,
policies and activities and operational outcomes.
1.18 Defence’s credibility and reputation is strengthened through proactive and
open communication and engagement with the media and the public.
1.19 Media and public engagement is authorised, apolitical and complies with
legislation, policy and guidance. Defence protects classified and private information,
operational security, international relationships and the safety of Defence personnel
and their families. Defence personnel do not criticise or question the role or policy of
the Government and the department to the media (including social media) or any
other organisations.
1.20 Ministers and senior leaders are provided opportunities and support to
communicate the work of Defence.
1.21 Defence’s communication activities are evaluated to learn lessons and inform
future communication efforts.
1.22 Defence brands are applied consistently; encapsulate who we are as an
organisation; encompass our ethos and Defence Values and Behaviours; and
embody our traditions and history.
1.23 Defence maintains impartiality and protects its credibility by not providing any
express or explicit endorsements of any external party, its products, services or
personnel, except when authorised in very exceptional circumstances.
1.24 Defence personnel understand their communication responsibilities and
accountabilities.
DEFENCE MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION POLICY PRINCIPLES
1.25 The principles described in this Policy inform Defence personnel when
engaging with the media and drafting media and communication products. The
application of these principles, in conjunction with adherence to the requirements of
the Defence Media and Communication Guide, wil ensure Defence meets the
expected outcomes of this Policy.
PRINCIPLE 1 – RELEASING OFFICIAL CONTENT OR MAKING PUBLIC
COMMENT ON BEHALF OF DEFENCE MUST BE AUTHORISED
1.26 Defence personnel must only release official content or make public
comment on behalf of Defence that is:
a.
authorised for release in accordance with clearance authorities set out in the
Defence Media and Communication Guide;
b.
not protected by a security classification, or a protective, confidentiality or
privacy marking;
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c.
not likely to compromise operational security, an individual’s privacy without
their prior consent, Australia’s international relationships, commercial-in-
confidence, the safety of Defence personnel or their families, or risk the
waiving of legal professional privilege;
d.
compliant with relevant legislation, policy and guidance1;
e.
consistent with the position of the Government and the department;
f.
apolitical in nature and wil not be used for political purposes in any way
contrary to Defence’s apolitical standing;
g.
about a major matter of policy, procurement or Service deployment which
has been previously announced by the Government;
h.
not speculation; and
i.
in accordance with the Defence Media and Communication Guide.
MANAGEMENT OF MEDIA ENQUIRIES
1.27 Unless previously authorised, Defence personnel approached by the media
for comment, must not comment on the matter and immediately refer the enquiry to
Defence Media. Requests from the public are to be referred to the Defence website
and suspicious contacts are to be reported to the Defence Security and Vetting
Service.
DEFENCE MEDIA CONTACT REGISTER
1.28 Centralised visibility of contacts between journalists and media organisations
with Defence officials supports a coordinated enterprise approach to Defence’s
strategic messaging as well as Defence’s information security practices.
1.29 All Defence personnel must record Defence-related media interactions in the
Defence Media Contact Register unless an authorised exemption applies, as
described in the Defence Media and Communication Guide.
SOCIAL MEDIA
1.30 Official Defence social media accounts must comply with Defence’s strategic
messaging and Defence Values and Behaviours.
1 Some legislative schemes provide for release of information separately to this Policy and the Defence Media
and Communication Guide. Where those schemes are used, consideration should be given to whether the
Defence Media and Communication Guide might also be followed, to deal with any public comment that
follows the release of information.
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1.31 Ministerial and Executive Coordination and Communication (MECC) Division
wil set the overarching policy framework for, and provide the necessary support to
manage and monitor official Defence social media accounts.
1.32 Groups and Services are responsible for managing their respective official
social media accounts, as described in the Defence Media and Communication
Guide and the Social Media Playbook.
DIGITAL MEDIA
1.33 Defence digital media (including imagery and audio) intended for public
release must be cleared through approved and appropriate internal channels before
release, as described in the Defence Media and Communication Guide.
1.34 MECC is the central coordinating authority within Defence that receives
public affairs imagery and associated products and coordinates final clearances for
public release.
1.35 Outlined in section 82 of the
Defence Act 1903, anyone making a sketch,
drawing, photograph, picture or painting of any Defence installation in Australia must
obtain prior approval from the authorised decision maker in Defence, as described in
the Defence Media and Communication Guide.
1.36 Imagery for public release must remain an accurate representation of the
subject matter. Minor adjustments of digital imagery such as cropping and
tone/colour are permitted provided the integrity of the original image and context is
maintained.
1.37 In circumstances where the original or alternative images are not suitable for
public release, minor alternations to images are permit ed only where it is necessary
to manage operational and national security risks, protect the privacy of individuals or
prevent viewer distress. Imagery is not to be altered for any other reason unless
authorised in accordance with the Defence Media and Communication Guide.
1.38 Where an image is altered, the reason for the alteration and the name of the
official authorising the alteration is to be clearly recorded in the associated metadata
in accordance with Defence’s handheld imagery metadata standard. The original
unaltered image is to be appropriately classified and retained as part of Defence’s
official records.
ENTERTAINMENT AND NON-NEWS PROJECTS
1.39 Entertainment and non-news projects provide an opportunity for Defence to
promote its strategic messaging beyond news media channels.
1.40 MECC will consider all requests for Defence support to entertainment and
non-news projects on a discretionary basis against a range of criteria, as described in
the Defence Media and Communication Guide.
a.
The lead Group or Service is responsible for managing approved
entertainment and non-news projects, as described in the Defence Media
and Communication Guide.
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DEFENCE ENDORSEMENT OF EXTERNAL PARTIES
1.41 To maintain Defence’s impartiality and protect its credibility, Defence wil
generally not make any statement or provide any support that amounts to an
endorsement or may be perceived as an endorsement of an external party, its
products, services or personnel. The purchase of a product or service by Defence
does not imply that Defence endorses that product, service or the supplier, nor
should any other arrangement with a commercial entity suggest that Defence
endorses that entity.
1.42 In exceptional circumstances, the responsible Group or Service may
authorise a proposal for Defence endorsement where it is limited to factual
statements and avoids commentary on performance or quality and it complies with
the assessment criteria and clearance authority set out in the Defence Media and
Communication Guide.
1.43 Endorsements provided by Defence must be limited to factual information
regarding how Defence uses a product in the context of the Defence environment. Al
published statements must be time-stamped and be issued for limited use and for a
specified period of time.
1.44 The purchase of a product or service by Defence does not imply that
Defence endorses that product, service or the supplier, nor should any other
arrangement with a commercial entity suggest that Defence endorses that entity.
1.45 Defence personnel involved in authorised endorsement or advocacy activities
subject to overarching Commonwealth legislation or policy wil undertake their duties
with fairness and integrity and, as far as practicable, consistently apply endorsement
principles as described in the Defence Media and Communication Guide.
GOVERNMENT ADVERTISING AND INFORMATION CAMPAIGNS
1.46 Defence’s government advertising and information campaigns will comply
with the Australian Government Guidelines on Information and Advertising
Campaigns by non-corporate Commonwealth entities and the Defence Media and
Communication Guide.
ACCESSIBILITY
1.47 Defence’s communication efforts wil take into account accessibility
considerations for our diverse audiences.
UNAUTHORISED DISCLOSURE
1.48 Unauthorised disclosures of classified, personal or sensitive information to
the media or public can:
a.
pose a risk to national security;
b.
harm Defence personnel, information and Australia’s national interests;
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c.
negatively impact Defence’s reputation and the level of confidence the
Australian community, the Government and industry has in Defence;
d.
put Australia’s international relationships and information sharing
arrangements at risk; and
e.
put Defence personnel and their friends and family at risk of targeting from
criminal and terrorist organisations, ideologically motivated groups, foreign
intelligence services and other individuals seeking information about Defence
capabilities.
1.49 Unauthorised disclosures wil be reported to the Defence Security and
Vetting Service for investigation and where appropriate, disciplinary action will be
taken. Matters wil be referred to the Australian Federal Police where an incident
involves actual or suspected criminal activity, such as the unauthorised disclosure of
classified information.
PRINCIPLE 2 – COMMUNICATION IS RESPONSIVE
1.50 Defence personnel must respond to requests regarding media and
communication products and activities as a high priority and within directed
deadlines.
PRINCIPLE 3 – MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES WILL BE PROVIDED
1.51 Where appropriate, Defence wil proactively seek and provide opportunities
for media to engage in what we do, including interacting with Defence senior
leadership and being embedded in operations, exercises and activities.
PRINCIPLE 4 – COMMUNICATION IS COORDINATED
1.52 Defence personnel actively incorporate the One Defence ethos by engaging
early and effectively with all relevant areas across the department to provide a single,
coordinated and consistent enterprise response.
1.53 MECC is the coordinating authority for apolitical media and communication
for Defence portfolio ministers and the Defence enterprise.
PRINCIPLE 5 – DEFENCE SPOKESPEOPLE ARE TRAINED
1.54 MECC and military public affairs officers wil provide appropriate media
training and public affairs support for authorised Defence spokespeople, as
described in the Defence Media and Communication Guide.
PRINCIPLE 6 – EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES ARE REGISTERED, PLANNED
AND EVALUATED
1.55 Al Defence operations, exercises, events and activities that have actual or
potential media or public interest must be recorded in the Defence Activity and
Engagement Tracker (the ‘Tracker’) by the lead Group or Service within assigned
deadlines as described in the Defence Media and Communication Guide.
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1.56 The lead Group or Service is to ensure that high-profile, large-scale, priority
or significant Defence operations, exercises, events and activities that have actual or
potential media or public interest are to have an appropriately cleared communication
plan, military public affairs plan or public affairs guidance, where appropriate, that
aligns with the Defence Communication Strategy and is prepared within assigned
deadlines, as described in the Defence Media and Communication Guide.
1.57 Consistent with the Defence Communication Strategy, high-profile, large-
scale, priority or significant communication activities wil be evaluated against the
achievement of communication objectives in the communication plan, military public
affairs plans or public affairs guidance.
1.58 Evaluation of activities wil be conducted by the lead Group or Service and
finalised within assigned deadlines, as described in the Defence Media and
Communication Guide.
PRINCIPLE 7 – MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION SUPPORT FOR THE
PRIME MINISTER AND DEFENCE PORTFOLIO MINISTERS IS
PRIORITISED
1.59 Al Defence personnel wil prioritise media and communication planning and
support for all Defence events attended by the Prime Minister, a Defence portfolio
minister, or another Government minister representing, ensuring they are at the
centre of planning and support for these events, as described in the Defence Media
and Communication Guide.
PRINCIPLE 8 – DEFENCE BRANDING IS CONSISTENT
1.60 Defence wil apply its authorised brands, emblems, badges, symbols and
iconography consistently and in compliance with relevant legislation, policy, branding
principles and guidelines.
1.61 The Associate Secretary is the authority for the Department of Defence
brand, which is to be used in accordance with the Guidelines on the use of the
Commonwealth Coat of Arms, issued by the Department of the Prime Minister and
Cabinet.
1.62 The Vice Chief of the Defence Force (VCDF) is the authority for the
Australian Defence Force (ADF) brand and the respective Service Chiefs are the
authority for the Navy, Army and Air Force brands.
PRINCIPLE 9 – DEFENCE PERSONNEL PARTICIPATING IN UNOFFICIAL
MEDIA ACTIVITIES WILL COMPLY WITH SECURITY AND
PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
SOCIAL MEDIA
1.63 Defence personnel using unofficial social media accounts wil uphold their
security and professional responsibilities as described in the Defence Media and
Communication Guide and the Personal Social Media Guide; and comply with
legislation, policy, guidance and Defence Values and Behaviours.
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ENTERTAINMENT AND NON-NEWS PROJECTS
1.64 Defence personnel who are considering participating in entertainment and
non-news projects in a private capacity (not on behalf of Defence) must obtain
appropriate approval prior to submitting an application to an external party,
conducting an audition or appearing in an entertainment and non-news project
irrespective of whether their participation is undertaken while off-duty or on leave, as
described in the Defence Media and Communication Guide.
KEY ROLES, FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1.65
MECC Division, within the Associate Secretary Group, is the coordinating
authority for apolitical media and communication for Defence portfolio ministers and
the Defence enterprise. MECC provides media, communication and public affairs
expertise and services across the department to support Defence leaders, managers,
commanders and personnel to promote Defence and protect and enhance its
reputation.
1.66
Military Public Affairs (MPA) capabilities support MECC to deliver against
the Defence Communication Strategy. The primary role of MPA elements within
Defence is to support Defence operations, exercises and single-Service public affairs
outcomes.
