Social Media Guidelines and Best Practices

Channels

Social media provides an opportunity for information sharing and engagement. Social media also offers an enhancedcustomer serviceexperience and allows forallour audiences and potential stakeholdersto share in the ֱ experience, regardless ofwhere theyare located either permanently or temporarily.

Becausesocial media isdynamic and presentsa unique environment inwhichnegativeissuescan escalatequickly,howyoudecide torespond or not duringthe emergingsituationcouldimpacttheeffective implementation ofthe ֱ’ssocial mediastrategy.

Posting to Social Media

Given the multitude of social media platforms, there are many ways to engage with our audiences. The following suggestions are meant to guide social media account administrators tocreateproductive andrespectful interactions:

  • Post new content at least once per week – more frequently when possible.
  • Allow for post engagement via likes, comments, etc.
  • Include community guidelines for appropriate and respectful behavior on the account and post the guidelines whenever necessary to reinforcethoseexpectations.
  • Questions, calls to action and other engaging posts will encourage two-way communication.
  • Share content from other university accounts – sharing is caring!
  • Do not sharerumors, personnel information, details of crisis situations or sensitive events, time sensitive University announcements, etc. in advanceofpostings onthe main ֱ social media accounts. Once information is shared by the primary ֱ accounts,youmayshareiton otherUniversityaccounts.
  • Post other relevant information to the ֱ brand such as events around the metro Denver area or photography illustrating the ֱ lifestyle.
  • Create an editorialcalendarso thatthe account is “fed”regularlyand content covers a wide variety of interests and areas that are relevant to the account and primary topic.
  • Cancel all scheduled posts (if using a social media publishing tool)whenthere is a major incident or crisisso thatthe scheduled postwill notappear insensitive or out of touch.
  • Moderate comments as needed, providing facts and other helpful information along the way.
  • Accessibility

    Whenever possible, follow all accessibility best practices by:

    • Using alternate text (alt text) for images
    • Providing captions of video content (open captions, captions that are embedded in the video, are helpful for all viewers since the many audience members will watch video without sound)
    • Try to avoid video that is mostly visual such as campus panoramas with just a music track.
    • For videos that convey information such as a recording of slides with no narration, include the information in the post or a comment on the post. If the description would be too long, post it elsewhere and include a link to the information.
    • In short, if you play the video with your eyes closed, do you get the same information or experience? How about with the sound turned off?
    • Use initial capitalization, known as CamelCase, for hashtags because it makes the hashtag easier to read including for screen readers.
    • Emojis will be described by a screen reader. Be cautious of the emoji(s) you select and put spaces between them, so the reader distinguishes between the text and the emojis.Also be aware that emoticons are different from emojis and are read differently by screen readers. Use emojis rather than emoticons whenever possible.
  • Photo and video consent

    It is important to remain mindful when posting any photos or videos to social media. Despite the ability to delete posts from many of the social platforms used by ֱ, consider all photos/videos to be permanently shared once posted, since nothing is ever really “deleted” from social media.Therefore, besure to checkwhether any students in such photos or videos haveanyrestrictions onrelease of theirdirectory information under FERPA, as some students may have requested information not be shared (/registrar/media/documents/ferpa_student.pdf)and do not share photos or videos of children under the age of 18 withouthaving previously obtainedwrittenconsent from theirparent/guardian.

  • Livestreaming

    Campus communicators may choose to livestream events and other activities to social media accounts.This can be conducted through social media platforms such as Facebook Live and Instagram Live. Please keep all accessibility standards in mind when choosing to livestream.

  • Crisis and Emergency

    In a crisis oremergency, the main ֱ accounts willpostinformation that can be shared by other official accounts. It is important to refrain from posting information ahead of the main ֱ accounts or information found elsewhere.

Account Creation and Oversight

ֱ Social Media Directory

To be listed as an official ֱ account within the ֱ Social Media Directory, accounts must meet thefollowingstandards:

  • Registereachaccount withMarComm
  • Select from one of the profile graphics to pair withany appropriatephoto(selected from the Social Media Toolkit)
  • Select from one of the cover graphics to pair with any appropriatephoto
  • Commit to posting once a week (inactivity beyond 30 days will result in removal from directory)
  • Adhere toaccessibility, whichincludesconsistent alt image tagging and captioning ofimages(please reference the accessibility section further in this document for more details)
  • Identify anaccount owner and managementteamcomprised of onlyֱemployees

Onlyaccounts listed in the ֱ Social Media Directory will have access to ֱ’sSocial Media Toolkit, a one-stop-shop self-help section for branded content, an organizational content calendar, and other helpful resources.

