This policy statement outlines our use of social media.
We encourage and welcome open, lively debate via our social media channels including
However the decision to publish comments received via these channels remains at our discretion. The views expressed by any third parties are solely theirs and are not necessarily endorsed by Research Autism.
We ask you to please bear in mind our guidelines when submitting comments via our social media channels.
We will normally approve comments for publication as long as they:
if you are aged 16 or under, please get you parent/guardian's permission before submitting a comment.
We reserve the right to suspend or remove comments at any time. Where we choose not to publish a comment for a reason other than those listed above, we will reply to the commenter by email explaining our reason and inviting them to make appropriate changes so that the comment can be reconsidered.
We post-moderate most of the comments we receive via social media channels, such as Facebook.
'Post-moderation' means that we check what you have said after it has been published. We monitor our social media channels during normal working hours (09.00 - 17.00, GMT) and aim to process comments as quickly as possible.
We pre-moderate all of the comments we receive via our own online events system at www.researchautism.net/online-events
'Pre-moderation' means that we check what you want to say before we publish it during an online event. Comments are checked during the event and published as soon as possible, if we are happy that you have followed our moderation guidelines.
This is not about censoring your views. The aim is to ensure that comments relate to the particular subject being discussed. Moderation will not be used to suppress legitimate, reasoned discussion.
Sometimes there is a delay in publishing comments whilst we seek information from various sources to be included in our response to questions.
We read every comment, and respond wherever we can.
Research Autism uses social media as one tool in our efforts to communicate clearly, quickly and in an engaging manner to people interested in our work.
Social media content delivered by Research Autism includes (but is not limited to):
Any comments we make via social media channels should not be considered as the authoritative source of information from Research Autism.
Any change or evolution in our official position on any subject will be communicated through more traditional channels: official publications and statements on our website, speeches, and media releases.
Research Autism's decision to follow or like a particular account on a particular social media channel does not imply endorsement of any kind. We follow accounts we believe are relevant to our work. This could include following the accounts of companies and other commercial enterprises (and/or their employees) who comment on Research Autism and related issues.
We encourage you to follow traditional channels to make a media request or complaint. Those channels are listed on our website.
Some Research Autism staff comment on social media under their own names or pseudonyms. Despite their professional affiliation with Research Autism, their comments do not represent the official position of Research Autism, and should be considered the product of each individual as a private citizen.
If you have questions about this policy, please contact info@researchautism.net
Version 1.00 | Publication date: 27 February 2014 | Review date: February 2017