ISRHML
The International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation
ISRHML
The International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation

ISRHML SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

Guidelines and Procedures for Managing the Social Media Presence for the International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation

Preamble

Social media has revolutionized the way in which we communicate across many sectors.  Our access of information is broad in scope and nearly instantaneous.  As a professional society, it affords us the opportunity to communicate globally, well beyond the scope of our membership, and to share information that reflects our dedication to advancing research in human milk and lactation and improving the lives of women and children worldwide.  As such, ISRHML’s on-line presence should reflect the core values of our society. In December 2018, a committee (Nathan Nickel (chair), Meghan Azad, Katie Hinde, Shelly McGuire) appointed by the ISRHML President was charged to develop guidelines for managing the society’s social media platforms (Twitter and Facebook).  These guidelines are meant to provide transparent expectations for content and behavior and those who do not adhere to these guidelines will be removed from access to participation in these venues.

Core Values

  1. ISRHML supports directly communicating peer-reviewed, high-quality science to the public without barriers and intermediaries, and regardless of whether it is controversial or not.
  2. ISRHML will move the conversation forward by sharing peer-reviewed, high-quality science related to human milk and lactation science content from the obscure to the controversial.
  3. Through dissemination of high-quality, peer-reviewed science, ISRHML will help the public make informed and responsible decisions regarding maternal-child health by interpreting the essential principles and fundamental concepts of human milk and lactation science.
  4. ISRHML believes the conversation between the public and scientists should not be unilateral. Vision, growth, and intelligent progress can only come through an open conversation that includes all partners. ISRHML strives to provide a platform for diverse, respectful voices to be heard.
  5. ISRHML believes that a critical assessment of issues and science is vital, but that open conversation is hindered by negativity. ISRHML will strive to be professional, diplomatic, empathetic, and rational in our evaluation.

These core values were adapted from Deep Sea News. Thank you for your model of science communication.

Social Media Committee

A Social Media Committee for the Society will be tasked with overseeing the social media content and policies thereof related to the society. The Committee shall include 5 members, comprising the ISRHML Secretary (chair), 2 members of the TIG, and 2 from the general membership. Members of the Committee will be ISRHML members in good standing with an active presence on social media. ISRHML will issue an annual call for volunteers and members will be nominated by the President and approved by the ISRHML EC.  Committee members will serve 3-year terms and will be eligible for reappointment. In the first year, members will be appointed for 1, 2 or 3 year terms to establish staggered annual committee appointments.

The Committee will be responsible for the following activities.

  • Approving requests to join the ISRHML Facebook group
  • Posting and monitoring content to the ISRHML Twitter and Facebook pages
  • Moderating ISRHML Facebook and Twitter discussions and recommending removal of members not adhering to the Society’s guidelines
  • Recommending revisions to the Social Media Policy, as needed

Twitter

The Society uses Twitter as a means to disseminate scientific knowledge regarding human milk and lactation. Only ISRHML Members who are members of the Social Media Committee may post on the Society’s behalf. ISRHML-authored posts are limited to the following:

  1. Official announcements from the Society. Examples would include election announcements, conference-related announcements, Society policy changes, and announcing special events.
  2. Posts about general science relevant to ISRHML members.
  3. Posts about general news relevant to ISRHML members.
  4. Posts related to ISRHML members’ achievements. This could include celebrating a trainee’s awards / thesis milestones, receiving a grant, having a paper published, awards received by members.

Facebook

The ISRHML Facebook Page is an outward-facing, publically-accessible entity of ISRHML. We want our presence on Facebook to be solidly based in the science of human milk and lactation, yet welcoming for those who aren’t trained scientists. We enthusiastically invite all members of the page to participate in this discussion.

We expect our Facebook members to participate in and respect a certain level of decorum. We have laid out a simple set of rules to which we expect our commenters to adhere. Failing to follow these guidelines may result in removal from the page. Membership in the ISRHML Facebook page along with rules and guidelines related to posting are provided below.

Membership

All individuals, regardless of whether they are ISRHML members or are conducting research related to human milk and lactation, are welcome to join the ISRHML Facebook page as long as they adhere to our rules of conduct and core values provided herein.

Posts by ISRHML

The Society may wish to post using its corporate account. Only ISRHML Members who are members of the social media committee may post on the Society’s behalf. ISRHML-authored posts are limited to the following:

  1. Official announcements from the Society.
    1. Examples would include election announcements, conference-related announcements, ISRHML Policy changes, and announcing special events, such as other conferences, grant or fellowship opportunities
  2. Posts related to ISRHML Members’ achievements.
    1. Examples include celebrating a trainee’s awards / thesis milestones, receiving a grant, having a paper published, awards received by members

Posts by ISRHML Members and Visitors

  1. We welcome evidence-based posts and discussions in the field and applications of milk science and lactation.
  2. Posts that deprive people of dignity as a function of age, sex/gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, faith, health, and their intersections will be removed. Further, ad hominem comments compromise the exchange of scientific knowledge and will be removed.
  3. No pornographic content.
  4. No posting or promoting commercial products, including personal blogs
  5. No posting that intends to promote political parties or individual politicians
  6. Single users who post/comment as multiple people forfeit posting/commenting privileges.
  7. ISRHML retains the prerogative to close comments and/or delete posts that undermine the scientific mission of the society.
  8. ISRHML retains the prerogative to remove a member from the Facebook page if that member is not adhering to the policies described herein