1.67 Where media and communication assistance is requested by MECC to
support ministerial requirements, Service Chiefs are to prioritise and task their MPA
capabilities accordingly.
1.68
Commanders and Managers are responsible for media and communication
activities as described in the Defence Media and Communication Guide, including:
a.
providing accurate and appropriately cleared information when required and
authorised;
b.
facilitating access by journalists and media organisations to Defence
personnel and activities when required and authorised;
c.
prioritising media and communication planning and support for all Defence
events attended by the Prime Minister, a Defence portfolio minister, or
another Government minister representing;
d.
delivering media and communication activities and responses within required
timeframes;
e.
providing welfare support to individuals subjected to negative media
commentary or coverage; and
f.
providing welfare support to individuals subjected to negative media
commentary or coverage.
1.69 Group Heads and Service Chiefs are responsible for:
a.
managing the reputation of their respective Group or Service;
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b.
managing and coordinating their respective media events;
c.
managing crisis and issues relevant to their Group or Service; and
d.
managing all elements of approved entertainment or non-news projects.
Annex:
A
Definitions
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ANNEX A
DEFINITIONS
The following terms are defined in Defence Instruction – Administrative policy:
Accountable officer
Administrative policy
Administrative policy framework
A person/s engaged under a contract
Australian Public Servant employee
Commander
Defence
Defence civilian
Defence locally engaged employee
Defence member
Defence personnel
Framework documents
Manager
Period of effect
Personal information
Policy domain
Policy owner
Provision
Sensitive information
Supervisor
For the purpose of this Policy, the following additional definitions apply:
Commentary
Anything serving to il ustrate a point; comment.
Communication
A process that conveys shared meaning between
individuals or between organisations and individuals.
Content
Information contained in any communication, whether in
audio, text, graphics, images etc.
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Crisis
A crisis in Defence is an unplanned event, situation or
matter of public concern that requires targeted attention,
management, intervention or response beyond business-
as-usual processes. A crisis is likely to occur quickly and
has the potential to disrupt Defence’s normal operations
and activities. Crisis may undermine our reputation or
challenge the public’s sense of appropriateness, tradition,
values, safety, security or the integrity of Defence. The
focus of Defence’s crisis communication efforts is to
quickly and effectively address stakeholders, minimise
physical and reputational damage, and return to normal
business.
Defence
As defined in the
Defence Act 1903.
installation
Defence
Defence spokespeople are those authorised to speak on
spokespeople
behalf of Defence. They are a subject matter expert for
the topic of the media engagement, who voluntarily agree
to speak on behalf of Defence.
Embedded MECC
Communication teams that are part of Ministerial and
communication
Executive Coordination and Communication (MECC)
team
Division, who are embedded within each Group and
Service.
Endorsement
Endorsement occurs when the Department of Defence
provides its support publicly to an external party (such as
an organisation, including charitable and not-for-profit
organisations; private company; defence industry;
individual; product, including publications; service; event
or activity etc.) that may, or may not, result in a
commercial benefit.
An endorsement may encompass verbal or written
statements, such as a testimonial; imagery of Defence
personnel, equipment or facilities; Defence logos; or any
other characteristic that may lead people to believe there
is an association between Defence and an external party.
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Entertainment and
Entertainment and non-news projects include, but are not
non-news project
limited to:
a.
television and radio programs (including
participation in reality programs and
competitions), scripts, short films, feature films,
documentaries;
b.
corporate videos, music videos, podcasts, blogs
and artworks;
c.
written products such as songs, poems and
books (novels, textbooks, children’s literature
etc.);
d.
community service announcements and other
such projects.
External party
Such as another government entity; organisation,
including charitable and not-for-profit organisations;
private company; defence industry; individual; event or
activity organiser etc.
Imagery
Collectively, the representations of objects reproduced
electronically or by optical means on film, electronic
display devices, or other media (such as stil frame image
files, motion video tape or files, hardcopy photographs
etc.).
Intranet
An internet protocol (IP) network belonging to an
organisation, usually a corporation, and accessible only to
organisation members, employees etc., or people
authorised by them.
Issue
An issue in Defence is an event, situation or matter of
public concern that emerges over a period of time or is of
a less-severe nature than a crisis. It could be an unfolding
situation where the details are not yet known, or a
persistent situation that remains of concern over a period
of time. It is possible that a benign situation, or an issue,
could turn into a crisis as the situation escalates,
intensifies or broadens. The focus of Defence issues
management is the same as crisis communication, with
less urgent timeframes and, while communication
planning may be proactive, Defence may take a reactive
rather than a proactive posture for media engagement.
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Media
A publication or broadcast program that provides news
and feature stories to the public through various
distribution channels such as newspapers, magazines,
radio, television or online.
Military public
Defence members who deliver Joint, Service-specific,
affairs officer
operational, exercise and regional media and
communication effects.
Official content
All content released by Defence is considered official.
Official Defence
Any social media account that uses Department of
social media
Defence resources or is operated by Defence personnel
account
in a manner that could be reasonably considered as
representing the department, the Australian Defence
Force (ADF) or their Groups or Services.
Public affairs
Drafted by a public affairs officer to support operational
guidance
incident reporting by providing a recommended public
information approach.
Public comment
Public comment by Defence personnel is the provision of
official content to individuals or organisations external to
Defence or for use in Defence publications. This includes,
but is not limited to, social media, Defence media
releases, contractor media releases and website
testimonials, media responses, interviews, podcasts,
background briefings, informal briefings, documents,
letters to the editor, opinion pieces, articles, journals,
academic/educational/research papers, public briefings,
speeches, lectures, presentations, seminars, workshops,
conferences, commentary, imagery, audio, internet sites,
mobile networks and self-contained works.
Publications
Hard copy or soft copy documents intended for, or likely
to be made available to the public, State authorities or
foreign countries by way of free issue or sale. They
include books and booklets (monographs or serials,
hardback or paper bound), periodicals, journals,
departmental and committee reports, instructional
handbooks and manuals, posters and display material,
binders for documents published in loose-leaf format,
broadsheets, pamphlets, folders, leaflets, forms of
advertising and business cards.
Public information
Text, audio or imagery content that has been cleared for
public release or comment.
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Regional manager
Ministerial and Executive Coordination and
for public affairs
Communication Division has a team of out-posted
Regional Managers for Public Affairs (RMPA) who work
collaboratively across Australia. RMPAs foster and
maintain relations with local media and other key
stakeholders. RMPAs work with Defence Establishment
leadership, military public affairs personnel and others in
the coordination of proactive engagement, media
enquiries, issues, incidents, operations and events in their
region.
Responsible
An SES Band 2 or 2-Star officer in the relevant Group or
officer
Service who is accountable for the content of an official
Defence social media account and its adherence to this
Policy.
Social media
Websites and applications that enable users to create
and share content, or to participate in virtual communities
and networks. Social media includes, but is not limited to:
social media networking sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn, SnapChat etc.); social review sites (e.g. Yelp,
Tripadvisor, Goodreads, Google Reviews etc.); image-
sharing sites (e.g. Instagram, Flickr, Pinterest etc.); video-
hosting and live-streaming sites (e.g. YouTube, TikTok,
Zoom, Skype etc.); community blogs (e.g. WordPress,
Tumblr, Blogger etc.); discussion sites and professional
military education websites (e.g. Whirlpool, Quora,
Reddit, The Cove, Forge etc.); messenger sites (e.g.
Messenger, Signal, WhatsApp etc.); collaborative sites
(e.g. Wikipedia etc.); and dating sites (e.g. Tinder, RSVP,
Bumble etc.).
Unofficial social
An unofficial social media account is one operated by
media account
Defence personnel in a personal or private capacity for
non-Defence related positions, organisations and
activities, not associated with their service or employment
in Defence.
Websites
A set of related webpages located under a single domain
name. Are external to the department.
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Social Media Playbook
Defence Social Media Hub
As at January 2023
(Note document is not controlled if printed)
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Contents
Contents
2
Introducing the Social Media Playbook
5
Why is this Playbook important?
5
Before opening a social media account
5
Social media policy
5
Your security online
8
Public comment
8
Maintaining security for Defence operations
8
Who should you follow as an official account?
8
Staying safe online
8
Social media for Defence leaders
9
Social media for account managers/practitioners
9
Business Application process
9
Requirements for each social media account
10
Are you ready to have a social media account?
12
Setting up your social media account
13
Requesting a social media account
13
Setting up an official social media account
13
Account security
13
Name of the page/account
14
Handle/username
14
Facebook
15
Other Facebook details
16
Page/account profile pictures
16
About section - Facebook
16
X
17
Instagram
18
Ongoing support for your social media account
20
Securing the operational account
20
Managing your account
21
Moderation/Community Management
21
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Social Media profile handover guide
22
Handing over admin rights to HQ
23
Handing over a positional account
24
Facebook
25
X
26
Instagram
27
How to hand over an organisational account
28
Social Media Archiving
28
Which social media interactions to keep?
28
What about third-party sites?
29
How to capture records at regular intervals?
29
Capturing and storing social media content
29
How to delete your social media account
30
Facebook
31
Instagram
31
LinkedIn
31
X
32
YouTube
32
Content guidelines
34
Respecting intellectual property
34
Creating content
35
Aligning content with the Defence values
35
Aligning content with your service or group values
35
Suggested content types
35
Writing for social media
36
Acronyms and abbreviations
36
Capitalisation
36
Hashtags
37
Tagging
37
Emoji
38
Writing checklist
38
Using images and video on social media
39
Images or videos checklist
40
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What can go wrong?
40
Content Approval
41
Best times to post on social media
41
Is there really a best time to post on social media? Always.
41
Examples of good content
41
Sharing content with the MECC Social Media Hub
45
Using social media for crisis communication
46
Social media measurement and metrics
47
Community Management
47
Frequently asked questions
50
Do social media handles have to be consistent?
50
Do I have to have an account on every social media network?
50
What type of content should my account share?
50
How often should I post?
50
What’s the best time to post?
50
Should I use a social media content calendar?
50
Can I create a fake/dummy social media account for social media administration and/or
monitoring purposes?
51
Social media accounts for administrative purposes
51
Social media accounts to monitor Defence Issues
51
Other social media platform terms
52
Quick Reference Guide for hashtags
53
Quick Reference Guides - Setting up your page and using it
53
Set up your organisation Facebook page:
53
Set up your X account:
54
Set up your Instagram account:
55
Setting up your LinkedIn showcase page:
56
Glossary
57
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Introducing the Social Media Playbook
Why is this Playbook important?
The Social Media Playbook is designed to support current Defence personnel inclusive of APS,
ADF members and contractors who are responsible for an approved social media account.
This Playbook does not survey all social networks. Instead, it focuses on the most important
networks to Defence and the Services. It offers best-practice information to consider before
opening an account and when maintaining an account. The Social Media Playbook should be
used in conjunction with the Defence Media and Communication Policy and Defence Media and
Communication Guide.
This playbook wil :
• Ensure greater alignment, consistency and a One Defence approach
• Maximise efficiency by providing best practice and examples
• Drive a strong social media presence and create trust
What you need to do:
Social media teams across Defence must continue to work to mitigate the risks associated with
social media. This is why all areas and individuals seeking to establish a social media or digital
communication presence must contact the Social Media Hub for advice prior to undertaking steps
to do so. Requests should be flagged as early as possible to the Social Media Hub.
Please use this Playbook as a go-to resource for expertise and best practice. This playbook wil
be updated on a regular basis to keep up with latest platform trends.
Feedback is welcome and can be directed to the Social Media Hub.
Before opening a social media account
Defence personnel must consider the following sections before opening a social media account.
These are the foundations and planning tools to ensure your account aligns with Defence.
Ultimately you/the social media account wil be representing Defence; therefore, these sections
need to be front of mind.
Social media policy
Defence personnel responsible for an approved Defence social media account must be familiar
with the following Defence and Commonwealth policies:
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❏ Defence Media and Communication Policy is the policy for the use of social media by
Defence personnel.
❏ Defence Records Management Policy Operational Guide provides guidance on Defence’s
responsibilities in the management of Defence records in order to comply with
Commonwealth legislation such as the
Archives Act 1983;
Freedom of Information Act
1982;
Public Performance, Governance and Accountability Act 2013.
❏ DEF (AUST) GEO 7100 and 7101 (Parts A and B) are Defence policy on collection,
classification and naming conventions for handheld and motion imagery.
❏ Defence Web Estate Manual is policy on Defence intranet, internet and extranet sites
regardless of where they are hosted or by who. This includes defence.gov.au, ForceNET
and social media sites where Defence has an account.
❏ Australian Government Branding are the guidelines on the use of the Australian
Government logo by Australian Government Departments and Agencies.
