UHCC Policy 2.211 Attachment 1
2.211 Attachment 1 - Social Media General Guidelines and Procedures
General Guidelines
The keys to success in social media are being honest and thoughtful before you post and respecting the purpose of the community in which you are posting.
Content
By posting content to any social media site, you agree that you own or otherwise control all of the rights to that content, that your use of the content is protected fair use, that you will not knowingly provide misleading or false information, and that you hold the College harmless for any claims resulting from the content.
You may not post any content that is threatening, obscene, a violation of intellectual property rights or privacy laws, or otherwise injurious or illegal. The College has the right to remove any content for any reason, including but not limited to, content described above.
Know the terms of service of your social media platform:
Be sure to understand and follow the terms of service of any social media platform you use.
Be accurate
Make sure that you have all the facts before you post. It’s better to verify information with a source first than to have to post a correction or retraction later. If you make an error, correct it quickly and visibly.
Be transparent
Never hide your identity for the purpose of promoting the College through social media.
Respect others’ privacy
Do not to post private information concerning others such as an email from a colleague or contact information. Exercise good “netiquette.”
Consider the intended audience when posting. College sites are frequented by prospective students, alumni, friends, and other interested parties. The College encourages thoughtful social media interaction and does not seek to censor contributions to these sites. However, profanity, racist, sexist, or derogatory remarks, content that incites hate or encourages unethical or illegal activities, comments on litigation involving the College, spam and off-topic remarks may be removed and the user could be banned from further participation on the site.
Be relevant and authentic
Be thoughtful, accurate, relevant and respectful on College sites. Social networks are successful when members contribute “authentic” content.
Link to other College material
Posts on College sites should be brief, redirecting a visitor to content that resides on the College website when applicable.
Think before you post
There’s no such thing as a “private” social media site. Search engines can turn up posts years after the publication date. Comments can be forwarded or copied. Archival systems save information even if you delete a post.
Maintain confidentiality
Use good judgment about content and respect privacy laws. Do not post confidential or proprietary information about the College, its students, its alumni or your fellow employees. Follow college policies and federal requirements, such as FERPA. If you discuss a situation involving individuals on a social media site, be sure that they cannot be identified. As a guideline, don’t post anything that you would not present at a conference.