The Charter Township of Northville engages with the public through many digital outlets including www.twp.northville.mi.us, mobile applications and social media networking sites. Social media use is intended to extend traditional channels of constituent engagement and transparency.

The Charter Township of Northville encourages the use of social media and emerging web tools to enhance transparency, communication, customer service, collaboration and information exchange among the township and the public.

Every day people discuss, debate, and engage with the Township in many online conversations. The Charter Township of Northville recognizes the importance of participating in these conversations and is committed to ensuring we listen and participate in meaningful ways. The purpose of the Northville Township social media is to provide meaningful communication between residents in conjunction with information on provided services. The goal is to provide an easy exchange of factual information.

When engaging with the Township through social media, you agree to the following Charter Township Social Media Customer Use Policy.

User Generated Content

The public is encouraged to share content, including photographs and videos with township social media. Content and comments shared should adhere to the standards outlined in this Social Media Customer Use Policy, the host site terms of service, and should follow all copyright and trademark laws.

Customer Use

Comments and content posted to township maintained social media is reviewed by the Charter Township of Northville. While content and comments will not be edited, the township reserves the right to remove user generated content or comments if they violate any of the criteria below:

• The use of obscene, threatening, discriminatory, offensive or harassing language.
• Personal attacks on individuals or groups which target racial, ethnic, or religious groups, gender, sexual orientation or disability status.
• Disclosure of information which is confidential by law or regulation.
• Comments advocating illegal activity or posts violating copyrights or trademarks.
• Advertisement or promotion of commercial products, services, entities or individuals.
• Endorsement or opposition of any person campaigning for election to a political office or promoting or opposing any ballot proposition.
• Posting any content that is directed to, or names, a Charter Township of Northville employee.
• Any communication with Township employees on issues under department jurisdiction. These will be conducted via email or the phone.
• Comments posted on all social media sites should be geared toward factual information and not be opinion based.
• Spamming, trolling or making duplicative comments by the same user or multiple users.
• Sharing fake or discrediting news or information proven to be fact.
• Content removed from Charter Township of Northville social media is archived according to the state Social Media Policy and related Charter Township of Northville social media content archiving practices. The maintenance of these records in either electronic or print format is the responsibility of the department managing the specified social media account.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

Township generated content posted in third party social media sites becomes part of the public domain upon posting. With limited exceptions, such content is therefore not exempt from FOIA requests. FOIA requests should be submitted through official Township request processes.

Disclaimer

Charter Township of Northville social media, social networking content posts may include content or hypertext links to information created and maintained by public or private sources. When viewing content or a link outside of the www.twp.northville.mi.us domain, users are subject to security and privacy policies of the host website.

• The Township is not responsible, nor can it control content on third party sites.
• The Township does not control nor guarantee the accuracy or completeness of information contained in external content or hypertext links to or from third party websites.
• Third party content and links are not intended to reflect the opinion of the township, its officers or its employees.
• The Township does not guarantee that externally linked content, hypertext links, or websites comply with accessibility requirements of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

The Charter Township of Northville encourages the use of social media and emerging web tools to enhance transparency, communication, customer service, collaboration and information exchange among the Township and the public.

Photos and Videos of Community Members

Photos and videos that appear on the Township’s website, social media and promotional materials may be gathered at public programs, events and Township locations. Attendance at these programs, events and locations constitutes the consent to be photographed or filmed for print and/or electronic publicity of the Township. Photos, images and videos submitted by users for online galleries or contest may also be used by the Township for promotional purposes. To ensure the privacy of individuals and children, images will not be identified using full name or personal identifying information without written approval from the photographed subject, parents or legal guardian. If a community member does not want the Township to use a photo or video of them or their child, they must inform the staff member who is coordinating the event prior to the start of the program.