❏ Australian Public Service Commission Code of Conduct is the policy for the ethical
standards and values APS employees should uphold and is set out in section 13 of the
Public Service Act 1999.
❏ Australian Public Service Commission Social Media Guidance is the current guidance on
making public comment and participating online (social media).
❏ Copyright Act 1968 is the act which relates to copyright and the protection of certain
performances, and for other purposes.
❏ Crimes Act 1914 is the act which relates to offences against the Commonwealth.
❏ Criminal Code Act 1995 is the act relating to criminal law.
❏ Defence Act 1903 is the acting relating to the provision of Military Defence and Protection
of the Commonwealth and of the several states.
❏ Defence corporate identity style guide is a guide for web professionals on the
requirements and details of the Defence web standards. It is strongly advised that only
personnel with experience in the web design and development space should be using this
framework.
❏ Defence Force Discipline Act 1982 is an act relating to the discipline of the Defence Force
and for related purposes.
❏ Defence Security Manual is the publication which implements in Defence the minimum
standards of the Government Protective Security Policy Framework (PSPF) and
Government Information and Security Manual (ISM).
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❏ Military Personnel Policy Manual The Military Personnel Policy Manual (MILPERSMAN) is
designed to provide Defence personnel - and where it is a term of their contract -
contractors, consultants and outsourced service providers with a primary source
document for non-financial personnel policy advice and guidance.
❏ Privacy Act 1988 is an Act to make provision to protect the privacy of individuals and for
related purposes.
❏ Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 is an act about the
governance, performance and accountability of, and the use and management of public
resources by, the Commonwealth, Commonwealth entities and Commonwealth
companies and for related purposes.
❏ Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 is an Act to facilitate disclosure and investigation of
wrongdoing and maladministration in the Commonwealth public sector, and for other
purposes.
❏ Public Service Act 1999 is an Act to provide for the establishment and management of the
Australian public service, and for other purposes.
❏ Statement of Ministerial Standards The ethical standards required of Ministers in
Australia’s system of government.
❏ Trade Marks Act 1995 is an Act relating to trademarks.
❏ Work Health and Safety Act 2011
is an Act relating to work health and safety, and for
related purposes.
❏ Use of messaging apps: As per CIOG’s Defence Guide to Enable Remote Working, and
in reference to official communications: “Only a standard phone call / Apple FaceTime or
Audio / Signal app can be used. As the above options provide a solution to all personal
mobile phones as well as Defence issued phones, there is no need to conduct voice
communications on any other applications such as WhatsApp, Viber, and Facebook
Messenger etc…”
❏ The Guide also advises that if working on the DPN-level, CIOG encourages the
use of DPN-level communication tools like Skype, VERA and ForceNet.
❏ Any further enquiries on messaging apps should be addressed to CIOG or your
group CIOG representative.
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Your security online
Public comment
Everything you post on social media is a reflection of Defence. Publishing online is public
comment, and use of digital channels in an official capacity must be consistent with the values
and strategic messages of Defence. This is why all areas and individuals seeking to establish a
social media or digital communication presence must contact the Social Media Hub for advice
prior to undertaking steps to do so.
It is essential that you do not post anything that could be seen to damage the reputation of
Defence.
Maintaining security for Defence operations
If you have any doubt regarding operational security, you must seek appropriate guidance and
clarification prior to making material public.
Who should you fol ow as an official account?
At your discretion, follow/connect with official and verified (blue tick) stakeholders who are of
influence in your environment.
Staying safe online
Privacy and security settings exist for a reason. You need to learn about and use the privacy and
security settings on social networks. They wil help you control who sees what you post and
manage your online experience in a positive way.
It is part of your job to be wary about how much information you post or make available online.
Remember, what you post online stays online so be cautious about how much information you
provide on social media. No information that breaches security or adversely affects the safety
and wellbeing of Defence personnel and their families, or damages Defence’s reputation and
international relationships can be published.
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Social media for Defence leaders
In today’s hyper-connected, social media age, social media is used by leaders across
government and business to engage and communicate with audiences.
If you choose to have a social media account as a Defence leader, ultimately you are
accountable for resourcing the account and adhering to the applicable governance of social
media accounts.
As a leader within Defence with a social media account, it is your role to ensure communication
through social media is aligned with the nature of your position is effective, compliant and aligned
with Defence’s strategic communications narrative. You, or your team managing the official social
media account wil be more effective with planned, proactive and structured messaging, rather
than ad hoc.
It is not appropriate to use your rank, job or responsibilities to promote yourself through social
media for personal or financial gain.
Some of the benefits to our senior leaders using social media are:
• Communicate directly with your audience
• Quick way to inform about emerging situations
• Stay relevant and guide change
• Share knowledge and experience
• Connect with your people on a human level
• Bridge geographical divides
• Combat imposters with your verified account
Social media for account managers/practitioners
As a social media account manager/practitioner, you are in charge of managing an official social
media presence. Of icial accounts are those that have been created and approved by MECC and
are managed using departmental resources including time, personnel and resources to
communicate the work of the department.
All publicly available information, including social media content, must be cleared by a SES Band
One or a One Star before release, however in some instances social media account managers
might have Chain of Command authorisation to post on an official Defence social media account.
Business Application process
This is the official account application process and should be considered and completed before
opening a social media account.
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their behalf they must gain approval from the
Accounts must be approved by MECC and account owner.
relevant ADF HQ 3*/ Band 3.
Each account must be supported by a
Each account must be supported by a suitable
Archiving
suitable archiving system that aligns with
archiving system that aligns with policy and
policy and legislation.
legislation.
Al personnel who have access to an
Owners of individual accounts wil be required
Training
approved social media account must take
to take part in social media practitioner
part in social media practitioner training
training provided by the Defence Social Media
provided by the Defence Social Media Hub. Hub.
Clear processes for using official social
Clear processes for using official social media
media must be adhered to including
must be adhered to including monitoring,
monitoring, approvals and responding.
approvals and responding.
Process
The handover of accounts on position
changes must include password change,
change of profile picture and notification to
followers.
Each profile must remain active, which
Each profile must remain active, which
requires a minimum of two posts per week. requires a minimum of two posts per week. If
If this is not achievable then the account
this is not achievable then the account may be
Content
may be deemed as inactive.
deemed as inactive.
The goal is for all Defence social media
The goal is for all Defence social media
accounts to have a common look and feel.
accounts to have a common look and feel.
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Are you ready to have a social media account?
Before you commit to setting up a social media account, you need to carefully consider these
aspects and discuss the viability of an account with your leaders/colleagues.
❏ Have you consulted the Defence Social Media Hub, your service’s social media team,
your embedded communications team or your functional command public affairs officer
about the best social media platform to meet your intent?
❏ Have you undertaken an initial risk assessment covering hazards and controls of the use
of social media (include risks associated with reputation; operational security;
inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour; inappropriate data management; copyright
violations; untrained content managers, content moderation, etc.)?
❏ Is there another social media profile that you could publish your content on? How do you
distribute your content now?
❏ Have you read the relevant legislation and policy relating to social media?
❏ Have you completed the necessary social media training? If not, does your team have
budget to fund initial and ongoing social media training?
❏ Does your team have the resources (tools, software, internet connection, budget etc.) to
manage the account?
❏ Do you have the time required to open an account?
❏ Do you have the time required to monitor and community manage the account?
❏ Have you identified the purpose, desired end state and target audience of your proposed
social media account?
❏ Do you have content sources and a content plan? What function wil your content serve?
❏ How many posts per day can you manage? Wil this sustain your audience or wil the
account become dormant?
❏ Do you have budget to provide the resources, training, devices and infrastructure to build
and scale this account?
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Setting up your social media account
Requesting a social media account
Al social media accounts are required to be registered with the Defence Social Media Hub and
your Service or Group headquarters as per the Defence Media and Communication Policy. The
registration of a social media account is a formal process and all information relating to the
registration must be kept on record and stored in Objective.
To request a new social media account, there is a formal process that requires both MECC
Social Media Hub involvement and 3*/Band 3 line area approval. Information and a process map
on the approval process is available on the Social Media Hub’s Intranet page.
Setting up an official social media account
Setting up your social media account takes time and requires design work for profile images and
header images. To ensure a consistent and professional approach across Defence social media
accounts, each page must have a similar look and feel and be aligned with Defence branding
and follow the guidelines provided below.
Account security
You should not create shared user logons to manage official accounts, where it is a breach of the
platform’s terms of use to do so, as the accounts may be deactivated if detected. Under the
terms of use for Facebook and LinkedIn, administrators are required to use their real personal
Profiles to manage official Pages. LinkedIn settings and Facebook Business Manager ensure
there is a clear and separate interface between the personal and official.
Passwords to official accounts should be changed regularly and specifically when there are staff
changes to minimise the risk of deliberate or unintentional misuse. Other simple procedures to
preserve the integrity of accounts include:
• Passwords should comply with Defence policy. They should be complex, no shorter than
nine characters, which contain digits, punctuation and special characters as well as
letters.
• 2-factor authentication should be activated.
• Only log-on to the password-protected accounts when you need to post an official
message and log off immediately afterwards.
• Do not use personal mobile devices to connect to official accounts for publishing. Account
managers should use Defence issued devices.
• If an erroneous message is published accidentally, account managers should immediately
advise their supervisor, and not attempt to correct or retract the message without seeking
advice.
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• The CyberSense video series is an educational tool for Australian Government agencies
which also informs staff about information security threats. Refer to
www.cyber.gov.au/advice for information.
Name of the page/account
This is the name that wil appear when users search for a page. Additionally, this is the name that
wil appear in the post when you are tagged by other accounts.
For naming conventions, contact Social Media Hub or relevant Service level brand manager.
Handle/username
A handle/username is used to identify your page/account in a post. For the majority of social
media platforms it wil begins with an @ symbol.
Your account’s handle should be the same on all social media (i.e. Twitter, Instagram, and
Facebook). Having a handle that is the same on every platform makes it easier for people to find
you. Keep in mind that there is a limit of 15 characters on Twitter.
For handle/username conventions, contact Social Media Hub or relevant Service level brand
manager.
Note: The Social Media Hub may assist you with setting up your new approved social media
account.
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Facebook
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Other Facebook details
Page/account profile pictures
Your Facebook profile’s picture should be:
• The official emblem relevant to the branch and of good quality
• Adhere to the relevant branding guidelines (e.g. white background)
• Designed to 170x170 pixels.
About section - Facebook
This is the official Facebook page for the [insert page name]. Sharing, liking or commenting does
not equal endorsement. For Defence Social Media Terms of Use refer:
defence.gov.au/socialmedia/docs/Defence-Social-Media-Terms-of-Use.pdf
Category
Your Facebook account category should be Government Organisation.
Founded
Use 1942 when the Department of Defence was founded, or alternatively when the relative
service was founded.
Business type
Tick ‘This Page represents a corporate office or headquarters’.
Phone number
The only phone number to be used is the Defence national switchboard number 1300 333 362.
This should never be the personal or business number of the page manager or any other
member of Defence.
Email address
This is to be a @defence.gov.au email address however should not be a name of any Defence
personnel. If you do not have a generic Defence email address, speak with the Social Media
Hub.
Website
Al pages are to use defence.gov.au or relevant service as the website.
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❏ Profile photo (recommended dimensions are 400x400 pixels). Photos can be in
any of the following formats: JPG, GIF, or PNG. Twitter does not support animated
GIFs for profile images.
❏ Bio (maximum 160 characters) about the account
❏ Location.
❏ Website must be specified.
Instagram
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Your Instagram profile checklist:
❏ Profile photo (recommended dimensions are 110x100 pixels). Photos can be in
any of the following formats: JPG, GIF, or PNG. Instagram does not support
animated GIFs for profile images.
❏ Bio (maximum 150 characters) about the account
❏ Handle with @ symbol. Needs to be max 30 characters
❏ Industry needs to be Government Organisation
❏ Website needs to be defence.gov.au
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Ongoing support for your social media account
Once you have set up your account, you wil need to continually monitor your account for the
following:
Securing the operational account
Digital security is more important than ever.
It’s important you keep your new account secure. Use this checklist as your guide:
❏ Your password should include a mixture of numbers, symbols, and capital and lowercase
letters.
❏ Change your password at least once every three months and when possible, use two-
factor authentication.
❏ Use separate passwords for every account and make sure your critical accounts have
strong passwords.
❏ Limit administrative privileges to only Defence personnel who need access in order to do
their job.
❏ Regularly audit the administrators and managers of accounts to ensure only those who
need access retain it.
❏ Log out whenever a profile isn't in use.
❏ Administrators and managers must be made aware that criminal and/or terrorist
organisations and foreign intelligence services actively seek information about Defence
capabilities which may potentially harm Defence personnel, information and/or interests.
