MEMA has a presence on Facebook, NextDoor, and X (formerly Twitter). Consider following us on your platform of choice. Please review the following terms of comment before engaging with our accounts.
Terms of Comment
Because many of Maine’s citizens utilize social media for news and communications, the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) has developed its own social media accounts, which help us inform the public about our work and mission. MEMA has an important interest in assuring the accuracy and consistency of information associated with our social media accounts. These terms and conditions establish guidelines for the public’s interaction with our accounts in a way that balances these values.
Definitions
“Social media” means digital content created by us and communicated on platforms that allow sharing, commenting, and engagement by the public. Examples of social media accounts we may use are Facebook, X (Formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, and NextDoor.
“Comments” include any digital content, information, links, images, videos, or any other form of communicative content in reply to a social media account post posted by us on one of our social media sites.
“User” means a member of the public who views or interacts with one or more of our social media accounts.
Expectations
The leaders of MEMA believe that honest, civil, and productive discussions provide the best environment for citizens and other stakeholders to understand the work of their government.
We ask users to consider that our social media feeds may be viewed by children and other impressionable people. Please avoid commenting profanity, slurs, personal attacks, bullying, and false or misleading information.
Accountability
Comments left on our social media accounts reflect the views of those users, not the views of this agency. Any user participates at their own risk, taking personal responsibility for their comments, username and any information provided.
General guidelines
These terms and conditions apply to all social media accounts managed by MEMA.
Please note that any references to commercial entities, products, services, or nongovernmental organizations or individuals are provided solely for information. These references are not intended to reflect the opinion of MEMA, the State of Maine, or its officers or employees concerning the significance, priority, or importance to be given the referenced entity, product, service, or organization. Such references are not an official or personal endorsement of any product, person, or service and may not be quoted or reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying MEMA endorsement or approval of any product, person, or service. Any advertisements inserted by the social media provider do not constitute endorsements by MEMA.
Users should know that social media posts we make, comments and replies to those posts, and any direct or private messages sent to us may be public records subject to applicable public records release laws.
Our social media accounts are not monitored 24/7 and no one should use them as an emergency service. In an emergency call 9-1-1. For official business please consider contacting the department directly either via our official website or by calling 207-624-4400.
We do not guarantee we will respond to comments or messages sent on our social media accounts. Generally, MEMA monitors our social media during the department’s regular business hours.
Reporters or other media representatives are asked to send questions through direct channels –– and to refrain from submitting questions via social media. This ensures a faster and more accurate response!
Prohibited Content
We reserve the right to hide or delete:
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Comments expressly advocating direct violence or other illegal activity;
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Comments containing or linking to obscenity, which is defined as sexually explicit and/or pornographic content that is patently offensive, appeals to prurient interest, and lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value;
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Comments containing links to malware and/or malicious content that affects the normal functioning of a computer system, server, or browser;
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Duplicate comments posted repeatedly within a short period of time;
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Comments containing actual defamation against a specifically named person or organization.
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Comments that contain images or other content that violate the intellectual property or copyright rights of someone else, if the owner of that property notifies us that the property was posted in a comment on our social media account.
Please note that the social media provider (Facebook, X, NextDoor, etc) may have additional restrictions as outlined in their terms of service. Such content is not removed by MEMA, but by the provider.
If you feel MEMA has removed your comment in error, please reach out to us.
Retention
When a comment containing any of the above prohibited content is posted to our social media account, a copy or electronic record of that content may be retained or archived pursuant to our records retention policy, along with a brief description of the reason the specific content was deleted. Once documented, the content will be removed, where possible, from our social media account.
These terms of comment are subject to amendment or modification at any time to ensure that continued use is consistent with the intended purpose as a limited forum.