Note from Red Files: this document was created to be reference by managers of the Red Files social media accounts. However, it can be useful for sex workers who would like to use their own social media presence to support and uplift Red Files. Please note that at NO TIME are Red Files members to permitted to reveal the ugly mugs database PUBLICLY on social media. If a member feels the need to mention the database, they can do this privately to only sex workers. Thank you to Alice Grey for created this policy and taking initiative on the social media front.

   

SECTION ONE: RULES & REGULATIONS    

Red Files should at all times maintain a positive and community-driven social media presence. Red Files was designed for use as a community resource for sex workers, and therefore should operate with a focus on highlighting positive or poignant aspects of the industry or adjacent to the industry. This may include, but is not limited to:
1) supporting others through supportive communications,
2) re-posting empowering or motivating blog posts, written by Red Files or non Red Files members,
3) maintaining a positive social media presence,
4) advertising the value of community involvement both to and within Red Files as a not-for-profit organisation, and 5) drawing attention to political areas within the industry (such re-posting supportive political parties during election time, or posting blogs on political/legislative commentary).

 

1.2 Etiquette & Engagement  

Red Files is, first and foremost, a community resource; not an advertising platform. Red Files social media accounts are not designed to participate in sex worker marketing, and thus should not re-post sex worker marketing material unless it is specific to the Red Files community or resources. An exception to this may be if sponsors would like their content promoted in exchange for their sponsorship of Red Files. In order to be transparent, sponsored posts and posts from sponsors must be marked or indicated as such. All social media engagement by Red Files should maintain a strong, positive and supportive voice, and therefore should focus on making encouraging or celebratory responses to user content wherever possible.  

In the event that negative comments or discourse are made by other people on the Red files social media pages, Red Files should not respond in a way that may be inflammatory, abusive or threatening. Red Files is responsible for creating a welcoming and empowering arena, and should not diminish that by engaging in negative public discourse. If discourse must occur around negative comments, it should be conducted privately; either by direct message or email mechanisms, where Red Files focuses on reducing conflict by passive means. Red Files members should, in all cases of conflict, educate users and request the removal of offending material where applicable.

 

1.3 Confidentiality 

It is of utmost importance that Red Files is not promoted or referred to as an ‘Ugly Mug database’ in any way. Instances of this should be responded to via requesting the immediate removal of such material. See below for specific examples and templates of how to respond in this particular circumstance. Further, Red Files should not, under any circumstances, reveal the identity of its community members without the explicit written permission of those members. There may be circumstances where it is necessary to promote user material, such as when a Red Files member creates a blog post or other material that Red Files may want to share with others. Under these circumstances, Red Files should gain written consent before publishing said material and/or the owner’s name. Red Files must respect the anonymity of its members, so should offer to post said material in a way that can make the owner anonymous if they choose to be.

 

1.4 Consequences for the Abuse of Social Media  

While Red Files understands that accidents may happen, breaches of any of these points should be forwarded to the Red Files board and discussed according to the procedures outlined in the Red Files Grievance Policy. Actively ignoring or acting against any of the points in this Social Media Policy may respond in complete removal of Red Files social media privilege, and even access to the Red Files community in some cases.

 

1.5 Red Files Social Media for Personal Use  

Red Files should not, under any circumstances, be utilised for personal use. It may be relevant to mention the identity of Red Files community members, but Red Files should at all times remain impartial to the content on those users’ social media profiles. Moreover, Red Files sits independently of the profiles of community members, including those who may make posts on Red Files social media. Content created on the individual social media profiles of Red Files members should not be conflated with or representative of the content on Red Files social media at any time, without explicit written explanation or consent of the member/s in question.

     

SECTION TWO: ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

 

Role	Red Files Member
Message approval	Alice & Estelle
Crisis response	Charlotte & Estelle
Social engagement	Alice & Estelle
Security & legal concerns	Charlotte & Estelle
Social media monitoring	Alice, Charlotte & Estelle

 

2.1 Account Control  

It should, unless stated otherwise, be assumed that Red Files board members Charlotte Quinn and Estelle Lucas have complete control over the Red Files social media, and that they should be immediately reported to in the case of crisis or concern, after which point they alone should respond directly.