Some people online may disguise their real identity in order to elicit personal or
operational information from Defence personnel or their families and friends.
❏ No information should be given out in response to requests for information through digital
channels without appropriate clearance. Requests for information are to be treated like a
media enquiry and forwarded to Media Team.
❏ The Defence Secret and Restricted Networks System User Acceptable Usage Standard
Operating Procedures provides guidance about online security considerations when using
online applications, including social media, on the DPN and DSN, which also apply to
other Defence ICT assets.
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Managing your account
Moderation/Community Management
Moderation is the manual or automatic process for assessing and removing social media material
(including images, comments/replies etc.) that goes against the Defence Social Media Terms of
Use.
To ensure a positive experience for users, you should ensure that all public commentary is
appropriate and moderated correctly during business hours.
It’s important you moderate:
• profanities (at an age-appropriate level for the audience)
• abuse and personal attacks
• hate and discrimination
• obscenity
• personally identifying information
• security breaches
• breaches of the general code of conduct
• incorrect information.
Some social media platforms like Facebook automatically moderate for basic breaches, such as
the use of profanities, however, it is best practice to update the custom word list to block a wider
range of profane words.
Platform guides to build a custom word list:
• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• X: Non available
• LinkedIn: None available, self-moderation required
The Defence Social Media Terms of Use should be posted to each of your accounts ‘About’
section so that your audience are aware of what behaviour is acceptable and what is not. You
may also block or delete users if they have breached the Defence Social Media Terms of Use.
Additional resources:
• Incident Response Decision Matrix
• Reporting of Offensive content Matrix
Standard Operating Procedures on moderation or community management best practices are
available here.
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Social Media profile handover guide
Whether you’ve stepped into a new role, are consolidating pages, or taking on another positional
account, chances are you’l need to handover your social media accounts at some point. Every
social media platform has a different process when it comes to handing over accounts.
Handover checklist:
O
Email address/s
Provide access to the email address (usually a shared inbox) to the incoming operator.
O Login and Passwords for all accounts
Provide the login details for all social media accounts to the incoming operator. Ensure these are
provided in a secure manner.
O
Provide social media training
Ensure that the incoming operator has undertaken social media training to prepare them for the
job particularly if they are operating multiple profiles. They need to be prepared to handle all
situations including incidents, trolls and spam.
O
Provide brand compliance training
Ensure the incoming operator is across the brand standards and values. This is important when
producing content and representing the brand online. This includes the correct logo, profile
image, header image, keeping the about section up to date, ensuring content and messaging
aligns with the brand and its purpose.
O
Provide content training
Ensure the incoming operator is across the style of content that the page produces this includes:
types of images, style of writing and key messaging to align with the brand. They also need to be
across how frequently they should be posting on each and when.
O
Explain any tips and tricks
This could include tips for increasing engagement, getting posts approved, best times to post for
particular topics, topics or types of posts to avoid etc. Big events coming up that the page usually
covers and may require planning in advance.
O
Introduce to key contact people
Including: People from the Social Media Hub, other services and groups, digital media,
newspapers, media and any other relevant groups. Ensure they are added to any email lists for
relevant meetings and reports.
O
Provide tools – phones, laptops, access to required software
Ensure that the incoming operator has the tools to conduct their job this includes a smartphone,
laptop and/or tablet.
O
Resource requirements
Evaluate if the incoming operator requires additional resources in the team. This could be the
case that they have another role in addition to running the social media and may require support
or a back-up operator to assist them during busy periods.
O
Inform users of the operational change
PAO, Command and HQ need to know who the point of contact is.
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O
Hand over admin rights and brand manager access to HQ
Handing over admin rights to HQ
Facebook
Page: Only the admin of the page can assign someone else as an admin. If you are only an
editor you do not have this privilege and you wil need to contact the admin to do this.
Keep in mind that they must accept your invite before they can start to manage your
page.
1. Click
settings at the top of your page.
2. Click
page roles in the left column
3. Type a name or email in the box and select the person from the list that
appears.
4. Click
Editor to select a role from the dropdown menu
5. Click
Add and enter your password to confirm
If you need to change someone’s role from editor to admin:
1. Click
settings at the top of the page
2. Click
page roles in the left column
3. Click
edit next to the name of the person whose role you want to change and
then select a new role from the dropdown menu
4. Click
save. You may need to enter your password to confirm.
Group: Group members must visit the group in order to be made an admin. Keep in mind that
when you make someone an admin they wil be able to make changes to the group
including, adding or removing members, editing content.
1. From your newsfeed, click
groups in the left menu and select your group
2. Click
members in the left menu
3. Click the next to the person you want to make an admin or moderator.
4. Select
make admin or
make moderator.
Business manager access:
Make sure the partner you send the link to is an admin of the business page. Once you
share the link they must open this link within 30 days or it wil expire. The link may only be
used once.
1. Go to Business Settings.
2. Click
People.
3. Click
Add.
4. Enter the work email address of the person you want to add.
5. Select the role you'd like to assign them. Be sure to read the description for each
role. Choose either
Employee access or
Admin access. You can also
select
Show Advanced Options to choose
Finance analyst or
Finance editor.
6. Click
Next.
7. Select the asset and the task access you want to assign the person.
8. Click
Invite.
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Instagram
If you'd like someone to be able to boost on your Instagram business account, there are three
ways to give them the appropriate permissions:
1. Edit Page roles. If you own the Page that is connected to your business's
Instagram account, you can give other people permission to post or boost your
business.
2. Add people to your Business Manager. If you're using Business Manager to
manage Page roles, you'l need to assign roles in Business Manager.
3. Add people to your ad account. Adding people to your advertising account doesn't
give them permissions to log in as you or see things on your profile that you
haven't shared with them.
Or provide the user name and password to the relevant person in HQ. Ensure they
are notified of any future password changes.
X
1. Click "Add access".
2. Enter their handle.
3. Choose the access level you want to grant them from the drop-down menu.
4. If you're choosing Account administrator or Ads manager, you wil also have the option to turn on
"Can compose promotable Tweets".
5. Click "Save changes".
Or provide the relevant username and password to HQ. Ensure they are notified of any
future password changes.
Handing over a positional account
Positional accounts wil need to be handed over when they leave particular positions for
example: Chief of Defence Force, Vice Chief of Defence Force, Chief of Army, Chief of
Navy, Air Chief Marshall etc.
1. Download an archive of the page
2. Upload the archive to objective.
3. Handover all associated username, password and email address details.
4. Change the name of the page (if the name includes the name of the previous
person).
5. Request to change the handle (if it mentioned the name of the previous
person).
6. Change the profile image to an official portrait image of the incoming person.
7. Change the header image if required.
8. Change the description (if it mentions the previous person who held that
position).
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Facebook
Download an archive of your page:
If you're an admin, you can download a copy of your Page. The file includes:
o Posts, photos and videos shared on the Page by people who work on the Page.
o A list of people who have roles on the Page.
o A description of the Page's current settings.
o Page info from the About section.
To:
1. Click
Settings at the top of your Page.
2. From
General, click
Download Page.
3. Click
Download Page.
4. Click
Get Started, then click
Start Downloading.
When the file is ready, you'l receive an email or a notification, depending on your privacy
settings. From the email or notification, click
Download Page and enter your password to
continue. Keep in mind that the link to your file wil expire after 4 days.
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Change page name:
You'l need to be an admin to request a change to your Page's name.
To request a change to your Page's name:
1. Click
About on the left side of your Page.
2. Click
Edit next to your Page's name.
3. Enter a new Page name and click
Continue.
4. Review your request and click
Request Change.
Change handle/username:
You'l need to be an admin to change your Page's username. If you're an admin:
1. Click
About on the left side of your Page.
2. Click
Edit next to your current Page username.
3. Enter a new username.
4. If the username is available and follows the guidelines for custom usernames, click
Create Username.
Note: Changing of handles/username can potentially be denied by the platform if the account has
already been verified.
X
Download an archive of your page:
1. Go to your
Account settings by clicking on the
profile icon at the top right of the
page and selecting
Settings and privacy from the drop-down menu.
2. Under
Your Account, click
Download an archive of your data. It wil ask you to
enter your password.
3. When your download is ready, we'l send a notice via push notification (if you have
Twitter for iOS or Android installed on your mobile device). From your settings, you
can click the
Download archive button under the
Download your data section.
Change your username/handle:
Your username can be up to 15 characters long.
1. Click on
Settings and privacy from your
profile icon dropdown menu.
2. Under
Your Account, click on Account Information. It wil ask you to enter your
password.
3. Click on
Username. Update the username currently listed in the username field. If the
username is taken, you’l be prompted to choose another one.
4. Click the
Save changes button.
Note: Changing of handles/username can potentially be denied by the platform if the account has
already been verified.
Change your display name:
Your display name can be up to 50 characters long.
1. Click on
Edit profile on the right-hand side, below the header image.
2. Under your profile picture you can edit the display name in the top box.
3. Click save on the top right-hand side.
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Instagram
Download an archive of your page:
If you want a copy of everything you've shared on Instagram, you can request a download
of your data in a machine readable (JSON) format. You'l need your Instagram account
password to request this information.
From Instagram on the Web:
1. Go to your profile and click
Settings
2. Click
Security
3. Scroll down to
Data Download and click
Request Download
4. Enter the email address where you'd like to receive a link to your data and
enter your Instagram account password
5. You'l soon receive an email titled
Your Instagram Data with a link to your
data. Click
Download Data and follow the instructions to finish downloading
your information.
From iOS or Android:
1. Go to your profile and tap
2. Tap
Settings
3. Scroll down and tap
Data Download
4. Tap
Request Download
5. Enter the email address where you'd like to receive a link to your data and
tap
Request Download
6. Enter your Instagram account password
7. You'l soon receive an email titled
Your Instagram Data with a link to your
data. Click
Download Data and follow the instructions to finish
downloading your information.
Note: It may take up to 48 hours for us to email you a download link. Some data you have
deleted may be stored temporarily for safety and security purposes, but wil not appear
when you access or download your data.
Change your handle and username:
To update your profile information, including your username and email address associated
with your account:
1. Go to your profile
2. Tap
Edit Profile or
Edit Your Profile
3. Type in your information and tap
Done (iPhone) or ✔ (Android) in the top
right
Note: Changing of handles/username can potentially be denied by the platform if the account has
already been verified.
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How to hand over an organisational account
If you operate an organisational account when you leave your position you wil need to hand over
to the new operator.
1. Add a new admin to the page if you are the current admin. On Facebook only the admin
can make certain changes and if you are the only admin and no longer involved this could
hinder the operation of the page.
2. Hand over all usernames, passwords and email account details to the incoming operator.
3. Introduce the incoming operator to any relevant contacts for this position e.g. Media, social
media hub, digital media.
4. Handover any branding and content material to ensure that the page continues to align
with the correct branding and messaging. Provide training if necessary.
5. Provide or organise training for social media to prepare them for the job ahead particularly
if they are running multiple profiles and using unfamiliar software to do so.
6. Provide tools e.g. Phone, laptop, tablet, access to software.
7. Provide content training and share any tips and tricks regarding content e.g. What material
works/does not work, topics to avoid, correct messaging, safe pages to share or tag.
8. Ensure there are enough resources to operate and monitor the pages, evaluate if more
resources are required.
9. Inform users of operational change e.g. PAO, Command and HQ.
10. Ensure HQ has access to all pages.
Social Media Archiving
Australian Government departments/agencies are accountable for their actions and decisions on
social media. Hence when using social media for business activities, Defence must keep
accurate and sufficient information documenting these activities.
This information needs to be kept in a usable and accessible form for as long as it is needed.
The Archives Act 1983 does not limit the definition of information and records by their format.
Business information created as a result of using social media is subject to the same business
and legislative requirements as business information created by other means.
Which social media interactions to keep?
A monthly record of all social media posts that have been published on Defence owned social
media accounts should be downloaded and saved in Objective. The download is to include
engagements such as comments as well.
Different information has different value and purpose. More valuable social media information,
such as policy feedback, announcements or complaints, needs to be retained appropriately.
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What about third-party sites?
When using third-party social platforms, you must ensure that you meet any Australian
Government obligations, including the management of information.
Social media records held in their native applications on third-party sites may not be legally
regarded as a Commonwealth record1. Despite being created by an Australian Government
department/agency, the information may not be able to be retained or accessed over the long
term. Therefore it is important to capture records at regular intervals.
How to capture records at regular intervals?
The processes below allow you to capture multiple records at regular intervals (for example,
weekly, fortnightly, or monthly) as part of a business process.
Download directly from the platform
• Use the export or download feature of the social media platform or messaging app. You
can select a particular date range, type of information (for example, posts, photos and
videos, messages) or different file formats for download.
