The idea for QC Baton is to show the world what life looks like in our backyard here in the 603! This Instagram account will showcase the lives of local folks like you (one per day). Through our project, we’ll collect photos that showcase the lives of fellow QC Baton citizens!


*If you believe you will have trouble following these rules, policies and guidelines, we’d suggest not participating in QC Baton. We very much value what is written here, and we believe this will help keep QC Baton a safe & fun place for everyone.*


By signing up to carry the QC Baton, you agree to follow these rules & policies:

What You SHOULD DO:

  1. Spread the word. On the week of your baton day, we’ll send you an image of our logo that you may share, if you like, on your personal Instagram account to inform your followers you’ll be posting to our account and encourage them to sign up too.
  2. Post 6-8 photos only! And certainly no more than 10. And, again, no videos please.
  3. Post photos you took on your day but not photos taken by anyone else or photos taken on another day. Photos should be taken with your phone.
  4. Show us your life. Keep selfies to a minimum and try to diversify your subject matter.
  5. Edit your photos. Feel free to use Instagram’s many filters or edit your photos with other apps, but please don’t post more than one multi-photo collage. Screenshots and text added on top of your images are prohibited.
  6. Caption & sign your photos. Write a caption as long as you like to describe your photo, and add as many hashtags as you see fit. End each post with “Photo by @[yourusername].
  7. Add geotags to your photos. Geotag your photos if you can, but it’s OK to leave out your workplace or home.
  8. Watch your work spread. Every day we will be pushing your content to audiences new and old!

What You Don’t Want to Do:

  1. Be rude. Don’t post mature photos or words of nudity, vulgarity or profanity. Be respectful of our followers. Be sure to check out Instagram’s Community Guidelines too.
  2. Follow or unfollow anyone. The QC Baton account only follows those who have participated in the project, as thanks to you for making it great. Feel free to follow yourself, however.
  3. Change any settings of our Instagram account. We spent a long time perfecting them so QC Baton works smoothly.
  4. Select any of Instagram’s social options when you post. Even though it sometimes takes a few minutes, your photos will find their way to our social media sites.
  5. Delete your photos. It messes things up, trust us. No one is perfect so don’t stress, we like to think imperfection is beauty!
  6. Post videos. See policy below.
  7. Post photos that were taken
    – with a device other than a smartphone,
    – on another day,
    – outside the Queen City,
    – by someone other than you.
  8. Post screenshots of other apps or images from apps like Tweegram. We don’t mind if you use other smartphone apps to edit your photos, though.

Instagram’s Community GuidelinesAbove all, we ask that you don’t do anything that could get us kicked off Instagram, so please review its guidelines.

Policies

  • Copyright policy: You retain the copyright for all photos you post in QC Baton, but we reserve the right to publish them in future QC Baton projects, exhibitions and materials. You’re welcome to post your QC Baton pictures to your own feed.
  • Video policy: Instagram recently unveiled video capabilities. Though this feature is pretty cool, we firmly believe QC Baton should remain a photo-only project, just as it was when RDU started it. So, please do not post any videos.
  • Participation: The founders of QC Baton reserve the right to deny anyone access to the Baton at any time for any reason. Possible reasons could include misconduct or non-adherence to these rules and policies.
  • Promotional content: We strongly prefer that individuals participate in QC Baton, not businesses. We ask ALL of our participants not to use the platform as a promotional tool. Instead, we ask each individual to post under their personal Instagram username (not their business’ account) and to only post photos showcasing the area with a personal narrative. We are happy for folks to post 1-2 photos about where he or she works and what he/she/the company does, but we prefer that the Baton carriers keep their posts more focused on their daily routine and their favorite things throughout their day. The Baton is a lot more interesting when there is variety in the types of photos posted.
  • Mature content: Though we wholeheartedly respect artistic integrity of photos, we have to keep our Instagram account and the content within it in line with Instagram’s terms and conditions or our account could be deleted. In other words, please do not post nudity or mature content of any kind.
  • Comments: Though we encourage healthy conversation through Instagram comments and social media on any of our posts, please refrain from being rude. QC Baton is a friendly project where our participants and followers should feel safe and comfortable sharing their view of the Triangle through photos and comments. It is not an appropriate place to abuse, attack, harass or impersonate others. We will block all trolls and meanies and they will be denied access to our account.
  • Content Guidelines – based on the experience of RDU Baton organizers: Photos and captions that tell a story and showcase the Queen City will be much more effected — such as a favorite hangout or someplace beautiful — and receive more positive attention, and attain more likes and comments on Instagram. They will also tend to be shared more times on Facebook and Twitter. Photos depicting chain stores, signs, selfies, groups of people, children and pets typically will not garner the same attention or spark positive conversation. We intend this as a suggestion, but we hope you’ll plan your day accordingly and think critically and thoughtfully about every shot, caption and comment you post to our account.
  • Editing: The founders of QC Baton maintain this account and take full responsibility for its content. If a photo or comment does not adhere to our rules, we reserve the right to delete it. We may also delete a photo or comment at any time for any reason. Possible reasons could include misconduct or non-adherence to these rules and policies.

Once again because we have to stress how much we value this project, If you believe you will have trouble following these rules, policies and guidelines, we’d suggest not participating in QC Baton. Please just recognize that we want to create something special here. We very much value what is written here, and we believe this will help keep QC Baton a safe & fun place for everyone.

– The QC Baton Team