Council has a range of official accounts across several social media platforms which are used to communicate to customers, promote Council programs and services and Greater Dandenong as a place to work, invest, live and play.
Council manages and oversees the following channels-
- City of Greater Dandenong Facebook
- City of Greater Dandenong Instagram
- City of Greater Dandenong YouTube
- City of Greater Dandenong LinkedIn
- City of Greater Dandenong X (formerly Twitter)
- Arts Facebook and Instagram
- Drum Facebook
- Youth Facebook and Instagram
- Greater Dandenong Libraries Facebook and Instagram
- Greater Dandenong Lost and Found Pets
Read Council's Social Media Strategy below to learn more.
Request for Social Media Posts/Campaign
Business units and project teams often have content that is suitable for social media and while several units have official accounts of their own, most do not. This is where Media and Communications can help.
To arrange a social media post or campaign, email news@cgd.vic.gov.au with your request.
Please include the following in your request:
- Some information about the context and purpose of your post
- The intended audience
- Date/timing of the post
- Draft text for the post (or key messages), website link for more information and a good quality image. The Social Media team can assist with putting this together if required.
- Information about whether you have budget to boost/create sponsored content. Even spending $50 per post can increase engagement and target specific audiences/demographics.
Please endeavor to make your requests well ahead of time to assist us with scheduling. Scheduling takes place fortnightly and posts that do not make the fortnightly deadline are not guaranteed to be shared.
The Social Media team reserves the right to reschedule or restrict posts, particularly around key times, to ensure that posts most relevant to the audience are given priority whilst keeping within acceptable daily post limits.
Social Media Working Group
All regular content contributors and social media channel managers are required to attend a monthly Social Media Working Group meeting. Meetings provide an opportunity to collaborate on campaigns, learn about trends and campaign statistics and develop content creation skills.
If you would like to take part in the Social Media Working Group, email News@cgd.vic.gov.au.
Social Media Policy
This policy applies to all employees, contractors, agents and volunteers of the City of Greater Dandenong who purport to use social media on behalf of the Council. This policy also applies to agencies and individuals who provide services to Greater Dandenong Council and is included in all relevant external supplier contracts.
The policy outlines requirements for compliance with confidentiality, governance, legal, privacy and regulatory parameters when using social media to conduct Council business. It aims to:
- inform appropriate use of social media tools for the City of Greater Dandenong
- promote effective and productive community engagement through social media
- minimise miscommunication or mischievous communications
- help Council manage the inherent challenges associated with social media
- support staff to enjoy the benefits of social media usage without the risk of it impacting on their employment at Council.
The policy takes a common sense approach, and is bound by a number of other related Council policies. It also details the various roles and responsibilities we all have in relation to social media. Please take a few minutes to read it through the policy and watch the video below for a quick outline of the most important points.
Social media - corporate use and representing Council
It is important that the City of Greater Dandenong maintains a strong online presence and brand to position itself as a leading destination to work, live and play, as well as to give its constituents clarity on the main social media contact points. As a result, separate social media accounts for specific Council departments can weaken Council’s ability to communicate with their target audiences.
Where a department believes that a corporate social media account is required for the delivery of their services to the Greater Dandenong community, or they have a specific target audience that existing social media accounts can’t reach, an Application for Business Use Access needs to be completed.
Application for Business Use Access -
The business case application form must contain the following information:
- Purpose of the access
- How social media access forms part of the department’s communication strategy and/or business plan
- Team members who will be responsible for managing content and the time committed to social media in their role (must be able to manage daily)
- The team members’ experience/knowledge around administering social media sites
- Statement of responsibility, which refers to social media policy
- Authorisation by both the manager and nominated team member/s
When completing the application please think about your goals and your audience as opposed to the specific social media platform. Once an application is completed Media and Communications will discuss the business case with the department and the right tool for the purpose.
All staff who administer corporate social media account must sign an agreement before gaining access.
Social media - general business and personal use
For many staff, social media is required in the day-to-day delivery of services to the Greater Dandenong community for research, networking and general communication. This type of access does not require staff to administer corporate social media accounts, but like email and the internet, social media is another business tool.
Council recognises that staff are Council advocates and social media is a key way for them to promote Council events and services to the wider public.
Personal access to social media at work is also subject to the following restrictions:
- Access may only occur during work breaks and before and after work and should not unreasonably interfere with the operations of Council activities
- Staff must not use their Council email address to log in or to administer personal social media accounts
- No photos or videos of non-public Council workplace spaces should be uploaded to personal social media accounts
- Before posting images of an employee to a social media accounts, that staff member’s permission must be sought
- Existing internet access rules apply as they relate to the use of inappropriate language and materials
- Existing internet access rules also apply in relation to the uploading of materials, such as images and documents
When using social media for any purpose in the workplace, all Council staff are expected to:
- adhere to City of Greater Dandenong Code of Conduct, policies and procedures
- behave with caution, courtesy, honesty and respect
- comply with relevant laws and regulations
- reinforce the integrity, reputation and values of the City of Greater Dandenong
Staff at Greater Dandenong Council must not say or do anything to potentially damage the operations or reputation of the Council, councillors or its staff whilst using social media. Accordingly, staff must be sensitive to separate their personal opinions from professional ones.
For more information the Social Media Policy
