Social media policy

Volunteer pages

Social media is a great way for us to interact with our community of AquaPaddlers by sharing photos, discussing paddle events and letting people know about our latest news and updates. 

Social media accounts 

All AquaPaddle events are encouraged to have active social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram including other relevant social media platforms as required. 

AquaPaddle social media accounts have large numbers of followers, so we need to be mindful that when event organisers publish content, they are speaking on behalf of the AquaPaddle brand. We need to keep in mind that social media is a public platform meaning that our social media posts will be seen by all members of the general public and so the content should always be appropriate for this audience. 

Setting up social media accounts for events 

A Facebook account will be set up automatically for your event. Twitter and Instagram accounts should be set up by the Event Team, using the event email address. Password details and confirmation of account set-up should be emailed to AquaPaddle organisers. 

Passwords & security 

It is essential that event team social media accounts are secure, and this means having a strong password and, as volunteers may move on over time, it is important that more than one person has access to event accounts, otherwise there is the risk of being locked out. 

Admin access for all social media accounts should be shared with AquaPaddle organisers. 

Profile pictures 

The following images must be always used. 

AquaPaddle 5k event profile photos for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts should be the AquaPaddle logo.  

AquaPaddle-BlueSpace event profile photos for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts should use the AquaPaddle-BlueSpace logo. 

Social media profile 

In the ‘about’ or profile section of a social media page the bio should read as follows: 
A free, weekly, timed 2k/5k event every Saturday/Sunday morning in example river location. Everyone is welcome to paddle or volunteer! 🏄‍♀️🏄‍♂️#AquaPaddleUK 

The website URL should be a link to the specific website AquaPaddle event website e.g., https://aquapaddle.org  on Social Media 

Our photography policy should be always followed, see the photography policy section of this document. 

Hashtags 

Hashtags are an effective way to help Twitter, Facebook and Instagram posts reach a wider audience outside of those people who already follow the page. The more people who see posts, and the more engagement we can achieve, can lead to more participants (including volunteers) at each event. 

The main hashtag we like to use is #AquaPaddle 

Following AquaPaddle accounts 

All events should follow @AquaPaddle and their respective country accounts where applicable eg @AquaPaddleUK for UK events. 

Language 

Our AquaPaddle social media accounts should always try to follow the AquaPaddle tone of voice and consider the following when posting content: 

  • Avoid using first-person pronouns (for example, I, me, my, mine, myself) when speaking on behalf of the event. Instead, use plural first-person pronouns (for example, we, us, our, ourselves)
  • AquaPaddle should always be one word with Captial A and P
  • Avoid posting in CAPITAL LETTERS which can appear aggressive
  • Refer to “AquaPaddle Events” or “Paddle Events”, not “Races”
  • Refer to the “First Finisher” not the “Winner”, but overall, less emphasis should be placed on faster paddlers and more so on general participation
  • Do not refer to your event as a “Race” or the “Best” – AquaPaddle is a community and not a competition
  • Do not use offensive language

Social media community guidelines 

Where possible, link to the following social media guidelines for people who engage with our accounts to adhere to:  

Please do not:  

  • Include profanity, defamatory, libellous, offensive, abusive, discriminatory or demeaning content (including images, videos and links) 
  • Include disparaging or threatening language or content, or condone or promote violence or illegal behaviour or use references to alcohol 
  • Do not use the names of children 
  • Include any Personal Information such as your email address or phone number 
  • Solicit business or share commercial information, e.g. sell products and/or services, or recruit fans and followers
  • Post material that is excessively repetitive and/or disruptive to the community or is spam 
  • Breach Twitter’s terms of service 

If your comment or post tagging @AquaPaddle does not comply with our Community Guidelines, it may be blocked or reported.