Creating an Account

When creating a new social media account on behalf of the ֱ,or anycolleges, units, divisions, ordepartments,followtheseaccount creation and operation best practices:

  • Create accounts with a ֱ email address and share the login information withMarComm.
  • Comply withallapplicableUniversity policies, federal and state laws,includingprivacy and confidentiality laws such asFERPA,with respect to students, employee, and alumniinformation.
  • Respectintellectual property(trademark and copyright)and use ֱ branding elements responsibly. Do not modify ֱ branding elements without the directapprovaland/or supportfromMarComm.
  • Post community expectations, moderation protocols and any otherspecificguidelines on the social media account in the profile or on a “pinned” post.
  • Examplefrom@UofDenveraccounts:The ֱ may delete posts or comments that promote for-profit ventures that do not comply with ֱ policies. Posts that are grossly off-topic, abusive, contain profanity, pornography, are threatening, contain discriminatory language or language of bias or hate,and the likewill not be tolerated. Any posts concerning potential harm to one's personal health and safety, or those that are discriminatory will be brought to the immediate attention ofCampusSafety and/ortheOffice of Equal Opportunity/Title IX.
  • Do not share any sensitive or private information via social media. Often hackers will use social media to gain knowledge that enables them to cause harm toUniversitysystems.
  • Consider carefully who you “friend” or “follow” from yourUniversityaccount. Best practice suggests only activating these connections with otherUniversity accounts, employees and trustedUniversity partners. We do not recommend following current students who are not either employed with theUniversity or in aUniversityleadership role(such as President of the USG).

Minimizing Confusion

If it's determined that you are posting information on your personal accounts that might be attributed to the ֱ given your affiliation, you may be asked to place a disclaimer on your personal channels that expresses all comments made are your own and not reflective of the University's views. You may also choose to add this information to your personal channels preemptively.

Encountering Difficult Social Media Issues

We recommend that campus users take the following steps when handling challenging issues on ֱ social media accounts.

  • Pause

    Remain calm andtake a break. Your ability to respond appropriately and professionally increases with a few moments of careful thought and consideration. A hasty response is likely to be a poor response.

  • Connect and Collaborate

    It’simportant to collaboratewith partners across theUniversity to report the incidentanddiscusspotentialresponses with others. A response in isolation is likely to result in unintended consequences.Was the social media incident one of bias or hate? If so, please know that we have individuals and units that can support you. Depending on the situation, as a first step, you may contactthe Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) so that ODEI can provide support to individuals or groups that may be harmed by the post.

    Connect withMarCommto report the issue and receive support foryournext steps and response.MarCommwill alsoloopin the Chancellor’s Office,Office of General Counsel,EOIX,andCampus Safety(asneeded), and any other departments who may require a notification.

  • Respond and Maybe Remove

    Negative comments orcriticism should not beimmediatelyremoved. Instead, a quick and polite response should be issued to attempt to engage with the individual/group and collaborate on a possible resolution.

    • Blocking an individual: A good rule of thumb for blocking an individual is “three strikes and you’re out.”However,thatmay not apply in all cases. Some individuals (those posting pornography, threatening statements, or demonstrating hate) should be blocked or removed from the social media group immediately (after capturing theproblematicpost/commentwith a screenshot).
    • Someone posting a call for assistance, having had a negative experience, or looking for answers should receive a responsewith an offer for direct and immediate assistance. Negative experiences can be turned positive with empathy and rapid outreach. A post may not specifically call for support, soyour social media monitoring teamwill needto read between the lines and extend an offer for support in most instances.

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    • In somerareinstances, the comment or post will warrant removal. Inappropriate comments (such as profane or pornographic, racist, or threats of harm)mustbe removed after beingcapturedvia screenshotsand thoroughly documented.A response should be provided even for a comment/post removed.
    • Other types of questionable content could include false, commercial, libelous, defaming, threatening, irrelevant, etc.Consult withMarCommfor guidance.
    • The ֱ may delete posts or comments that promote for-profit ventures that do not comply with ֱ policies. Posts that are grossly off-topic, abusive, contain profanity, pornography, are threatening, contain discriminatory language or language of bias or hate, and the like will not be tolerated. This page is moderated by ֱ staff to maintain safety andpromoteappropriate interactions. Posts concerning safety and discrimination will be brought to the immediate attention ofCampus Safetyand/ortheOffice of Equal Opportunity/Title IX.
  • People/comments you will want to remove, but shouldn’t
    • Rude and outrageous – some people will post things that are rude, but there is a difference between rude and discriminatory, defamatory, etc.
    • A known social media individual who frequently picks fights or complains (“troll”).
    • Responsesfrom well-intentioned individuals, providing information on behalf of ֱthatisnot accurate. If the information is not accurate, address it and correct it – do not remove it.
  • Interactions you will want to engage in, but shouldn’t
    • An escalating situation in which you will likely not be able to maintain restraint and tact.
    • A situation that appears to be handled by the community or in which you think the community is likely to jump in. As a reminder, the first steps are to pause, connect and collaborate. If you think the community will jump in, the time you take to pause, connect and collaborate will give them time to demonstrate their willingness to respond. If the community does not jump in,and you still feel you should respond, do so in a manner that does not invite escalation by providing a statement, the link to a website for more information, or direct contact information for a team member.

