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ROWAN UNIVERSITY POLICY

Title: Social Media Policy
Subject: University Web Services
Policy No: UWS: 2014:01 
Applies: University-wide
Issuing Authority: Executive Vice President for Administration and Strategic Advancement (signature)
Responsible Officer: Vice President for Strategic Enrollment
Adopted: 06/06/14
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.

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Social media is all about transparency and connecting personally. Ensuring the information you share is accurate will help your brand advocates find value in your community and help you establish credibility.

  1. Think before you post.
  2. Proof and re-proof everything before it goes live to confirm that information is both grammatically and factually correct.
  3. 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.

  1. Schedule time to check your site(s) and post fresh content several times throughout the week.
  2. Be judicious about how often you post content. Subject matter should be selected carefully.
  3. Search for and interact with conversations on social media that don't necessarily address your page(s) directly.
  4. 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.

  1. Crafting different messaging for different social networks. While occasional cross-promotion is encouraged, you should not post the same exact messages across different platforms. Posting the same content does not accommodate different audience's tastes, nor does it incentivize people to follow you on multiple networks. All messages should be crafted keeping the network's specific social media audience, language and character limits in mind.
  2. To avoid discrepancies and minimize the need for updates, social media platforms should not be used to post detailed policy or procedural information (i.e. program admission criteria). Rather, users should be directed to official University websites, electronic resources or publications for such information.

D. Be Timely

One of the greatest benefits of social media is the ability to share information almost instantly with a global audience. This audience expects this instant gratification.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

  1. Don't simply regurgitate traditional marketing messages – post with the main goal of igniting a conversation about which people care.
  2. Be personal and accessible. Infuse a human voice into your posts so your audience feels as if they are talking to a real person – one to which the typical Rowan University ambassador can relate.

ATTACHMENT 2
BEST PRACTICES

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  1. 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.

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  1. 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.

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  1. 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.

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

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  1. 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.

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  1. 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.

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  1. 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.

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  1. 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:

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  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.

ATTACHMENT 4

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