"Where People & Trees Have Deep Roots & Grow Strong"

Social Media Policy

Town Hall Picture for Policy Page - Copy
The Town uses social media platforms to share news and information about Town business and engage with residents about relevant topics. The site is a limited public forum, limited to the discussion of matters related to the Town of Somerset's Social Media websites (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.). We encourage you to submit your questions, comments, and concerns. Postings on the Town's social media sites may be moderated. All comments posted by public users must be limited to the topic originally posted. The Town does not discriminate on the basis of viewpoints or opinions expressed. The Town reserves the right to delete comments from users, without notice, that:

  1. Are off-topic or disruptive;
  2. Are solicitations or advertisements for commercial products; or endorse political campaigns, candidates, propositions, or services;
  3. Infringe on copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights;
  4. Are duplicate or repetitive content that is either from the same Public User or otherwise appears to be duplicative;
  5. Contain personally identifiable information, such as phone numbers or addresses;
  6. Use profanity, are discriminatory, defamatory, hateful, violent, pornographic, or otherwise obscene; or
  7. Speech that is otherwise unprotected by the First Amendment that the Town deems inappropriate for the site.

All postings may be subject to the Maryland Public Information Act and records retention requirements. As a result, the Town may be obligated to retain postings in its custody and to produce them for inspection upon request. The Town generally reserves the right to delete comments that are more than thirty (30) days old. By virtue of providing content to this site, you agree that you have no expectation of privacy in the information provided. The Town is not responsible for and does not endorse any links embedded in comments posted to this site by third parties. This site does not circumvent or supersede the Town's normal business practices or processes. For example, responses to requests for proposals, invitations for bid, or other competitive procurements are not properly submitted via this site. Content submitted to this site is not legal notice to the Town. For example, notice may NOT be given to the Town under the Local Government Tort Claims Act through this site.

The Town of Somerset is not responsible for advertisements that may appear on the page. The space in which advertisements appear is sold by the site host, and the appearance of any advertisement does not reflect an endorsement by the Town of Somerset government.

The Town of Somerset is not responsible for the content provided on "related" and 'promoted" videos that are accessible from this Town's channel. All viewers should note that these "related" and "promoted" videos and comments expressed on them do not reflect the opinions and position of the Town of Somerset government.

Unless specifically indicated otherwise, social media content expresses the author's views only and not necessarily those of the Town, or its officials or staff. Retweets, follows, or likes by Town social media accounts should not be construed as an endorsement of any individual, group, or entity by the Town, or its officials or staff.

Comments posted outside of normal business hours may be read and appropriate action may be taken within the next business day or as soon as possible. Given the Town’s limited resources, comments may not be immediately read. The Town does not guarantee it will respond to comments or messages sent on Town social media sites. Residents are free to e-mail and call Town officials or staff. Contact information is provided on the Town website.

Adopted by Resolution 8-23-2 on 8/7/23