All Creators new to posting on the website should make themselves familiar with the following Communications Policies and Guidelines.
(Use of Logos, branding, logos and colour can be found at the end of the document after the policy statements)
You should also make yourself familiar with the Clubs Safeguarding Policies which can be found here
HIGHGATE CRICKET & LAWN TENNIS ASSOCIATION CLUB - COMMUNICATIONS POLICY
Our Commitment
Electronic communication is essential for sharing club news and information with our members. Our communication will be timely, appropriate and related only to club business.
What we will do
We use a range of electronic tools to communicate with our members.
Our communication will protect members’ privacy, maintain clear boundaries and ensure that bullying and harassment does not occur.
A webmaster is appointed to provide accountability and control over material published on our club’s website and any related discussion groups or social media websites, such as Facebook, YouTube or Twitter.
Website
• Our website will include current information on activities, competitions, social events, committees, policies, constitution, rules and codes of conduct
• No offensive content or photos will be published.
• If we intend to publish a photo of a child, we will first seek written permission from his or her parents/carers and take care not to provide identifying information.
• We will seek feedback from members to improve the information available on the site.
SMS and email
Committee members, coaches, team captains/ managers, designated club representatives may use SMS and email to provide information about competition, training, club-sanctioned social events and other club business, using approved email addresses however:
• Your language style and content should respect and embody the advice in the ‘Protect, Disclose and Commonsense’ Club Guidelines document.
• SMS messages should be short and about club/team matters
• email communication will be used when more information is required
• communication involving children will be directed through their parents.
Social media websites
• We treat all social media postings, blogs, status updates and tweets as public ‘comment’.
• Postings (written, photos or videos) will be family-friendly and feature positive club news and events.
• No personal information about our members will be disclosed.
• No statements will be made that are misleading, false or likely to injure a person’s reputation.
• No statements will be made that might bring our club into disrepute.
• Abusive, discriminatory, intimidating or offensive statements will not be tolerated. Offending posts will be removed and those responsible will be blocked from the site.
What we ask you to do
We expect our members to conduct themselves appropriately when using electronic communication to share information with other members or posting material on public websites connected to the club.
Electronic communication:
• should be restricted to club matters
• must not offend, intimidate, humiliate or bully another person
• must not be misleading, false or injure the reputation of another person
• should respect and maintain the privacy of members
• must not bring the club into disrepute.
Coaches and others who work with children and young people must direct electronic communication through the child’s parents. Members who break this code will face immediate suspension and ban from NGB activities.
Non-compliance
Members will face disciplinary action for sending inappropriate electronic communication or posting online content or comments that harass, offend, intimidate or humiliate another member, as outlined in our member protection policies or code of conduct.
Under certain circumstances, cyber bullying (e.g. bullying that is carried out through an internet service such as email, a chat room, discussion group, instant messaging or website) is a criminal offence that can be reported to the police.
In addition, members who publish false or misleading comments about another person in the public domain (e.g., Facebook, YouTube or Twitter) may be liable for defamation.
Social Media Notes
Social media is any website or medium (including video) that allows for communication in the public domain. It has become an integral part of modern life. It keeps us in touch with friends and family, it informs us about our world, and it gives us a platform allowing us to be heard.
What is a social media policy?
Our social media policy is part of the club Communications Policy and Code of Conduct that provides guidelines for club representatives, whether voluntary or paid, who post content on the Internet either as part of their job, committee function or as a private person. It explains how use of social media is to be regulated and the consequences of breaching this policy.
Social media can be a powerful force for good, and we want to encourage club representatives to use social media in positive ways. When you are online, we make three requests of you:
- Protect the club from unwanted posts & keep it safe
- Disclose your relationship with the club
- Use Common sense when posting
Protect the club
Keeping private and sensitive information confidential is a keystone of our club. Club officials know things about the club and members that could affect its business and members lives. It is essential to safeguard club information, especially on the internet.
1. Do not post any confidential information on any social platforms. Be aware of the sensitive nature of safeguarding the welfare of our young people. Only reference information that is in the public domain. Do not disclose any information, or use any image that is confidential, without prior written consent. For example – a personal telephone number of a coach.