• The downloaded file should be captured into your agency's records management system.
Data may be downloaded as a CSV, Excel or HTML file from a social media account and
saved locally to an official PC before being captured into the system.
Capturing and storing social media content
Facebook: ht ps://www.facebook.com/help/466076673571942
From your News Feed, click
Pages in the left menu.
Go to your Page.
Click
Settings at the top of your Page.
From
General, click
Download Page.
Click
Download Page.
Click
Create File.
X: https://help.twitter.com/en/managing-your-account/how-to-download-your-twitter-archive
Go to your Account settings by clicking on the more icon in the navigation bar, and
selecting Your account from the menu.
1 https://www.naa.gov.au/information-management/types-information-and-systems/types-
information/managing-social-media
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Click on Download an archive of your data.
Enter your password under Download an archive of your data, then click Confirm.
Verify your identity by clicking Send code to your email address and/or phone number on
file. If you do not have an email address or phone number on file, you wil be redirected to
the Account information page.
Enter the code sent to your email address and/or phone number.
After verifying your identity, click the Request data button. If your Twitter account is
connected to Periscope, you’l have the option to request an archive of your Periscope
data on Periscope directly.
When your download is ready, we'l send an email to your connected email account or a
push notification if you have the app installed. From your settings, you can click
the Download data button under the Download data section.
Once you receive the email, click the Download button while logged in to your Twitter
account and download a .zip file of your Twitter archive.
Save to Objective.
Instagram: ht ps://help.instagram.com/contact/505535973176353
Go to Settings and click on ‘Privacy and Security’. Once there, you’l find ‘Data Download’
towards the bottom of the list.
If you select ‘Request Download’ from here, you’l be able to leave an email address
where you’l be notified once the data has been prepared. Instagram says that it can take
up to 48 hours for the information to become ready for download, but it typically takes
much less time than that.
When the information is ready, you’l receive an email that directs you back to the same
section under ‘Privacy and Security’. From here, you’l be able to download the data
directly to your computer in a single ZIP file.
Save to Objective.
After you download the archive of your profile, you are required to upload this to Objective in line
with the Freedom of information Act.
If you require additional guidance on how to do this, contact your supervisor for Objective training
or refer to the Objective one-stop shop on the Defence intranet, at
s47E(d)
How to delete your social media account
Follow below steps to delete your chosen platform. Once the account is closed, please inform the
Social Media Hub via s47E(d)
@defence.gov.au of the following details:
• Account name
• Account URL
• Date of closure.
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Facebook
https:/ www.facebook.com/help/223786757631885
To delete your Page, you'l need to be an admin of that Page. If you're an admin:
1. From your News Feed, click Pages in the left menu.
2. Go to your Page and click
Page Settings in the bottom left.
3. From General, click Remove Page.
4. Click Delete [Page name].
5. Click Delete Page and then click OK.
Keep in mind that when you request we delete your Facebook Page, Facebook wil unpublish
your Page immediately but it won't be permanently deleted until 14 days have passed. You can
also unpublish your Page at any time.
Instagram
https:/ help.instagram.com/370452623149242
Before deleting your account, you may want to log in and download a copy of your information
(like your photos and posts) from Instagram. After your account has been deleted, you wil not
have access to Instagram’s Data Download tool.
1. Go to the Delete Your Account page from a mobile browser or computer. If you're not
logged into Instagram on the web, you'l be asked to log in first. You can't delete your
account from within the Instagram app.
2. Select an option from the dropdown menu next to Why are you deleting your
account? and re-enter your password. The option to permanently delete your account wil
only appear after you've selected a reason from the menu.
3. Click or tap Delete [username].
LinkedIn
https:/ www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/131147
LinkedIn Page super admins can deactivate their Page for a company or school, or Showcase
Page.
Ensure your Page meets all necessary criteria before deactivating. Additionally, review the result
of deactivating your Page.
Deactivate your LinkedIn Page or Showcase Page:
1. Access your Page Super admin view.
2. Click the Admin Tools dropdown and select Deactivate Page or Deactivate Showcase
Page.
3. Click the checkbox to confirm the implications of deactivating the Page.
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4. Click Deactivate.
You'l see a confirmation window that your Page has been successfully deactivated. If the Page
can't be deactivated, you'l receive an error message.
X
https:/ help.twitter.com/en/managing-your-account/how-to-deactivate-twitter-account#deleting-
your-twitter
For up to 30 days after deactivation it is stil possible to restore your Twitter account if it was
accidentally or wrongfully deactivated.
1. Click on Settings and privacy from the drop-down menu under your profile icon.
2. From the Account tab, click on Deactivate your account at the bot om of the page.
3. Read the account deactivation information, then click Deactivate @username.
4. Enter your password when prompted and confirm that you want to proceed by clicking the
Deactivate account button.
After your 30-day deactivation window, your Twitter account is permanently deleted. When you
don’t log into your account during the 30-day window, it lets Twitter know you want to
permanently delete your Twitter account. Once your account is deleted, your account is no longer
available in their systems. You won’t be able to reactivate your previous account and you won’t
have access to any old Tweets.
YouTube
https:/ support.google.com/youtube/answer/55759?hl=en#zippy=%2Cdelete-your-channel-
permanently
Closing your YouTube channel wil permanently delete your content, including videos, comments,
messages, playlists, and history. Note that you can’t currently delete a channel on mobile
devices.
1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
2. From the left sidebar, select Settings .
3. Select Channel Advanced Settings.
4. At the bottom, select Remove YouTube Content. If you're asked to, enter your sign-in
details.
5. Select I want to permanently delete my content.
6. Select the boxes to confirm you want to delete your channel.
7. Select Delete my content.
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It may take some time for your channel to be permanently deleted. In the short term, you
may continue to see thumbnails of your videos on the site.
Note: These steps wil only delete your YouTube channel, not your Google Account you use to
sign in with. Learn how to delete your entire Google Account.
After you delete a channel, the channel URL and channel name wil no longer be visible or
searchable in YouTube Analytics. Data associated with the channel, such as watch time, wil stil
be part of aggregate reports, but wil not be attributed to the deleted channel.
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Content guidelines
Respecting intellectual property
You should not publish any copyrighted or trademarked material without the authorisation of the
copyright or trademark owner.
This includes embedding a song, or linking to unattributed artwork, using popular songs as
background to a video.
In the event you use copyrighted content, the owner of that content may bring action for an
infringement of the copyright. The relief a court may grant includes an injunction and either
damages or an account of profit. The court may award damages in order to deter similar
infringements of copyright.
You should only use approved images, as found/available on the Defence Image or Video
Gallery.
Refer to this checklist before you post:
❏ Have you advised all content providers that copyright of content posted to social media
created by Defence members wil and does belong to the Commonwealth?
❏ Have you advised all content providers that all text and imagery must have associated
data with it in order to comply with the policy and legislation? For example, photos must
have metadata applied or stored with it and it must be stored in a content management
system such as Objective?
❏ Have you advised content providers that posts must not violate copyright? For example,
posting non-Defence imagery or videos containing commercial music without the owner’s
permission is a violation of copyright?
❏ Have you advised all content providers that posts must not use the badges and symbols
of the ADF or the individual services without authorisation?
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Creating content
Social media should be used to tell a story and create a conversation about what Defence and
the services are doing, has done and wil do in the future.
Aligning content with the Defence values
During content planning, consider how your copy and image/s or video aligns with Defence or
your Services values. These specific Defence values provide a common and unifying thread for
people working in Defence and for the public to understand what unites Defence.
The Defence values are:
•
Service: The selflessness of character to place the security and interests of our nation
and its people ahead of my own.
•
Courage: The strength of character to say and so the right thing, always, especially in the
face of adversity.
•
Respect: The humanity of character to value others and treat them with dignity.
•
Integrity: The consistency of character to align my thoughts, words and actions to do
what is right.
•
Excellence: The wil ingness of character to strive each day to be the best I can be, both
professionally and personally.
Aligning content with your service or group values
Refer to your service or group’s values and ensure your content aligns with their values.
Suggested content types
• Turn a Defence news article into a post
• Live videos
• 360 photos or videos
• Infographics
• Poll your audience
• Find interesting statistics to make into a post
• Add emoji or symbols
• Media releases
• Share or retweet from other pages
• Videos with subtitles
• Stories
• Live videos
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Writing for social media
Always consider your audience when preparing content for social media. Defence and the
services has its own terminology, acronyms and abbreviations however these are unlikely to be
understood by the public.
Everything you write for social should promote Defence and your services strategic messages
which summarise who we are, what we do and why we do it. Strategic messages are a guide
used across our organisation in all communications based in these key themes:
• ADF
• APS
• Capability
• Services: Army, Air Force, Navy
• Community and family
• Health and welfare
• Personnel and employment
• Veterans
• History and commemorations
• Industry
• Technology
Writing for social media is different to any other way of writing. It requires you to be innovative,
informative, relaxed, simple, memorable, fun and align with Defence and your Service’s strategic
communication narrative all at once.
Additionally, each platform requires a different style of writing. You need to think about why
people go to the platform - to find information, to connect, socialise, and to catch up on what the
people they know are doing. You should aim to make posts as engaging as possible.
Acronyms and abbreviations
The public does not understand Defence or Service acronyms, abbreviations and other
shortened forms. An exception may be justifiable for particularly complicated terms if the use of
an acronym or other shortened form wil significantly reduce repetition.
Capitalisation
Defence personnel have a tendency to over-capitalise words. Words are not capitalised because
the writer considers the word important. Words are capitalised because they are proper nouns or
proper/official names.
Headings must use minimal capitalisation. Only the first word and any proper nouns are to be
capitalised. Do not use uppercase for Exercise names. Example: it should be ‘Exercise Bersama
Gold’ and not ‘EXERCISE BERSAMA GOLD’.
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Hashtags
Hashtags are words or phrases preceded by the # hash symbol. They are quick way to label
content for search functionality and join a conversation. They are also great ways to gather
content so people can follow topics, trends and events of interest.
How do we use them?
• Hashtags are required to be ‘all one word’ meaning they wil break if there are any spaces
between words, or if the # symbol is missing from the beginning.
• They can be used to abbreviate long phrases such as TYFYS which stands for Thank
You For Your Service and TBT – Throwback Thursday. As users become familiar with
your content and hashtags, so too wil their understanding of these acronyms.
• To create a new one, simply start using it in posts and click on them regularly to view the
results as they can be hijacked easily.
• Become familiar with popular hashtags such as #DYK meaning Did You Know, as some
are used widely across different platforms.
• To save on characters and remove the need for unnecessary words, search for or create
hashtags that can be built directly into the copy. For example, ‘#YourADF has begun
Operation X’.
• Don’t use hashtags that are too common like #And for #The, the results for these are too
broad and wil not look appealing your audience.
• Keep hashtags short; long hashtags, also known as CamelCase can make hashtags
comprising of two or more words easier to read, however the shorter you can make it, the
more memorable and successful its use wil be.
A large list of commonly used Defence hashtags and tags can be found on the Social Media Hub
Intranet page: s47E(d)
Tagging
Tags allow social media users to engage an individual, business or any entity with a social profile
when they mention them in a post or comment. Tags are sometimes referred to as @mentions
and can be used by simply typing the desired account handle preceded by the @ symbol.
Like hashtags, account handles, and therefore tags, need to be kept as ‘all one word’ without any
spaces. Tagged accounts wil receive a notification, or a ‘heads up’ that you’ve tagged them and
may decide to share or reply to content as a result. If used correctly, tags can make a big
difference to how your post performs.
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If you have a number of accounts to tag on Twitter and cannot fit them within the character limit,
tag them within the image instead. Keep in mind, for business pages, all account tags are public
and can been seen by any user and make sure you are tagging the correct account.
Emoji
An emoji is a visual representation of an emotion, object or symbol and provides a quick shortcut
to expressing or communicating a message, description or feeling. Emoji’s can be used to
complement a message, or be used in place of words to reduce a character count.
The use of emoji's may not be appropriate for all situations and a degree of judgement should be
exercised when using them for delicate subjects such as commemorations or memorial services.
For example, the use of a poppy might be appropriate, whereas a tank or explosion emoji is not.
A good tip is to scan similar profiles or consult with a colleague for a second opinion if you aren’t
too sure.
Keep in mind that too many emoji’s can easily distort a message or distract a user from your
message’s intent. It’s important to keep yourself aware and up-to-date with an emoji’s meaning
as seemingly innocent emoji’s can sometimes represent something completely different.
Writing checklist
❏
Listen: before you can talk to your audience you have to understand and embrace how they
talk about you. Your community should inform your voice and your content (to an extent).
Language should be kept formal however the use of appropriate emoji and more colloquial
terms is accepted. Understanding you audience personas are key to increasing engagement.
