Social Media Guidelines - UNC Charlotte Alumni Association

SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES
Social media, in its many forms, is increasingly becoming a key component in how
universities communicate, collaborate, share knowledge, and build relationships with
prospects, current students, and alumni. The following is a set of guidelines and best
practices developed to assist UNC Charlotte alumni and friends in optimizing their social
media efforts for and on behalf of the University. If you have suggestions or comments
about these procedures, please contact Scott Plunkett in the Office of Alumni Affairs.
Authorized UNC Charlotte Alumni Association and University social media sites
A list of all known UNC Charlotte Social Media sites may be found at:
http://www.mediamine.uncc.edu
The most popular social media sites are:
Alumni Association
http://www.facebook.com/49erAlumni
http://www.twitter.com/49erAlumni
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/UNC%C2%A0Charlotte-Alumni53229?mostPopular=&gid=53229
University
http://www.facebook.com/UNCCharlotte
http://twitter.com/UNCCharlotte
http://mediamine.uncc.edu/sites/mediamine.uncc.edu/files/media/linkedin-53.png
MediaMine, UNC Charlotte's Social Media hub, is an ongoing, evolving project focused upon
gathering and showcasing social media sites at the University.
Understanding that Social Media can benefit all facets of academia, students, faculty, staff
and the community are encouraged to use these resources to engage and be involved.
Use these resources to connect with peers, colleagues and the region. - See more at:
http://mediamine.uncc.edu/#sthash.7Yzzc0qE.dpuf
Guidelines and tips
Have a Strategy:
Before getting involved with social media, consider your objectives and your target
audience. Consider whether a social medium is the right conduit to meet these goals.
Finally, develop a strategy for how you’ll use your chosen medium.
Research:
Each medium carries its own set of customs and etiquettes, and a unique lexicon. Take time
to study the channel you’ll be working with prior to posting content to avoid being
considered inauthentic and uneducated by the online community.
Be Involved:
Be prompt in responding to questions and feedback, and do your best to keep the flows of
information and conversation continuously active.
Be Transparent:
Make sure it is clear to your community who you are and what your role is as an alumni
volunteer, board member, friend or student. Authenticity is a fundamental component of
any social media environment.
Make sure the content you post is appropriate for your audience and what you want to
achieve. Be factual, provide sources or links for claims you make, fix errors quickly, and
don’t spam.
Be Respectful:
Be tolerant of others’ opinions, avoid antagonizing anyone, and take the high road when
provoked.
Part of what makes social media such a powerful tool is its ability to produce a pleasant
environment for open dialogue. Therefore censoring dialogue is not common.
However, circumstances will arise when, as a forum host, you must initiate action to
remove user-generated content. At the outset, articulate a clear behavioral policy for your
audience. Consider how your failure to remove discriminatory or defamatory content
would be perceived by the poster, your forum audience and the general public.
Don’t overreact to the appearance of negative content, but do address it. Keep in mind that
removing a negative post may put an idea out of sight, but discussing and deconstructing it
has the power to change minds.
Maintain Confidentiality:
Be careful not violate any state or federal privacy laws, including FERPA (Federal
Educational Rights and Privacy Act) if you are posting about current UNC Charlotte
students.
Respect Copyright and Fair Use Laws:
Use UNC Charlotte logos only if authorized by the University as per policies set by the Office
of Communications brands.uncc.edu. For tips regarding safety and protecting your identity
on social media platforms, visit staysafeonline.org.
Behavioral Expectations:
Online communities sometimes give us a false sense of security.
All users of our social media channels should abide by the following guidelines:
Don’t post personal information, such as your phone number, address, social security
number or anything else you wouldn’t want complete strangers viewing.
Use privacy settings to control who can see your profile/posts.
Always be respectful in the content you add to a discussion. Be tolerant of others’ opinions,
avoid antagonizing anyone, and take the high road when provoked. Remember that your
family, other alumni or future employers may view anything you post. Use good judgment
and think before you post.
Don't pick fights online.
Social media, especially when acting on behalf of the University, is not the forum to engage
in argumentative or accusatory conversation or behavior. If a commenter, follower, or
participant in your social media activity or website is engaging in such behavior, respond
only if absolutely necessary to correct factual inaccuracies, and always with tolerance,
respect and gratitude for their willingness to share their thoughts. If needed, follow up
individually or privately with aggravated participants - doing so will help to discourage
their continued negative posting, and help you solve potential problems more
effectively. In short, don't argue.
Be accurate.
Make sure that you have all of the facts before you post. It's better to verify information
with a source first than have to post a correction or retraction later. Cite and link to your
sources whenever possible - that's how you build community.
Be responsible.
What you write is ultimately your responsibility. Participation in social media on behalf of
UNC Charlotte is not a right, but an opportunity that must be treated seriously and with
respect.
Respect copyright and fair use laws.
Don’t post anything copyrighted or pictures that include other people (even your friends)
without their permission. Be honest, transparent, creative, and, most of all, have fun.
Additional Guidelines:
The Alumni Association’s social media efforts encourage active discussion and sharing of
information and thoughts. We are not responsible for comments or wall postings made by
visitors. Comments posted also do not in any way reflect the opinions or policies of UNC
Charlotte.
Please show respect for your fellow users by keeping the discussion civil. The Office of
Alumni Affairs reserves the right to remove comments from Alumni Association social
media channels that are racist, sexist, abusive, profane, violent, obscene, spam, that
advocate illegal activity, contain falsehoods or are wildly off-topic, or that libel, incite,
threaten or make ad hominem attacks on UNC Charlotte alumni, students, employees,
friends, donors or other individuals. We also do not permit messages selling products or
promoting commercial, political or other ventures.
In addition, election campaign materials or postings otherwise deemed inappropriate will
be deleted by the page administrators.