2. Don’t slam the club or our competitors. Only authorized spokespersons should comment publicly on competitors’ performance. Authorized spokespersons are identified, selected, and approved by their respective committees and or the general committee
3. Anything you publish must be true and not misleading, and all claims must be substantiated and approved. If you are unsure whether or not to post something, err on the side of caution and don’t.
4. Permission should always be sought if the use or publication of information is not incidental, but directly related to an individual. You must obtain express permission from an individual to use a direct, clearly identifiable image of that person. This is particularly relevant to publishing any information or photographs regarding minors. In such circumstances, parental or guardian consent is mandatory.
5. In every instance, you need to have consent of the owner of copyright in the image.
6. You should also refrain from posting any information or photos of a sensitive nature. This could include accidents, incidents or controversial behaviour
If in doubt your Committee Chair can help you decide if something is permissible to post. They can also review private postings, if you wish to make certain you aren’t’ inadvertently providing too much club information.
Disclosure
Anyone can say anything on the internet. It is both it’s strength and chief weakness. When you are posting on the internet, your integrity is on display for the entire world to see, so strive to be ethical, truthful, and decent.
1. When you are posting about the club or club activities, include the hashtag #Highgate-cricket #Highgate-tennis. This lets people know that you are affiliated with the Club.
2. Whether you are being paid by, or volunteer for the club to promote or endorse us, you must disclose your relationship. This is true for staff, coaches, committee members, volunteers, digital influencers, or agency members.
3. If you have a vested interest in something you are discussing, be the first to point it out and be specific about what it is.
4. Be yourself! Stick to your area of expertise. Only write about what you know.
5. If you leave the club please remember to update that information on social media sites.
6. If you talk about the club on any website or any form of social media, in a personal capacity please use a disclaimer such as: “All opinions are my own”.
7. Respect copyrights and fair use: Always give people proper credit for their work, and make sure you have the right to use something before you publish, for example – match photo- graphs taken by someone else.
8. Security: social media accounts can only be created, by or for a designated club representative, using an official club email address, which has been approved by the appropriate club committee. Passwords should be protected and not shared. Any suspicions of account hacking should be raised with the social media platform immediately and should be reported to The General Committee Chair
Use Common Sense
When you are online, you are representing The Club: our values, staff, volunteers and members. There is no room for bigotry, prejudice, misogyny, or hatred in our club or on our associated social media feeds.
1. Be human: Use your own voice; speak in a warm, approachable tone and most importantly, be yourself. Anything posted on the behalf of the club is permanent and a reflection of the club and its members.
2. Be respectful kind and civil. Stay away from saying our activities are smarter/ better/ higher-performing in your social media postings. We must use careful disclaimers in all communications when benchmarking or comparing clubs, activities etc.
3. Use your best judgment at all times. If you’re uncertain if something is inappropriate or questionable, don’t post it.
4. Did you mess up? It happens. If you make a mistake, admit it immediately. Apologize if you need to. Be upfront, and correct the error as soon as possible.
Additionally, if you see something being shared related to the club or one of it’s members on a social media platform that shouldn't be happening, immediately inform (your Committee Chair)
Highgate CC identity: Use of logos, branding and colour
This section contains general advice for anyone creating assets on behalf of Highgate CC - not only for this website. If you are creating another piece of club- branded content such as a document, poster - or even kit and other merchandise - you should always attempt to follow the club branding guidelines as this will make your presentation look official, consistent and will generally reflect well on the club.