 

2.2 Volunteer Roles and Responsibilities  

It may be that some Red Files member feel that are best equipped to volunteer and support the Red Files community by having access to the Red Files social media account to promote, interact and share content.

It is encouraged that in the interim before taking any responsibility for the Red Files accounts members read the social media policy and take on the role of Senior Members (refer to the Help Desk for definition of a Senior member).

A senior member who wishes to volunteer for Red Files social media engagement should firstly;
1) tag/DM Red Files to potential material for retweeting/reposting or engagement purposes;
2) openly network about Red Files for further involvement from other sex workers;
3) invite Red Files into discussions that a relevant to the community;
4) share their thoughts and feelings about the Red Files community with their current following.
This will demonstrate a willingness to volunteer, give us an idea of their level of engagement and effectiveness, show us how well they understand the intricacies of the Red Files layout and be willing to take on board the risks and responsibilities that come with a community social media presence.

Once the current managers of the social media account feel a volunteer is both capable, skilled and willing, they are to sign a non-disclosure agreement with their real name, in the event of a violation that could cause the community, reputation or members damage.

Once the NDA is signed the current Social Media Management will allocate a role, amend S2.0 of this document and inform the community through the Newsletter/New Room announcement.

     

SECTION THREE: POTENTIAL LEGAL RISKS  

3.1 Crediting Sources  

Red Files should quote all sources for material wherever possible. This can be done via linking to user profiles where content was originally posted, watermarking, or stating the author’s name, for example. Members should be aware that re-posting content on a platform such as twitter.com, where members can ‘re-tweet’ another user’s post within the social media platform, does not constitute plagiarism and does not need to be referenced. Re-posting across social media platforms, such as between Facebook and Twitter, does require the source to be credited.

   

3.2 Privacy & Disclosure Procedures  

Red Files should make all social media posts within the specifications outlined in Section 1.3. Any changes to Red Files policies, procedures, community guidelines or branding information should be discussed and agreed upon by the Red Files board before the announcement on social media.

 

3.3 Employee Disclaimers

While it is not necessary for Red Files members to employ a disclaimer on their personal social media, it should be noted that the actions or opinions of Red Files members do not reflect the actions or opinions of Red Files as an organisation.

     

SECTION FOUR: SECURITY RISKS


 

4.1 Passwords & Account Details  

It is the responsibility of the Red Files board to know and moderate who has access to the Red Files social media login information. Passwords will be changed every 6 months by a Moderator or Board member with access to the Red Files email account. All accounts and credentials will be registered with the main Red Files email account ([email protected]). Any members with access to this information who are not Red Files board members, must not under any circumstances redistribute the data. Violation of this will result in termination of access to the Red Files social media accounts, and will be reported to the board in accordance with the Red Files Grievance Policy.

 

4.2 Software & Device Updates 

It is the responsibility of Red Files members with access to the Red Files social media to ensure that their devices are sufficiently protected against viruses and malware which may pose a security risk to any sensitive information contained within the Red Files social media, and to ensure that all devices are up to date.

     

SECTION FIVE: ACCOUNTABILITY  

Red Files acknowledges that mistakes do happen, and should behave with integrity and accountability when addressing internal errors on a public forum. In the event that Red Files does need to publicly address or comment on a point of discourse or concern, it is imperative to observe the guidelines posted in Section 1.2. The board members should be consulted with prior to any acknowledgement of such matters, and should be the only Red Files members to comment on these when necessary.

SECTION SIX: RESPONSE TACTICS  

This section will explore instances where social media engagement can be tense or difficult and couple it with an appropriate strategy. A social media manager who feels a potential communication could lead to inflammation should refer to this guide for tact and have their next move reaffirmed by Estelle or Charlotte. Should a novel situation present itself, it is recommended that the social media managers amend this document for future reference. In most instances you should be able to respond to difficult situations but it may be that if someone is not willing to hear, you do not need to say anymore.

