University Policies

Page tree

Versions Compared

Old Version 12

changes.mady.by.user Raghu, Rachana

Saved on

compared with

New Version 13

changes.mady.by.user Rowan, James J.

Saved on

Key

  • This line was added.
  • This line was removed.
  • Formatting was changed.

ROWAN UNIVERSITY POLICY

Title: Social Media Policy
Subject: University Web Services
Policy No: UWS: 2014:XX
Applies: University-wide
Issuing Authority: Executive Vice President for Administration and Strategic Advancement (signature)
Responsible Officer: Vice President for Strategic Enrollment
Adopted: XX/XX/201X
Last Revision: 06/06/2014
Last Reviewed: 12/19/2014

 I. PURPOSE

This policy serves as a guideline for those initiating or managing a social media presence that involves the University, its schools, departments, programs, groups, organizations and individuals. It outlines how the University supports institutional communication via social media so that the University's social media communications efforts remain as consistent as possible. Social media usage at Rowan University is governed by the same policies that govern all other electronic communications, technology and the Internet and must follow the same ethical standards by which Rowan University abides.

 II. ACCOUNTABILITY

Under the direction of the Vice President for Strategic Enrollment, the Director, University Web Services shall ensure compliance with this policy. The Social Media Coordinator, University Web Services shall implement the policy.

...

This policy applies to all faculty, employees and students of Rowan University who accept responsibility for engaging in work-related social media.

IV. DEFINITION

"Social media" - refers to any online tools and services that allow any Internet user to create and publish content. For the purpose of this policy, social media means any facility for web-based and mobile publication and commentary, including but not limited to blogs, wikis, RSS feeds, interactive geo-location, and networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Google+ and YouTube.

V. REFERENCES

A. All policies, procedures and guidelines regarding the University’s trademarks, names and symbols apply to social networking sites.[i]

...

C. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

VI. POLICY

A. Rowan University recognizes and embraces that social media are fundamental shifts in the way people communicate and supports the use of social media by its community members as a way to facilitate communication and conversation. As a public institution, we believe it is crucial to stay abreast of trends and remain active in the social sphere to intimately connect with our community.

...

  1. Rowan University is committed to ensuring effective access to communications materials for all members of the University community, including individuals with disabilities. Individuals who are blind or have low vision or other disabilities may confront significant barriers when accessing certain information through social media. Accordingly, individuals that maintain social media on behalf of the University should take steps to reduce barriers to access for individuals with disabilities. For example, screen reader compatibility, captioning and descriptive tags on images can help reduce barriers to accessing information for individuals with disabilities. Most major social media platforms (including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter) provide access solutions for individuals with disabilities, including application-programming interfaces (API) that enable the ability to create applications that enhance accessibility of content.
  2. As social media continues to evolve and develop as an effective tool for advertising positions at the University and for recruiting candidates, it does not replace or otherwise eliminate the need to use the University's existing recruitment systems and processes for posting positions, collecting applications, conducting background checks, making offers of employment and other related activities.

 C. Terms of Service

Official Rowan University social media accounts must follow the Terms of Service set forth by their respective social media channel(s). The guidelines outlined herein do not surpass existing University policies related to the use of technology, codes of conduct or confidentiality.

 D. Non-Compliance

  1. Violations of this policy may require the suspension or removal of any social media account(s) at the purchaser's expense and possible disciplinary action.
  2. A disciplinary or other review may be initiated if an employee's online activity violates law or University policy, or if the employee's non-official or unauthorized online activity otherwise subjects the University to liability for such acts.
  3. Rowan University reserves the right to monitor use of its computer systems.

...

  1.  Before engaging in work-related social media, employees shall:
    1. Obtain authorization from a supervisor within their department and University Web Services. Faculty, employees and students may only post on behalf of the University or its affiliates in an official capacity where you have been explicitly authorized to do so.
    2. Fill out a Social Media Strategy Worksheet [ii] to help determine which social media platform best fits your efforts, and to ensure you have optimal goals in place.
    3. Receive Worksheet approval [iii], then register the account(s) with University Web Services using an official University email address at http://www.rowan.edu/socialmedia
    4. Maintain the security of account passwords and identification. A unit's authorized administrator(s) are fully responsible for all use of accounts and any actions that take place using the account.
    5. Acknowledge that administration of the account(s) does not constitute ownership. The University owns the account, its content and audiences.
  2. Social Media Account
    1. Once the social media profile has been approved, an account must be established using a simple, descriptive name for the profile(s). Name selection should adhere to the respective social network's policies and character limits and clearly identify the affiliation with Rowan University.
    2. Rowan University or Rowan should be listed prior to the college, department or program to help build a consistent awareness of all units and broader search relevancy. "RU" should not be used unless the expanded versions cannot accommodate character limits.
    3. The names on accounts that have already been created cannot be changed, as changing names might change a URL, which can cause confusion amongst current users.
  3. Design Selection
    1. Do not use the Rowan University torch; the Rowan University torch is reserved for the University's official accounts.
    2. University Web Services has created a family of icons that are consistent, yet customizable, and can be used and adapted for individual colleges, departments, organizations and programs. This will give your audience visual confirmation that your account is official and also enables each account to have its own personality. Please contact the University Web Services for assistance in customizing these icons.
    3. Employees who do not wish to use this family of icons must submit any graphic for approval prior to upload.
    4. Wherever possible, especially to accommodate changes in layout or design, official University colors should be used. The University's colors are brown and gold.
    5. Units that have multiple social media platforms should use the same profile photo across all platforms, and the photo should remain the same indefinitely.
    6. Avoid heavy text in cover photos, background and header images; use them instead to display campus beauty.