❏
Don’t react: Although social media is fast paced, there is time to ensure that each post is
compliant, educated and aligns with strategy.
❏
Write to one action: you want your fans to ’like’, share, comment or click your link.
Determine what action you’re trying to get your community to do—what action are you trying
to spur? If there’s more than one thing, it can get too confusing. Keep it simple as comment
below to show support for… or ask questions which encourages comments.
❏
Writing standards stil apply: It is important to ensure correct grammar and spelling is used
for all content and comments. It is recommended that all posts are put through a word
template or through a spelling and grammar check to assist with this. If you do make an edit
on social media you do have the option to edit it on all platforms except Twitter. For Twitter,
we would recommend taking the post down and correcting the mistake and reposting if you
are able to do so in a timely manner.
❏
Experiment, measure, and respond: be innovative with your posts, but ensure you use
metrics to understand what works for your audience. If something doesn’t work you can
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adjust for next time. Find what works, but also have some variety to ensure you are keeping
up with trends.
❏
You’re only as good as your next post: when it comes to writing for any social platform,
you can’t rest on laurels. After every post that falls flat and after every successful post, you
should ask, “How can I make this better?”
❏
Don’t just share a post: if you are sharing a post make sure you post your own comment
too. Also consider if it is right for your unit, brigade, formation or branch audience.
❏
Keep it short: with so much content on social media your audience’s news feeds are
crowded. Therefore, people are scrolling through and not engaging with the content. They
wil not often spend more than three seconds on a post. It is important that you capture their
attention within the first 100 characters of your post.
❏
Don’t forget a high quality approved image or video: the easiest way to capture your
audience is to include a picture or video. Ensure that any image or video has been cleared
and is taken from the Defence image and video Gallery.
❏
Before you publish, consider:
❏
Is the text too long?
❏
Is it engaging?
❏
Have you tagged other Defence, Services or verified Defence-related pages?
❏
Does it cover who, what, where, when, why and how?
❏
What is your hashtag strategy?
❏
Is there too much information?
❏
Does it align with the strategic narrative and the lines of ef ort?
❏
Has the photo or video been approved by a One Star and provided to Digital Media?
❏ Has the content been approved by a One Star or delegate?
Using images and video on social media
Using images and videos on social media increases engagement, reach, reaction, shares and
comments. The more engaging the product, the more your post stands out.
The images and videos add meaning to your words. Additionally, they convey emotion, evoke a
reaction and communicate messages.
With videos the shorter the better, with most followers only viewing maximum nine seconds of
any video it is key that those nine seconds count.
You may use any image/video from the Defence image or video gallery.
Choosing the correct image is key, posting more than five images up on social media requires
followers to take an extra step of clicking on an image to see more, which many wil not do.
Additionally, posting five images that say the same thing or feature the same personnel or
capability wil retract from the authentication of your post.
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Images or videos checklist
❏ Confirm the product has been cleared by MECC/strategic centre and is published in the
Defence Image Library or Defence Video Portal (as these products have already been
cleared, have metadata applied and are archived in an approved storage system).
❏ Collate and apply generic metadata to images and place in an appropriate folder (archive
folder) on an approved records management system.
❏ The product has been provided to Digital Media. Al products must be submitted with
metadata to s47E(d)
@defence.gov.au.
❏ Operational security is maintained by checking the setting for confidential information.
❏ Product reflects Defence and your services values and professionalism.
❏ Product reflects correct WHS and COVID safe standards.
❏ Uniforms need to be of good repair and worn correctly.
❏ Product reflects good weapon handling/control (i.e. weapons are not to be pointed at
people unless in combat or realistic training scenarios). Civilians are not to be depicted
handling weapons.
❏ Product with corporate promotional material is not to be associated with any alcohol or
tobacco related merchandise or any dubious corporate identity.
❏ Product including children must have parental consent obtained (and included in
metadata). Only children's first names (or an alias/nom de plume) are to be given in the
caption/mid-caption to protect the child's identity from exploitation.
❏ Product with vehicles can show civilians in the driver's seat, but images must also show a
supervising Defence member and the vehicle must be obviously stationary.
❏ Do not digitally alter a photo or video.
What can go wrong?
When social media content is not approved by MECC/the strategic centre, your copy and
imagery/video can have a severe impact on global situations. It is crucial you consider the nature
of content and how it impacts current relationships, operations, and exercises. You should
always explore the ramifications of posting content before it's published.
Reputational damage can be amplified by social media, and negative media coverage can
quickly go viral. Screen captures by the public, of deleted content can sometimes attract more
attention than if the post were to be kept live.
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Before sharing any content on any social media platform, it’s important to
read/view content in its entirety before hitting share. This includes videos and
image galleries. Don’t assume what the content may be due to a title/description.
Content Approval
After drafting your social media post and have selected an approved image or video, your
content needs to be cleared by your 2 Star/Band 2 officer or their delegate.
When choosing an approved image, look closely to make sure the image does not display any
small details, like Defence access passes, or information written on whiteboards for example. 9
times out of 10, these issues are identified, however it’s always best to double check these
before your posts go live. Once approved, your content can then be posted or scheduled for an
appropriate time.
For information on gaining clearance for an image or video that you or your team have sourced
locally, refer to Chapter 9 of the Media and Communications Policy.
Best times to post on social media
Is there really a best time to post on social media? Always.
The key challenge is in rising above the noise and getting eyes on your posts. It is important to
consider that algorithms are increasingly moving away from the reverse chronological timelines
and towards relevance-based curation.
The best way to ascertain your ideal slots, is to get into the backend of each of your platforms to
see when your audience is online and adjust accordingly..
Examples of good content
What makes this post good?
• Correct hashtags used
• Correct page used
• Short link used
• Striking images from Defence Image Gallery used
• Relevant/engaging content used
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What makes this post good?
• Call to action to watch the video
• Video from the Defence video gallery used
• Brief description of what the video is about
• Video renamed to title, rather than edit file name, e.g. V0001defencevdieo
• Engaging cover image used
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What makes this post good?
• Call to action to ‘Our People’ tab on Defence News website
• Image from Defence Image Gallery used
• Concise summary of story with key points to gain audience used
• Appropriate emoji used
• Information and messaging from a cleared PAG used
What makes this post good?
• Hashtags used
• Correct pages/accounts used
• Short link used to Defence News story
• Image used from Defence Image Gallery
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Sharing content with the MECC Social Media Hub
If you have content that can be shared by Defence Australia or a service or group page and you
don’t have a social media account, follow this checklist before sending content to your relevant
service or group or the Social Media Hub.
❏ When submit ing photos or video, they must be cleared by your Band 1 or One Star
equivalent and be made available on the Defence image/video gallery.
❏ Cleared photos and videos must include captions that cover the 5 W’s: who, what, when,
where and why
❏ Content should be written clearly, concisely and avoiding jargon
❏ Remember - tweets are limited to 280 characters, including spaces
❏ Content should have mass appeal
❏ Don’t wait until the last minute. Plan your content and include social media in your planning
process to allow adequate time for posts to be developed
❏ Send content to your relevant service or group or the Social Media Hub for consideration
with the following information:
❏ preferred posting date
❏ message or angle
❏ who to tag or mention
❏ requested text, and
❏ imagery or image gallery identity number with.
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Using social media for crisis communication
Real-world incidents can be amplified by social media. Social media can help Defence to be
transparent during a crisis however you and your Chain of Command need to agree on the
strategy and approach before using social media to manage a crisis.
What to have in place in the event of a crisis:
❏
Identify the lead Government Department/Agency in charge during the crisis
❏
Coordinate a Defence social media team and establish responding protocols
❏
Ensure that lead Government Department/Agency is aware of your social media content
before publishing any content
❏
Only post to Defence social media accounts once approvals are received
❏
Ensure that everyone knows who to alert in each scenario
❏
Check fake news for situational awareness.
Refer to this checklist for guidance:
❏
Be prepared: during a crisis, ensure you thoroughly understand the severity of the issue/s
and the associated risks to Defence. From here you need to make a call on whether you
wil use social media to engage with your audience or not. If you choose to engage, you
should be able to preempt questions your audience wil ask and draft responses to answer
their questions. Approved talking points can assist in this scenario.
❏
Be prepared: to hold on all BAU social media posts. Scheduled posts wil need be removed
immediately to avoid any insensitivities that may transpire.
❏
Outline roles and responsibilities: it’s vital everyone in your team knows what their role is
during a crisis and commits to it, whether it’s monitoring social media or providing up-to-
date reports on the issue.
❏
Circulate and adhere to your escalation process: issues can spread quickly through social
media so it’s important to understand who to go to when you need to escalate something.
❏
Monitor: during the crisis, closely monitor the accounts and influencers talking about the
issue. Be prepared to respond to them directly if necessary.
❏
Recovery: As the severity of the crisis loses traction on social media, you should prepare a
report on how the issue was managed using social media and share your learnings with
your peers.
❏
Prevention: post-crisis, look for opportunities to refine and improve existing processes and
procedures based on what worked well and what didn’t. Continue to monitor social media
with the best possible situational awareness.
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Social media measurement and metrics
Your social media strategy should outline what you want to achieve for each social media
account. To demonstrate the value of your work and to adequately report on how your social
media content is performing, you need to know how to access and navigate, and understand and
interpret social media analytics.
At its core, social media engagement is whenever someone interacts with your social media
profile. It comes in the form of metrics including:
Likes
Follows
Shares
Comments
Retweets
Click-throughs
These metrics are crucial for measuring the effectiveness of your content or campaign.
Another factor involved in determining the effectiveness of your content are content signals.
These include:
• How long a user spent watching a video - were video captions included?
• Did a user stop scrolling to read your content – was it written to capture attention quickly?
• What time the content was posted – was it during a peak period of activity for your
audience?
• Did the user stop scrolling to comment or share your content – Did you ask the audience
a question? Or was the content written with the intention of evoking an emotional
response?
Understanding the analytics behind what content is and isn’t working, allows you to adjust and
make decisions during content planning. Establishing a benchmark engagement rate wil allow
you to identify if your content is performing well of your strategy requires a revision.
To understand why social media metrics matter, refer to our ‘Resources’ section on the Intranet.
Community Management
For inappropriate comments, a robust profanity filter is essential. The Defence Social Media Hub
can supply you with one including terms specific to Defence. Comments deemed inappropriate
should only ever be replied to once with approval. Users who continue to be inappropriate or
disruptive after this can be managed by:
• Hiding, which allows you ‘hide’ inappropriate comments or posts from your audience.
These can only then be seen by the original poster and their followers.
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• Deleting, where a screenshot of the comment must first be taken before filing.
• Ban the user, if they they continually do not meet yours or the platform’s community
guidelines.
Mute is a feature that allows you to remove an account's Tweets from your timeline without
unfollowing or blocking that account.
Muted accounts wil not know that you've
muted them and
you can unmute them at any time.
Analysing how your audience responds to different types of content wil give you an idea of what
response you are likely to receive for future content.
Negative or inappropriate comments can be categorized by three groups. These are:
• Category 1 – Borderline comments, including;
• Offensive language,
• Spam or material that isn't relevant
• Comments directed at Defence or its leaders,
• Criticism of other users and disrespectful exchanges.
Category 2 – Unacceptable comments, including;
• Disrespectful behavior towards Defence and other users
• Uploading inappropriate images and GIFs, or using offensive terminology and
language.
• Targeting comments directly at other users through tagging them.
• Encouraging or supporting il egal activities.
• Support of violent, extreme, or controlling behavior
Category 3 – Zero Tolerance comments, including;
• Blatantly disrespectful behavior
• Comments which incite, induce or aid hatred towards others.
• Comments that support or encourage violence
• Encouraging or supporting il egal activities or operations
• Comments which may incite, encourage or make reference to conduct that may
constitute a serious criminal act
Use your own judgement when determining which category an unacceptable comment falls
under and if you aren’t sure, simply hide the comment.
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Users that publish comments within Category 1 – ‘Borderline’ should be warned, or politely
reminded of the profile or platform’s community guidelines. Using judgement, hide or report the
comment if necessary.
Users that publish comments within Category 2 and 3 may require a more stern approach
involving one or more of the following actions:
• The user be warned, either through direct message or within the comment thread.
• The users comment, or comments, be screen captured and deleted.
• If persistent, all recent comments screen captured and the user banned from the profile.
Al screenshots should be filed diligently within Objective.
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Frequently asked questions
Do social media handles have to be consistent?
Yes. Consistent social media handles make it easier for your audience to find and tag you.
Do I have to have an account on every social media network?
No. You need to be strategic with the social media network you choose. An easy way to figure
out which social media account you need is to consider where your audience is.
