SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

As a business we understand the responsibilities with having a significant social media following. It’s important to Edinburgh Rugby that fans can engage with us, and each other, in a respectful, positive and safe environment.

Edinburgh Rugby has a zero-tolerance policy on racism, homophobia, bullying, abuse, hate speech or discrimination of any kind on our social media channels. Anyone who engage in such actions are not welcome in our online community.

The Edinburgh Rugby Social Media Community Guidelines set out clear guidance on what is acceptable when engaging with the club, players and fellow supporters. We encourage all our fans to work with us to create a safe, inclusive and welcoming online environment.

Our official social media channels include, but are not limited to:

• • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • X
  • TikTok
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Threads

We want to create and provide an inclusive space for all, and we will not tolerate any form of abuse or discrimination including:

• • Hateful, abusive and offensive language
  • Sexual harassment
  • Racism
  • Homophobia
  • Sexism
  • Discrimination towards any person with disabilities or
  • because of their religion or beliefs
  • Incitement to violence or spread hate

The club regularly monitors our social media platforms and proactively deals with comments that contravene or breach our policy. If required, the club will take the necessary action to protect our club, players and fellow supporters, this may include removing posts, blocking users and, if necessary, reporting cases to the relevant authorities.

WHAT WE ASK OF YOU 

To ensure a positive and respectful environment for all, we ask those engaging with the club and/or any representatives of the club to please be mindful of the following guidelines:

Respectful Engagement 

• • Treat everyone with respect. Harassment, bullying and hate speech will not be tolerated.
  • Avoid using obscene or offensive language or making personal attacks.

Constructive Dialogue 

• • We encourage you to engage in positive and constructive discussions.
  • Any criticism should be respectful and relevant to the topic at hand. It should not personally target any single person.

Relevance and Quality 

• • Avoid spam, irrelevant links, or promotional content.

Safety and Privacy 

• • Respect the privacy of others.
  • Do not share or request personal details such as addresses, phone numbers, or email addresses.
  • Please respect and support the boundaries between supporters, players and club representatives.

No Illegal Content 

• • Do not post content that is illegal, promotes illegal activities, or violates intellectual property rights.

Inclusivity 

• • Edinburgh Rugby is an inclusive community. Any form of discrimination based on race, gender, sexuality, religion, or any other personal or protected characteristic is strictly prohibited.

Responsibility

• • Take responsibility for the content you post. Ensure it is accurate and truthful.Do not spread misinformation.

Adherence to Platform Policies 

• • Follow the terms of use and community guidelines of the respective social media platforms.

Moderation

• • The club reserves the right to remove any content that violates these guidelines.
  • Persistent offenders may be blocked or banned from our channels.
  • If you see something that violates these guidelines, report it to the club and/or use the appropriate platform tools to report abusive content.

REPORTING INCIDENTS 

Block users and report incidents to social media platforms 

If you observe or encounter any abusive, hateful, or discriminatory comments online, we strongly advise you report this directly to the respective social media platform where you witnessed the incident. Each platform has its own reporting procedure, and we would advise following their processes. You can find out more about reporting directly via the platforms here:

• • Facebook
  • Twitter 
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • TikTok  
  • LinkedIn
  • Threads

Reporting incidents to Edinburgh Rugby 

If you have witnessed something that you believe violates our community guidelines, you can report this to us at [email protected].

To support our inquiries please provide the following if possible:

• • A screenshot of the content you are reporting (including author name and date)
  • A link to the original post where the comment was left
  • The date and time of posting
  • The username of the author

Any incidents reported to the club will be assessed on an individual basis before deciding on an appropriate course of action. Examples of these actions might include, but are not limited to:

• • Removing posts/comments/messages.
  • Blocking perpetrators from our social media channels.
  • Reporting the account/user/comment to the relevant social media platform.

Any relevant action will remain at our discretion. Any decision not to act does not constitute an endorsement by Edinburgh Rugby of the content under complaint.

All reports will remain confidential and anonymous. If we require any further information on a report made, we will reach out. Every report is important to us, and we will assess each one. Please note that it will not always be possible to provide an outcome, however, this does not mean that we have not investigated the report nor acted.

Let’s work together to create a positive, respectful, and enjoyable environment for all Edinburgh Rugby fans!