B. Confidentiality

Do not post confidential or proprietary information about Rowan University, or Rowan University employees, students, affiliates or alumni that would violate such person's rights to privacy under applicable federal and state laws and regulations. This includes the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and University policies. Non-disclosure agreements that prohibit the University from disclosing information also bind its employees from disclosing such information.

 C. Privacy

Personally identifiable information that can be used to locate an individual or affiliated/unaffiliated third party offline, including but not limited to phone numbers, home or local addresses, social security numbers, Banner IDs, birth dates and email addresses, should not be posted. In general, a photo release form must be obtained from parties whose images are identifiable to post, share or distribute. This does not include photos from Rowan University's archives or those obtained by University representatives, whose original intent was for distribution.

D. Copyrights

Rights and permissions must be secured before posting, sharing or distributing copyrighted materials, including but not limited to music, art, photographs, texts, portions of video, or information considered proprietary by a University partner, vendor, affiliate or contractor.

E. Responsibility

  1. In the event that information surfaces on the sites you manage that is deemed harassing or threatening in nature, it must be immediately captured and reported to Public Safety.
  2. In the event of an emergency or crisis situation on campus (i.e. weather closings or other serious incidents), managers of official University accounts are asked to postpone any previously scheduled messaging and follow the lead of the main Rowan University social media accounts. Depending on the severity of the situation, University Relations and Public Relations will disseminate key messages to primary page administrators to be posted on social media platforms.
  3. When a serious situation arises elsewhere in the world, the best thing for an account to do is go silent. Any previously scheduled promotional material should be postponed as to not come across as insensitive or off-topic during a troubling time. Sensitive posts addressing the situation are permitted, but proceed with caution.
  4. Ensure that your authorized use of social media does not harm the University, its faculty, students, alumni and employees. While you are not responsible for the content and interactions from individuals' personal social media accounts, you should strive to not interact with those that would injure the University's mission.

...

 J. Contacting University Web Services

If you have any questions about creating a strategy, registering an account, general policies, a particular social network or any information outlined herein, please contact Social Media Coordinator [iv] or the Director, University Web Services [v] .

VIII. ATTACHMENTS

A. Attachment 1, Guidelines

B. Attachment 2, BEST PRACTICES

C. Attachment 3, REFERENCES AND SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITES

D. Attachment 4, HYPERLINKS


By Direction of the Executive Vice President for Administration and Strategic Advancement


__________________________________
Carl (Tobey) Oxholm III
Executive Vice President for Administration and Strategic Advancement

...

  • Think before you post.
  • Proof and re-proof everything before it goes live to confirm that information is both grammatically and factually correct.
  • Anything you share within social media, even within a closed network, is not private. If content is deleted or modified, older versions may continue to exist online. It can be archived by third parties and shared, stored and redistributed globally.

B. Be Present

Since the shelf life of social media content is short, it is vital to continuously update the types of information you share. Social media requires diligent attention to remain engaging.

  • Schedule time to check your site(s) and post fresh content several times throughout the week.
  • Be judicious about how often you post content. Subject matter should be selected carefully.
  • Search for and interact with conversations on social media that don't necessarily address your page(s) directly.
  • Social media accounts associated with Rowan University must be logged into a minimum of twice per day to monitor and interact where necessary. Accounts considered inactive for more than one month may be subject to deactivation or deletion.

 C. Add Value, Not Volume

Listen to the conversation first, and then respond. Offer interesting, fun or insightful conversation that your audience cannot find anywhere else. Give people information they'll want to share with their friends by creating dialogue and sharing content the audience will find relevant. Share or re-post content from other trusted sources to extend the reach of messages. Solve problems, answer questions and offer advice. Do the work for your audience, and address people's concerns straightforwardly rather than directing them to another department on campus to find the answer.

...