Another way to determine which social media network to choose is by considering the content
people on each network want to see. For example, if you have the resources to make and clear
videos, you should consider YouTube to share those videos.
What type of content should my account share?
Your social media content should align with what your audience wants to see. You can create or
find relevant content they’re likely to enjoy and share. The Defence News website and Defence
YouTube channels should be your first port of call.
How often should I post?
Your posting frequency depends on your resources and audience. When you commit to a social
media account, you should aim to deliver quality content to your audience. You should never
sacrifice the quality of your social media content for quantity. As a guide, MECC Social Media
Hub commits to a minimum 2 posts per day to maximise audience engagement.
What’s the best time to post?
It depends on when your audience is most active across each social media network. Use the
analytics from each network to identify which content gets the most engagement i.e. what time of
the day, what day and what type of content has high engagement – this should be your
foundation.
Should I use a social media content calendar?
Each social media account is required to develop a content plan for approval. The content plan
should be developed between the senior social media and/or communications adviser with
business team or service team.
Using a content calendar to coordinate and schedule social media content is best practice and
recommended. The Social Media Hub currently uses Asana to plan its social media content
.
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Can I create a fake/dummy social media account for social media
administration and/or monitoring purposes?
No. Defence personnel are not to create fake or dummy social media accounts for the
administration of official organisational or official positional Defence Social Media accounts, or
create accounts for the specific purpose of monitoring of Defence issues.
Social media accounts for administrative purposes
Facebook and LinkedIn pages require the connection of personal accounts for account
administration. These accounts must be genuine user accounts and cannot be fake or dummy
accounts as per relevant platform user policies:
• Facebook [Account integrity and authentic identity] – an account name must be the
authentic name you go by in everyday life, and any personal account (as used for
administrative purposes) must not be accessed by more than one person.
• LinkedIn [User Agreement] – users must use their real name on their profile and
must not create a false identity on LinkedIn or misrepresent their identity.
Fake or dummy accounts detected by the platforms connected to official Defence Facebook or
LinkedIn Defence accounts, may result in the platform limiting account access or removing both
the user and official account.
Social media accounts to monitor Defence Issues
Defence or personal social media accounts are not be created for the specific purpose of
monitoring Defence Issues2. Lines areas or individuals seeking to monitor Defence Issues in the
public domain should contact their relevant embedded MECC Communication Officer for access
to
Streem, Defence’s official media monitoring tool.
Furthermore, as defined in the Defence Media Communication Policy, [Annex A – Definitions,
Official Defence social media account], any account that ‘uses Defence resources or is operated
by Defence personnel in a manner that could be reasonably considers as representing Defence,
the Australian Defence Force or their Groups and Services’ is considered an official account and
must not be created without approval, as laid out in Defence Media and Communication Guide
[Chapter 6, New Official Defence social media accounts].
As per Defence Media and Communication Guide [Chapter 6, Requirements for posting and
interacting on Defence of icial social media accounts] in regard to the use of existing official
Defence Social Media accounts, Defence personnel may be authorised to monitor other accounts
2 [Defence Media Communication Policy, [Annex A – Definitions, Issue]
An issue in Defence is
an event, situation
or matter of public concern that emerges over a period of time or is of a less-severe nature than a crisis. It could be
an unfolding situation where the details are not yet known, or a persistent situation that remains of concern over
a period of time. It is possible that a benign situation, or an issue, could turn into a crisis as the situation escalates,
intensifies or broadens. The focus of Defence issues management is the same as crisis communication, with less
urgent timeframes and, while communication planning may be proactive’.
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where it relates to their duties and responsibilities and is in accordance with legislative and policy
obligations.
For further advice or guidance, please contact the Defence Social Media Hub at
s47E(d)
@defence.gov.au
Other social media platform terms
• X [Deceptive identities] - If you are engaged in impersonation or are using a misleading or
deceptive fake identity, the platform may permanently suspend your account.
• Instagram [Terms of Use] - You may not impersonate someone or something that you are
not, and you cannot create an account for someone else unless you have their express
permission.
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Quick Reference Guide for hashtags
Hashtags vary by platform, with Twitter and Instagram being heavy users. Always search a
platform for use and check appropriateness before adding to your content. Hashtags should ‘add
value’ to your content, not simply be an add-on.
Refer to the document entitled ‘Social Media Reference Guide to Tags and Hashtags’ available
under ‘Resources’ on the Intranet.
Quick Reference Guides - Setting up your page and
using it
Set up your organisation Facebook page:
1. Click the home button next to your name
2. Click on the Pages tab in the explore section of the left-hand sidebar of your profile home
page.
3. Click
create page
4. Choose page type,
Government Organisation
5. Name your page with the previously agreed naming convention
6. Upload a profile image by clicking on
add a picture in the profile image area. Ensure you
use a high quality 170x170 version of the official emblem relevant to the brand on a white
background.
7. Upload a cover image by clicking on the
add a cover link on the top left of cover image
section. Ensure the cover image is high quality approved imagery relevant to the page the
size should be 828 x 315.
8. Update the following sections with this information:
Founded: 1942 or when the relevant organisation was founded
Business type: This page represents a corporate office or headquarters
Phone number: Defence national switchboard 1300 333 362
Email: a defence email address that does not include personnel members name is
to be used.
Website: defence.gov.au
General information: As above in the setup guide.
Using your account: How to post to your page
1. Click on the
make a post box
2. Add any text you want to include
3. At the bottom you have the option of adding photos, videos etc.
4. Ensure relevant pages are tagged
5. Ensure relevant hashtags are used
6. If scheduling the post, ensure the date and time are correct.
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7. If the post is not being scheduled click the blue
post button on the bottom right of the
post.
8. Your post has been posted to your page.
Using your account: How to share to your page
1. At the bottom right hand side of each post is an arrow with the word
share underneath,
click on this.
2. The option to
Share to a page will pop up, click this.
3. If you are an administrator of the page through your personal account, ensure that the
post wil be shared to the organisations page and not your personal one.
4. If required, add an over quote to further clarify the post you are sharing.
5. If no text is required, click on the blue
share but on on the bottom right side.
6. The post has been shared to your page.
Quick Tips:
❏ Don’t spam your followers
❏ Tag other pages using the ‘@’ symbol. E.g. @DefenceAustralia
❏ Respond in a timely manner to comments and messages if appropriate and necessary.
❏ Check notifications to see who is engaging with your content and to monitor engagement.
❏ Use hashtags where appropriate
❏ Don’t upload more than 5 images at a time
Set up your X account:
1. Sign up for a new account, the “full name” you provide Twitter wil be your display name.
It can be changed if needed. Use your previously agreed naming convention.
2. Enter a phone number for the person in charge of the account; the phone number is used
for two-factor authentication to secure your account. Verify your page when the text from
Twitter comes through.
3. Pick a secure password using a variety of upper/lower case, symbols and numbers.
4. Click
settings and privacy and at the top of this page, you can pick your username. Use
your previously agreed handle.
5. Update your profile picture by clicking on
profile and then
edit profile on the right under
the blue bar. You can upload your profile picture, which should be a high quality 400x400
version of the official emblem relevant to the brand on a white background.
6. Update your cover photo in the edit profile section. Ensure the cover image is high quality
approved imagery relevant to the page the size should be 1500 x 500.
7. Update your biography with a short description of the page, this should be previously
approved. List defence.gov as the website.
Using your account: How to send a post
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1. Type your tweet into the compose box at the top of your home timeline or click the
tweet
button in the top right of the navigation bar. Your tweet cannot exceed 280 characters. It
is best to draft your tweet in a scheduling program or an online twitter character counter.
2. You can include four photos, a GIF or a video (no higher than 720p). There are icons at
the bottom of the tweet to click to upload any of these items.
3. If scheduling a tweet in another program the process might be slightly different but the
limitations on content stil apply.
Using your account: How to repost
1. If you come across a post you like you can
repost this by clicking on the
repost button.
2. The tweet wil pop up giving you the chance to add text to accompany the post you are
sharing.
3. If no text is required, click the
repost button at the bottom of the tweet to instantly share.
Quick tips:
❏ Don’t spam your followers
❏ Use the @ symbol to reply to others where relevant and necessary
❏ If you would like to tag another person or page use the @ symbol.
❏ If you start your tweet with an @ symbol put another character such as a ful stop in front
so that it appears as an original tweet rather than relying to the page. E.g.
‘.@DefenceAust’
❏ Use relevant hashtags if the word limit permits.
❏ Repost with an over quote if the tweet needs further clarification.
❏ Shorten links using a service such as bit.ly
Set up your Instagram account:
1. Download the app and sign up using an appropriate email address, it is best not to sign
up using your Facebook account.
2. Create your using name using a previously agreed naming convention.
3. Pick a secure password using a variety of upper/lower case, symbols and numbers.
4. Click done.
5. Your Instagram account is set up.
6. Upload a profile photo by clicking
Edit Profile > Change profile photo and select an
appropriate image. Ensure you use a high quality 110x110 version of the official emblem
relevant to the brand on a white background.
7. Update you biography with a short description of the page, this should be previously
approved. List defence.gov as the website.
Using your account: How to create a post
1. To upload a photo press the plus symbol at the bottom of the screen on the app.
2. Select the photo you wish to upload. Ensure it is high quality approved imagery or video.
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3. Tap on the
write a caption.. section, enter your pre-approved caption. Click
ok when
you are complete.
4. Click
share to post your image if you are not using a scheduling tool.
Quick tips:
❏ Use relevant hashtags.
❏ Credit the photographer in the images.
❏ Tag relevant pages in the caption.
❏ Avoid reposting or sharing images, it is best to have high quality approved content.
❏ Do not post too often, once a day or once every few days.
Setting up your LinkedIn showcase page:
Seek assistance for LinkedIn showcase page set-up through the Social Media Hub.
Using your account: How to post to a showcase page
1. Click share an update in the showcase page admin widget on the left of your homepage
2. Below manage, select your page
3. Click the updates tab
4. Enter your update into the share an article, photo, video or idea box at the top of the page
5. Click post to share your update if you are not using a scheduling tool.
Quick tips:
❏ Post high quality content relevant to the page
❏ Don’t post too often
❏ Consider writing longer form posts.
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Glossary
General
AI
Artificial intelligence refers to computers or robots
controlled by computers able to perform tasks.
Alerts
Alerts are updates of all relevant mentions online.
Average Response Time This is how long it takes to reply to a message or
notification.
Brand Advocate
A person or customer who talks positively about your
brand or product.
Conversion
A positive action taken on a website by which a
visitor from social media converts to a customer.
For example, newsletter sign up, a downloaded
report, or a form fil ed in, a sale etc.
Dark Social
The invisible shares that happen through channels
like messengers, email, and text messages. For
example, the sending of a URL to a friend via email -
dark social. They will not know where you found the
article. It means that dark social is referral traffic
that’s hard to track.
Emoji
Emoji’s are ideograms and smileys used in electronic
messages and web pages.
Engagement
Users interacting with a brand by liking, commenting,
sharing posts, images, etc.
Google Analytics
A free service from Google to monitor website traffic.
ICYMI
In Case You Missed It
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Image Recognition
Technology that recognises logos, objects, and
scenery so brands can find actionable consumer
insights, anticipate a crisis, and measure brand
awareness.
Influencer
A social media user who has the potential to reach a
relevant audience - large or small - and create
awareness about a trend, topic, brand, or product.
Newsjacking
The practice of benefiting from the huge popularity of
a current news story to amplify your sales and
marketing success.
PPC
Pay per click ads are used to show ads on various
websites or search engines, and pay when a user
clicks through.
Reach
Post reach - how many unique users who saw your
post
Page reach - how many users saw any content you
posted
Organic reach - how many users saw your content, of
their own accord
Paid reach - how many users saw your promoted
piece
Search Engine Marketing An online strategy with the intention of attracting
(SEM)
customers, generating brand awareness, and
building trust and loyalty. SEM wil increase your
website’s visibility primarily through pay per click ads
(PPC).
Sentiment Analysis
An analysis of subjective information from content to
understand the attitude of a person/users.
Search Engine
Search engine optimisation is how to improve the
Optimisation (SEO)
volume or quality of unpaid traffic to a website from
search engines. This increases the chances of a
website appearing near the top of search engine
results pages (SERPs).
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Share
Users share message, products, brand awareness,
thoughts, and company voice with others users.
Share of Voice | SOV
Percentage of social media posts in a given category.
Brands use SOV to find out how their popularity
ranks against their competitors.
Snapchat
A social app allowing users to send and receive time-
sensitive photos. The images are hidden once the
time limit ends.
Social media analytics
Analysis of online conversations to determine brand
awareness, online reputation, and measure
outcomes of social media strategy, marketing
strategies etc.