Referring to Highgate CC in text
- If it's an official document or announcement, make sure you refer to the club formally e.g. Highgate Cricket Club or Highgate CC
- We have a tennis section! If you are writing about the wider, combined club, make sure you refer to 'Highgate Cricket & Lawn Tennis Club' (or Highgate C<C for short)
Logo & Badge
Due to being a dual cricket and tennis club, we have two key graphical assets - the club logo and the cricket section badge. This might seem a little complicated, but it's really quite straightforward:
Club Logo
This is the official logo of the combined Highgate Cricket and Tennis club. It appears on all official club documents and signage. There are no hard rules for it's use. Some guidelines include:
- DO USE for official club documents and communications (e.g. child welfare policy document, a club officer's email signature)
- USE to indicate when something is relevant to the entire, combined club (e.g. not solely to do with cricket)
- DO NOT USE in place of - or as a substitute for - the cricket club badge (see below)
- USE the officially resized versions provided here. DO NOT resize the logo by hand or using basic graphics software like MS Paint (these methods often lead to badly pixelated, low quality images)
Club Badge
This is the official badge of all of our cricket teams and is a visual shorthand for Highgate cricket club. This is what identifies us as Highgate cricketers. It also predates the club logo by many, many years and is recognisable to many people in the wider cricketing community, including many ex-Highgate players around the world. Again there are no hard rules for it's use, but the following guidelines apply:
- USE as a badge on official cricket club social media accounts like Twitter and Facebook
- USE as a watermark or stamp for a team photo
- USE when creating content that is specific to a cricketing audience i.e. not the tennis section (it is okay to show the badge and the logo together where relevant)
- USE when creating visual assets for the cricket club: e.g. posters, signage, etc
- USE when ordering/designing club kit
- As with the club logo above, USE the officially resized versions provided here, do not attempt to create your own
Fonts
The website will automatically publish content using our default font. Please do not attempt to change this or publish content in any other typeface. It's inconsistent, and it looks nasty. Seriously.
Colours
These are the key colour values for our official colours (as used in our club badge and on our kit)
CLUB COLOURS | Maroon | Blue | Gold |
---|---|---|---|
HEX (for websites) | #AB3D3D | #5067E3 | #FFC300 |
RGB VALUES (for advanced web design (e.g. CSS) and some publishing software) | (171, 61, 62) | (80, 103, 227) | (255, 195, 0) |
PANTONE REFERENCE (required mainly for professional printing on material e.g. clothes and signage) | >1955 | 7455 | 1235 |
Below is the full colour palette for the website, including allowable variations on each primary colour
Tint 2 | Tint 1 | Primary | Shade 1 | Shade 2 |
---|---|---|---|---|
#FEAEAE
#FEAEAE
|
#D36E6E
#D36E6E
|
#AB3D3D
#AB3D3D
|
#841C1C
#841C1C
|
#590303
#590303
|
#A0ADF4
#A0ADF4
|
#7386EB
#7386EB
|
#5067E3
#5067E3
|
#2F4AD9
#2F4AD9
|
#112ECB
#112ECB
|
#FFDB64
#FFDB64
|
#FFD139
#FFD139
|
#FFC300
#FFC300
|
#C69700
#C69700
|
#9B7700
#9B7700
|
#FFDB64
#FFDB64
|
#FFD139
#FFD139
|
#FFC300
#FFC300
|
#C69700
#C69700
|
#9B7700
#9B7700
|
Images and other media
As an author, you can use images and video from the Media Library. This is accessed through Media > Library (found in the left hand side menu within the Content Authoring area). You can also access this area when writing a post to place an image or other media in your article.
You are permitted to use existing images within the the Media Library or upload your own, however;
Any media uploaded to or published on highgate-cricket.co.uk MUST observe the following rules:
- Nothing should be uploaded or published that could be interpreted as being in bad taste, offensive or disrespectful to anyone (i.e. not just by other members but also opposition, umpires, parents and in fact, any one who might visit the site!)
- Any media added to the site must be given a category using the existing categorisation system (e.g. 'Match Action', 'Ground', 'People', 'Colts')
- Any media containing images of colts or any other under-18s should be categorised as 'Colts' and nothing else
- All images should include captions and 'ALT text' - these are descriptions that help the meaning or purpose of the images be displayed to visitors who cannot view them (e.g. visually impaired users, older browsers, Google and other search engines)
- Captions or ALT text for images of under-18s must not under any circumstances name or otherwise identify any of the children in the image/video
- Never use clip art, low-quality images or anything taken off another site on the Internet - it looks poor, and it is potentially a breach of copyright