  • Be prepared to move quickly in response to new developments, announcements or emergencies with relevant information on your social pages. A short amount of accurate information delivered right away will be more valuable than a full report delivered days, or even hours, later.
  • We recommend responding to all comments, concerns and inquiries within 24 hours. If unable to address inquiries immediately, kindly inform the requestor that you are looking into it and will respond with an accurate answer soon as possible.

E. Respect Your Audience

Create an online community for advocates of Rowan University. It should be a place where students, faculty and others can interact with one another, ask questions, voice opinions and get pertinent information.

  • Social media are public forums and should be treated in a manner that serves as an extension of the University's customer service experience. You should always treat your audiences with respect.
  • Disagreements and conflicts of interest will likely occur, but your responses should always be polite and accommodating. Content should never be written in a manner that can be interpreted as combative, demeaning or otherwise negative.
  • Generally speaking, content should not be posted unless it is suitable for all ages. Content should not be posted if it depicts a dangerous activity unless discussed with and approved by appropriate senior University administrators. A legal disclaimer may be required for such posts.
  • Do not post content that shows (or may be perceived to show) someone getting hurt, attacked or humiliated; that might be considered racist, bigoted or demeaning to a particular group of individuals; that depicts activity that is (or may be perceived to be) illegal; or that could otherwise show the University in a negative light.

 F. Be Human

Nobody wants to interact with a faceless corporation on social media.

...


ATTACHMENT 2
BEST PRACTICES]

A. Attribution - When appropriate, tag or repost from primary and secondary pages and use hashtags to increase cross-promotion. Be judicious with the among of tags and/or hashtags you use.

B. Audience - Always think of the audience first. From tone to topic, all posts should be written for them and should reach them at a time where engagement is optimal.

C. Balance - Post a variety of content (e.g. Questions, videos, pictures, trivia, contests) to keep the audience interested and to saturate the news feed with top-tier information.

D. Events - Announcements of events should link to the University's events calendar.

E. Multimedia - When possible, post directly on the page so the user does not have to leave the page to view content. If links are necessary, be sure to take your audience directly where it needs to be. Always include some sort of media and try to avoid text-only posts.

F. Teach - Help contributors who may be missing the mark with their posts to maximize everyone's efforts. Page administrators are seen as the experts at Rowan and, therefore, should guide contributors.

G. Engage - Social media is a two-way street, so communicating with followers is a must. Do not treat social media as a megaphone or a way to broadcast news. Create reasonable calls-to-action to elicit a particular response.

 H. Measure - On a monthly basis, review the number of followers and posts in relation to engagement levels. Representatives may be expected to submit these metrics at any time upon request to University Web Services.


ATTACHMENT 3
REFERENCES AND SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITES

A. The guidelines outlined herein do not surpass existing University policies related to the use of technology, codes of conduct or confidentiality. If you plan to speak on behalf of the University, please review these policies.

 

  1. Social Media Directory
  2. Graphic Standards
  3. Terms of Service
  4. To keep a pulse on daily developments in social media, we encourage you to follow articles from these industry leaders:

 B.  Social Media Websites

  1. Facebook – an online social utility with 1.23 billion active users that connects people and organizations with friends and others who work, study, live and engage around them. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, share links, photos and videos, and to learn more about people and organizations.
  2. Twitter – a real-time, micro-blogging and social utility service that allows users to send a read messages known as "tweets," which are text-based posts containing no more than 140 characters. People use Twitter to share and view links, consume news and personal statuses and tap into larger, aggregated conversations by using hashtags.
  3. LinkedIn – a business-oriented online social utility that allows users to strengthen and extend their existing network of trusted professional contacts. People use LinkedIn to stay in touch with contacts and informed about their industry.
  4. Google+ – an integrated social platform that merges with other Google services including YouTube, Gmail and Google Search. Users can network with one another via "Circles," or specific communities, and engage in conversations via comments or +1s.
  5. YouTube – a video sharing website and the Internet's second most popular search engine. Users can view, upload and share videos as well as comment on other videos.
  6. Instagram – a photo sharing network owned by Facebook that allows users to upload photos taken with a mobile device, apply special filters and share with their friends. These photos can remain private to an approved network of followers, or shared publicly throughout multiple other popular social networks.
  7. Pinterest – a photo sharing website that allows users to "pin," or bookmark, images they find interesting from around the web to categorized "boards" on their profiles.
  8. Flickr – a photo sharing website on which users can view, upload and share photos. This is a popular place for storing photos that link to blogs and other social platforms.
  9. Foursquare – a geo-location app that shares your whereabouts with your friends and allows you to view their locations. You can collect points, prizes, "badges," and even discounts through the app by "checking in."
  10. Blog – an online site short for "web log." It allows an individual or group to share a running log of personal insights, events, news and other topics of interest.

...