Social Media Guidelines

We encourage the use of and actively engage in social and digital media for an array of purposes including:

  • Providing access to resources and wellness tips
  • Educating and promoting awareness of social issues
  • Advocating for policy reforms and societal change
  • Promoting partner organizations and individual and corporate supporters
  • Breaking isolation by fostering a sense of community
  • Creating a space for our supporters to share their enthusiasm for our mission 
  • Generally sharing news and information that we think might inform or inspire others

We view our social media as a shared and public space, but also one that Joyful Heart has established and for which we have some responsibility. Our hope is that these forums can provide a safe space for people to share their thoughts and views and engage in meaningful dialogue about our issues and the many facets of our work. Below, we have set out our guidelines.

Joyful Heart Foundation’s Social Media Guidelines

In keeping a positive experience for our fans, we reserve the right to take down photos, comments and other material deemed "unproductive” by the Joyful Heart team. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • vulgar language
  • disturbing photos
  • hateful or discriminatory comments regarding race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation or political beliefs
  • spam, link baiting or files containing viruses or other malware that could damage the operation of other people’s computers of mobile devices
  • most commercial solicitations
  • angry or aggressive behavior toward fellow fans, famous fans or our team members
  • posting anything in violation of any intellectual property right of another

If someone persists in offensive behavior or continually violates any of our guidelines, we may block that person from further participation. So please, just remember to respect your fellow fans.

In the spirit of keeping those in our community safe, we will remove any posts that contain personal contact data or other sensitive information. Additionally, while we are aware that some survivors may choose to share portions of their personal histories, we may remove posts detailing accounts of abuse when the content is explicitly sexual or violent in nature. Please know that this is because our community members are in many different stages of recovering from violence. As such, these posts—while they are shared with the best of intention—may be challenging to some individuals' healing processes. Thank you so much for understanding.

If there is any ambiguity about the guidelines, please consider reviewing Joyful Heart’s Values and Guiding Principles for additional information about our orientation and approach to our work. At all times, the official terms of use for our social media properties should also be considered part of these guidelines.

We Welcome Feedback

We believe in open expression and we encourage feedback—both positive and constructive. As such, we won’t remove posts that might be viewed as critical of the Joyful Heart Foundation so long as they do not break the guidelines. 

Our Ability to Review All Posts

Due to the size and nature of our online communities, we cannot necessarily review every post or comment. If users come across messages that violate our guidelines, we encourage them to contact us via the respective platform and/or report abusive or inappropriate content to the site itself if it is in violation of official terms of use. Additionally, if there is an opportunity to positively engage another audience member in a thoughtful and civil discourse about removing their own posts, we encourage that sort of communal activity as long as those engaged feel comfortable and safe doing so.

For additional information on Internet safety, please click here.

Links to Official Social Media Terms of Use

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