 

6.1 Misinformation  

When you come across information that you suspect is inaccurate, inflammatory, incorrect or outdated about Red Files it is best to reconfirm the current policies and structure with Charlotte and Estelle. To prevent the dissemination of invalid information it is best to correct this misinformation with references to the publicly available FAQ’s when possible in the public space, while also communicating with the person privately. Should this not be possible (because a lot of information is hidden), it is generally best to publicly respond that this is misinformation and privately message the person.  

Example:

Q: Don’t managers have access to Red Files?

A: Refer to the FAQ section that answers this question and compliment it by saying that our current level of consultation dictates the community is comfortable with the current policy, that current sex workers who are managers or help other sex workers manage their business have redacted access, and that it is within the Red Files strategy to update this policy but we are waiting for more information from sex worker organisations who have undergone this research already.

In this example we can tag other sex workers organisations to encourage communication between the organisations about a tense topic most people are avoidant of while highlighting the sophistication of the Red Files technology.

 

6.2 Attacks on members or staff  

In the event that anyone’s character is questioned in a public arena (for example past bad decision making, any board members personal ties or ‘allegiances’ to other organisations, or any members previous behaviour) it is imperative that the people in question never respond, even if they’re directly tagged. This will inflame the situation and turn it automatically into a he said/she said scenario. It’s always important to remind the person that Red Files does not take responsibility for members history or how they behave outside of Red Files. We have a stringent screening process, policies, procedures and technology on our side to ensure any questionable behaviour does not happen within the Red Files space. In the event that something does occur within our space we have the Grievance Procedure in place which any member can access – and also our Constitution which any Red Files Inc. member can put a motion into amending.  

Example:

Q: I wouldn’t trust an organisation that holds space for people who actively contribute to harm against sex workers. I’ve heard xyz.

A: Red Files is a safer space for sex workers and has no place judging characters. We have policies, procedures and technology to ensure those with a history of bad behaviour do not have access to harm community members, unlike traditional safer spaces. We also have a Grievance Procedure for if violations occur. If you’d like to see a change with how the organisation makes judgements, we invite you to become a member of Red Files Inc. and put forth a motion.

 

6.3 Difference in opinion and what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ 

Unfortunately, there’s going to be a lot of differences in opinions about how Red Files functions or should function. In these instances, it’s easy to refer to the current policies and procedures and to remind the person that we are a volunteer run, unfunded not-for-profit and can’t do everything all at once. Always make sure you refer to the community as the basis for why things are the way they are instead of making it seem like it is one person’s decision. Be sure to invite them to be the change whether that be research, labour or financial assistance.  

Examples:

Q: Why isn’t Red Files working more closely with other sex worker organisations?

Q: You can’t call yourself sex work inclusive if you don’t allow access to cam workers.

A: We’re actively working towards making this possible and have made many attempts but unfortunately, we are limited by resources and manpower. The only reason we have come as far as we have is because this is what the community has wanted and supported, so if this is something, you’d like to see I would invite you to…

 

6.5 Policies, procedures, accountability, security and confidentiality  

There might be instances where people want to know the exact details of our policies or ask us to back up our claims. No one has a right to this information except Red Files members and even then, that is dependant on their membership level. Always refer back to the FAQ, mention there is a member-only Help Desk and that we’re not withholding information from sex workers. If sex workers would like more specific information without becoming a member that should be handled by Estelle and Charlotte.  

Example:

Q: You said there’s different membership types, how is this ascertained? Who’s to judge? How do you make sure the information on Red Files isn’t going to make more harm than good? What if it’s encouraging people to get into sex work?

A: I’m not at liberty to say, I’ve signed an NDA that prevents me from sharing this information. I can say that there are checks and balances all within the website and community to ensure the validity of every outcome and in the event of a violation, we have a Grievance Procedure. If you want more specific information email [email protected] where the Board can more accurately answer your question.