Social Media Policy

The TESOL social media policy ensures that discussions held on, or interactions made through, TESOL’s social media platforms stay safe, respectful, legal, and relevant. This policy applies to anyone using TESOL’s social media platforms, whether a member of TESOL or not.

By using or posting on TESOL’s social media platforms, you are agreeing to follow this policy. Please remember that TESOL’s social media platforms are public forums. Any information you post must be appropriate for the public domain. To ensure you fully realize the benefits of social media, please use these guidelines.

Respect your audience and be courteous to others. Messages must not include personal attacks, content that is offensive, defamatory or libelous, vulgar, hateful, threatening, abusive, invasive, or in violation of any laws. While we encourage critical dialogue, users may not use TESOL’s social media platforms to defame others or publicly condemn the work of a fellow professional, or to spread rumors or misinformation.

• Add value to posts and conversations – whenever possible. Use TESOL’s social media platforms to generate relevant questions and conversation and to provide insight and expertise.
• Correct your mistakes immediately. If you choose to modify content that was previously posted, make it clear you have done so.
• Link and connect with others in our industry, but do not harass other users by making repeated and unwanted attempts to contact them in a manner that could cause distress.
• Use your best judgement and remember that TESOL is a global network of professionals. What you may consider non-offensive may be considered differently by others. Before posting, consider your comments from the perspective of others. If you wouldn’t make your comment in an in-person conversation, don’t make it online.
• Do not impersonate any person or organization, or falsely claim any affiliation with a person or organization.
• If you are quoting someone else, please make sure you provide the source or appropriate credit. Never use copyrighted material without prior permission. Always consider the use of brands, trademarks, and fair use. TESOL is not responsible for any information posted by members that may infringe upon copyright laws and reserves the right to remove your post from our social media platforms.
• Share relevant content only if you think it would be useful or of interest to other members or professionals in the field. Any reference to or tagging of third-party organizations, products, or services does not imply an endorsement by TESOL and may be removed.
• TESOL will remove your post if we consider it to be spam or inappropriate.
• TESOL does not allow advertising of products or services by commercial companies or those affiliated with them.  Any promotion that TESOL considers to be commercial in nature will be removed.

If you feel a social media posting is inappropriate, you can report it to the TESOL staff by emailing members@tesol.org. While we do not operate 24 hours a day, we will act as quickly as possible.

Most situations in which someone may take offense are often a judgement call. TESOL staff reserves the right to respond and act in the best interest of the Association.

Where TESOL considers that a breach of policy has occurred, we reserve the right to take such action as appropriate to protect the Association.

TESOL reserves the right to remove, edit, move, or close any message or group of messages on a TESOL social media platform for any reason. A user may also be removed from a TESOL social media platform without notice.

TESOL will report activities on its social media platforms to the relevant authorities if doing so may prevent a crime, assist in the investigation of a crime, or if we have the legal obligation to do so.

TESOL reserves the right to amend and update this policy as needed