Social media has forever changed the way we communicate. Effective, instantaneous communications tools, they indelibly affect individual and institutional reputations by blurring the distinctions between personal and organizational expression.
Use the ůůֱ²¥ State ůůֱ²¥ Social Media Policy to enhance and protect your personal and professional reputations when posting on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, MySpace, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube and other interactive social media platforms.
Best Practices
By following social media best practices, you can establish appropriate personal and professional online presences. Follow our general guidelines when posting information on behalf of the ůůֱ²¥.
Make a plan for official online ůůֱ²¥ sites
Define your audiences, messages, goals and staffing needs before launching a ůůֱ²¥ State social media site.
Protect confidential and proprietary ůůֱ²¥ information
Adhere to ůůֱ²¥ State privacy and confidentiality policies as well as FERPA, HIPAA and NCAA regulations when posting.
Do not use ůůֱ²¥ State logos, images, or name on personal sites
ůůֱ²¥ logos, images and names may not be used to promote or endorse products, causes, political parties or candidates on personal social media sites.
Maintain transparency on official ůůֱ²¥ sites
Use your real name and/or official ůůֱ²¥ names when you are representing the ůůֱ²¥ on a social media site.
Think before you post
When it comes to social media, there is no privacy. Once posted, messages live forever in the virtual world. As a rule of thumb, it is best not to post any message you wouldn’t share in a public or professional setting.
Stick to the facts
When posting on behalf of the ůůֱ²¥ State, be sure your information is accurate. You are representing the ůůֱ²¥, so proofread carefully for spelling and grammatical errors.
Be professional
Maintain a professional tone in any posts made on behalf of ůůֱ²¥ State. This includes avoiding controversial topics that could be misinterpreted as representing the ůůֱ²¥â€™s point of view; steering clear of jokes; and refraining from commenting about other universities and schools.
Know your audience
Since anyone can easily access any given post, be sure your posts do not offend, harm or antagonize current and prospective students, colleagues, peers, alumni and friends or any other members of the ůůֱ²¥ community.
Consider your responses
Your responses to any comments or discussions resulting from your post deserve the same consideration you gave to the post itself. Remember that you are speaking for the ůůֱ²¥.
Identify your views as your own
On personal sites, if you identify yourself as a ůůֱ²¥ employee, state that your views are not necessarily those of the ůůֱ²¥.
Respect the copyright, fair use and intellectual property rights of others and of the ůůֱ²¥
Be aware that content posted online may become the property of social media platforms.
Protect photographs
Consider protecting any photographs that you post online by adding a watermark and/or posting them at 72 dpi and a resolution of 800×600, so that they may be viewed online but aren’t suitable for printing.
Protect the ůůֱ²¥
Procure signed releases from students or others giving you permission to post their images online.
Link back to ůůֱ²¥ State
When possible, always link your post to appropriate content on the ůůֱ²¥ State ůůֱ²¥ website.
Terms of Service
Familiarize yourself with and obey the Terms of Service of the social media you participate in.
Use privacy settings
While privacy settings can restrict access to personal information on personal social media accounts, they offer users limited protection. Familiarize yourself with the Privacy Policies of your social media.
Monitor your social media sites
Avoid phishing scams and guard against unauthorized access to your sites.
Track results
Link tracking services like bitly.com can help you measure the success of your site by tracking audience preferences and metrics. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter provide built-in analytics and tracking features.
Ask for help
ůůֱ²¥ Communications and Marketing staff can review your site, multimedia, videos and other materials before you post to make sure it reflects ůůֱ²¥ branding policies.