POLL: Should Town Officials Shut Down Social Media?

Social media has been a hot topic of conversation at government meetings in recent weeks.

During the last Board of Selectmen meeting, and asked for apologies from other town officials for comments they made on Facebook posts.

Then, according to the Wilmington Town Crier, School Committee members had a discussion on the topic that lasted about an hour at a recent meeting.

The School Committee debate centered around posts made by followers of Robert Hayes' Facebook page that he uses to keep residents up to date on happenings of the board.

“It was not an opinion page. It was just the facts,” said Hayes, according to the Town Crier. “I think it is important to differentiate between opinion and fact finding.”

But several of the members believe that no good will come out of the use of Facebook as a school official. Hayes declined comment when contacted by Wilmington Patch, but said the discussion with board members has been positive and is ongoing.

Past comments on Hayes' page have since been deleted and users are no longer able to comment on his posts. After discussion at the meeting, a subcommittee will continue to hammer out a policy on the subject.

So what do you think? Is there a place for social media in government? How should it be used? Should a board member be held responsible for something that another resident posted on their social media page? 

Let us know in the comments section below and vote in our poll. As always, we ask that you remain respectful during debate and keep conversation relevant to the topic at hand.