Social Media Listening
Finding and tracking online conversations, around
(SML)
keywords, phrases, events, about your brand,
business, services and competitors.
Social Media Monitoring Listening and looking at social media channels and
(SMM)
responding to mentions related to your business.
Social Media Optimisation Building publicity through social media channels and
(SMO)
online communities to drive traffic from sources other
than search engines.
Social Media Return on
How much a business invests - time, money,
Investment (ROI)
resources - in social media in comparison to results
from this investment
Social Networking
Socialising in an online community.
Tag
Tagging is a social media functionality, most often
used on Facebook and Instagram, to identify a
person or place within content.
Thread
Beginning with an original post, the conversation and
comments that follow.
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Traffic
Visitors to a website.
Trending Topic
The most talked about topics and hashtags on social
media.
Trendjacking
Piggybacking a big social trend to get users to
engage with a business.
User-Generated Content Content that is shared by people online.
(UGC)
Viral
When a piece of content achieves noteworthy
awareness
Webinar
Online seminar or presentation, hosted by an
individual or a company.
YOLO
You Only Live Once
YouTube
The biggest platform for video content.
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Facebook
A social network that allows users to interact with others, connect with friends
and family, and share photos, video and information.
Events
Set up to reach audience, sell tickets, and measure
performance.
Ad
Create an ad that’s displayed on Facebook.
Insights
Analytics hub for tracking user interactions on your
Facebook Fan Page. Insights include likes, comments,
shares, views, traffic source, age, language and
gender of your audience.
Facebook Live
Live video to engage users/followers.
Messenger
Instant messaging via Facebook.
Follower
Similar to a fan relationship or a Twitter follow, it
allows followers to see posts without having the
relationship approved.
Group
A place for group chat for people who share a
common interest - groups are private or public.
Like
People click Like to show they like the content.
News Feed
Content that appears in your news feed is influenced
by your friends, groups, subscribed pages, and
activity.
Promoted/Boosted Post
Pay to boost a post and get more eyeballs.
Reactions
An extension of the Like button for expressing
emotions: Like Love Haha Wow Sad Angry
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Suggested Pages
Pages you may be interested in, based on previous
page views, check-ins, likes, and friends.
Tabs
Links a range of sections that make a profile,
including Home, About, Posts, Events, Videos,
Photos, etc.
X
A social networking site that enables people to share ideas through short
texts popularly known as tweets. X is considered as a micro-blogging
service due to the users’ ability to post information in the form of texts,
images and videos and share with friends across the globe.
Hashtag
Hashtags are used in front of words or short phrases to
provide context,
Mentions
When you’re looking to tag someone or a brand in a
tweet, include @username and they’l receive a
notification. It’s used to initiate conversations with other
users, or attribute content.
Note that if you start a tweet
with @username, only your mutual followers will see
the tweet. To make it visible to others, use a period
before - .@username.
DM
A direct message is so you can talk privately to another
X user.
Feed
A list of posts that constantly updates, when new
tweets that fit a specified criteria are tweeted.
Follower
Someone who follows you on X and sees all your posts
in their home feed.
Handle
Your @username on X
Home Feed
Updates every time someone you follow posts a tweet.
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Like
People click Like to show they like the content. Used to
be a star, now represented by a heart symbol.
MT
Is short for ‘Modified post’, which is when a user is
trying to retweet but the tweet's too long so they modify
the original tweet.
Pinned post
You can pin a post to the top of your profile for more
exposure.
Reply
Is responding to a tweet someone has tagged you in
with a @mention. A reply is visible to anyone and
everyone - even if they don’t follow you.
RT
Is short for ‘repost’, letting users know where the
original content came from
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Instagram
An online mobile photo-sharing and social networking service that enables
its users to take pictures and videos, and share them either publicly or
privately on the app as well as through a variety of other social networking
platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Flickr.
Bio
Area for a short description under profile picture.
Caption
Captions add context to a post, along with a relevant
hashtag.
Comments
The clue’s in the word.
Feed/Gallery/Album
Collection of images posted to your profile.
Filters
There are 20 filters, including exposure, color balance,
contrast, and different frames, to edit photos.
Follower
A user who follows your account and sees all your
published photos.
Following Activity Feed
A feed of images that people you’re following have liked
or commented on. Only shows five minutes of
information.
Geotags
The location attached to an image, which corresponds
a longitude and latitude on a map. This means your
image can be viewed alongside other photos
geotagged for this location.
Hashtags
# used by Instagram and Twitter, a hashtag allows user
to connect with others and find images based on a
common word. Using a hashtag means others wil find
it.
Like
People click Like to show they like the content.
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News Feed
Via the Home button on the app, this feed shows image
from those you follow.
Personal Activity Feed
Shows you when a user likes or comments on one of
your images, when your username is mentioned, when
your image is posted to the popular page, and when
you’re tagged in a photo.
Post
Image uploaded to Instagram, can include a caption,
geotag, users’ tags etc.
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LinkedIn
A social networking site with individual users and organisations.
Individuals can network, build up connections, follow companies, and job
hunt. You can share news, blog posts, opinion pieces, and job ads. There
are specialized groups to join too.
Company Profile
A biography on LinkedIn that includes connections at
the company, new hires, promotions, jobs, related
companies, and company statistics.
Showcase page
A LinkedIn Showcase page is an extension of the
Defence Australia page designed to spotlight individual
areas and business units and target their own specific
audiences.
Connections
People you invite or people who have invited you on
LinkedIn.
Endorsements
Signposts to other users showing your expertise. It’s
very quick and easy to endorse, so they don’t have the
value of a recommendation.
Groups
Public or private, created by an individual or a company.
They allows users to gather and discuss a specific
subject.
Network
Your connections, including the connections of your
connections.
Recommendation
A way to recommend a friend/colleague based on their
professional experience, to anyone who views their
profile.
Request
Sent by one user to another, describing a possible
project or opportunity.
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STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES: DEFENCE SOCIAL MEDIA HUB
Reporting offensive profiles content
Task: Reporting offensive third party content through respective platforms and liaison officers
Last revised (date): 19/06/2020
SOP Ref.: #
Purpose: Reporting, for the purpose of removing, offensive third party content on unofficial social
media pages through both the platform and the respective liaison officers for each platform.
Scope: These standard operating procedures are to be used in conjunction with the relevant
Defence social media policies including but not limited to the Media and Communication Policy and
the Social Media Playbook.
Prerequisites:
• Sound knowledge of MS Outlook
s47E(d)
• Access to administrative Defence social media accounts on all platforms
s47E(d)
Responsibility:
• To ensure all identified and reported offensive third party content is reported and removed as
quickly as possible from the respective social media platforms.
• To ensure al stakeholders are informed and updated on the progress on content reporting and
removal.
• To ensure the media team are aware of any and all ongoing offensive third party content
removal processing.
Frequency: As required
Timing: As required
Information and access requirements:
s47E(d)
• Access to MS Outlook
s47E(d)
• Access to administrative Defence social media accounts on all platforms
s47E(d)
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STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES: DEFENCE SOCIAL MEDIA HUB
PROCESS STEPS
Before taking action, ensure you are logged out of all your social media accounts and have opened a
new browser session.
Receiving a notification for offensive third party content
Emails will come to the Defence Social Media Hub inbox from either internal department employees
or from members of the public who have identified offensive third party content. Before the process
can proceed, ensure that you have the fol owing information:
1) Account URL
2) Account name
3) Image/screenshot of offensive content
4) Date of content posting
5) Reporting party email
Where the information above hasn’t been provided, contact the individual who has sent the email
and request further information. Some of the information above can be deduced from the
image/screenshot provided.
Identifying the process action
Review the main social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube) for third
party memes profiles posting inappropriate content relevant to, or directed at, the Department of
Defence and the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
These profiles can be found by:
s47E(d)
Using the platforms search functions and using common terms like “ADF, diggers, memes, lid, etc.”
Content can be reported and removed for one of the following categories:
Nudity
Violence
Harassment
Suicide or self-
injury
False news
Unauthorised
sales
Hate speech
Terrorism
Promoting drug
use
Spam
Non-consensual
Sexual
Sharing private
Intel ectual
intimate images
exploitation
images
property
Fraud of scam
Bullying
Child abuse
Animal abuse
Sexual activity
Mocking victims
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STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES: DEFENCE SOCIAL MEDIA HUB
The Department of Defence's Social Media team would like to request that the profile be
deleted.
We have already reported the profile on Twitter.
Please remove this profile asap. Please advise.
Kind regards,
[insert name].
* Attach screenshots of the profiles and their posts.
LinkedIn
Email xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxxxx.xxx. Use this script:
Subject: Reporting LinkedIn [profiles/company pages/showcase
pages/groups]
Body: Hello,
A LinkedIn [profile/company page/showcase page/group]. called [insert name], [insert
link], is [detail offences].
The Department of Defence's Social Media team would like to request that the
[profile/company page/showcase page/group] be deleted.
We have already reported the [profile/company page/showcase page/group] on
LinkedIn.
Please remove this profile asap. Please advise.
Kind regards,
[insert name].
* Attach screenshots of the [profiles/pages/groups] and their posts.
Instagram
*same process as Facebook as owned by same company
Complete this web form https://www.facebook.com/business/help.
1. Select the ‘Something Else’ option.
2. Use this script in the ‘Please let us know how we can help *’ field
Hello,
A Facebook [profile/page/group] called [insert name], [insert link], is [detail offences].
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES: DEFENCE SOCIAL MEDIA HUB
The Department of Defence's Social Media team would like to request that the
[profile/page] be deleted for the following breaches of Facebook Community Standards:
[List the applicable Facebook Community Standards].
We have already reported the page on Facebook.
Please remove this [profile/page/group] asap. Please advise.
Kind regards,
[insert name].
* Attach screenshots of the [profiles/pages/groups] and their posts.
YouTube
Email s47F
@google.com. Use this script:
Subject: Reporting impersonation YouTube [accounts/channels]
Body: Hi s47F
A YouTube [account/channel]. called [insert name], [insert link], is [detail offences].
The Department of Defence's Social Media team would like to request that the
[account/channel] be deleted.
We have already reported the account on LinkedIn.
Please remove this account asap. Please advise.
Kind regards,
[insert name].
* Attach screenshots of the [accounts/channels] and their posts.
Verifying a notification for offensive third party content
When the Social Media Hub are notified of offensive content, it is process to reply to the reporting
individual with the intent to remove. In order to establish he likely next steps, the content must be
investigated. Access the content using the URL provided (or find the page using the account name).
Responding to a member of the public who has identified offensive third party content
When responding to a member of the public regarding identified offensive third party content, use
the email script below.
Subject: RE: Identified offensive third party content
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STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES: DEFENCE SOCIAL MEDIA HUB
Body: Good morning/afternoon,
Thank you for your email.
The Department of Defence's Social Media team will investigate this matter and
progress as appropriate.
Kind regards,
[signature].
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OFFICIAL
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28
Defence Media and Communication Guide
b.
Official positional: approved accounts are operated by Defence
personnel for a Defence purpose related to a position (e.g. Chief of the
Defence Force Facebook account, Chief of Air Force Twitter account
etc.). Official positional accounts must be handed over when the person
completes their tenure.
DEFENCE SOCIAL MEDIA HUB
6.5
The Defence Social Media Hub is responsible for:
a.
whole-of-Defence social media strategy, policy, process, training,
content guidance, crisis management, analytical reporting, technical
support, and account consolidation;
b.
gaining approval and providing access to social media software and
tools;
c.
reporting on the number and usage of official social media accounts;
d.
maintaining the whole-of-Defence Social Media Playbook, which
provides guidance on social media best practice;
e.
coordinating the Defence Social Media Working Group; and
f.
being the point of contact for Groups and Services to report suspected
offensive content on social media by or about Defence personnel and
to escalate in accordance with the Reporting of Offensive Content
Escalation Process.
6.6
Authorised practitioners are to provide performance information, metrics and
analytics of all official Defence social media accounts to the Defence Social Media
Hub in support of an annual review.
6.7
For further information, including instructions on the correct use and best
practice of official social media accounts, refer to the Social Media Playbook on the
Defence Social Media intranet page, or contact the Defence Social Media Hub.
PRINCIPLES OF OFFICIAL DEFENCE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS
6.8
There are three principles for all official Defence social media accounts:
a.
Accountability at a senior level within the chain-of-command.
b.
Alignment with government policy and Defence objectives.
c.
Priority for high-profile announcements, key decisions, operations,
events and other significant content lies with the Government to ensure
that:
i.
social media accounts do not pre-empt or foreshadow
government decisions or operational, capability or policy
outcomes unless authorised by the Assistant Secretary Media
and Information Disclosure (ASMID);
OFFICIAL