    Some situations are no-win situations.Do not take these interactions personally, do not engage if you feel you are getting emotionally involved, and keep in mind that your responses are judged not only by the original poster, but by all stakeholders whomaysee your response.

  • Documentation prior to removal

    Do notremove the post until you have properly captured it with a screen capture tool for documentation. Documentation is critical and must include both the original post and any associated information/interactions (comments, likes, etc.) so all facts can be later referenced as needed.

Sense of Urgency

Your definition of “fast” likely is not the same as each of your stakeholder’s definitions. Therefore, the consistency in your response time should set the tone for how quickly you will respond to questions and comments. Though you should always respond as quickly as possible,after completing the “pause” and “connect and collaborate” steps, if you do not have an answer, you should respond as such. Tell theindividual that you are thankful for their comment and that you are working to find an answer. In addition, set an expectation for when they will next hear from you. Will you be able to respond in a few hours? A day?Isthisa more complex issuethatwill take a week or moreto answer fully? Also, keep in mind that it may not be you who provides the next bit of information. Perhaps there is a Town Hall coming up that specifically addresses the issue. If so,andif theindividualisa member of the ֱ community,point them to register or the link to join live. Maybe the next issue of theֱ Magazine has a feature article on the topic in question. It is okay to ask them to waitforpublicationand promise to share a link to the digitalversionwhen ready.

Ideally, comments and questions will be responded to on the same day they are posted/requested. If, on a regular basis, you know you will take longer (on average)for a response,be sure topost that information somewhere on the page. For example,CampusSafetysocial media accounts havea disclaimerthat states that itssocial media accounts are not actively monitored 24/7 andthaturgent matters of personal and public safety should be directed to a phone number instead.

Thoughtful Interactions

Spend as much(or even more)time listening as you share information. Social media is meant to be a two-way interaction and listening is a critical tool in building relationships and providing valuable insight. Engagein ways thatprovide value or context to the conversation.

  • Taking it Offline

    There are times whenitis bestto facilitatea conversationoffline and away from social media. It is important in these instances to acknowledge the conversation on the social media platform and indicate that the conversation is being taken offline. Taking conversations offline accomplishes a few key goals:

    • It indicates to other audience members that you are responsive without therisks that could arise ifthe conversationcontinuesonsocial media. Private information should be kept private andtransitioningthe conversationofflinepromotesthat.
    • Moving an unhappy personaway from the platform willlikely diffuse the situationassocial media makes some people feel more empowered to use more forceful or colorful language. This is oftenbecauseofthesize of theaudience.
    • Some people will choose not to engage offlineandend the conversation. While this is not ideal (we want to try to address and resolve as many conflicts as possible), in some cases, the person was not engagingtoreceivea resolutionto thesituation, but for attention. Ending these conversations in this way is preferable to removing/blocking the person from your social account.

    Do not delete posts that are moved offline unless they aretrulyproblematic.Always consult withMarCommfirst before attempting to remove a post.

  • Team Support

    Social media is a team initiative at the ֱ. It is completely appropriate to engage other accounts if they can help in an interaction. Not only will engaging others helpresolve the issue at hand,butit willalsohelp make the ֱ community shine and foster agreatersense of belonging foreveryoneinvolved.

    Example: “@UofDenverI was supposed to hear about financial aid like a week ago! I’m worried I won’t be able to attend ֱ now…”

    Response: “Hi @user! Thanks for reaching out! @DuFinAid will respond just as soon as they can. In the meantime, have you tried logging in toPioneerWebto check your account status? (Link)”

  • Sound Like the Human You Are

    One of the most difficult parts of social media for an organization is that the organization is not running the social accounts – real people are! As employees, we are all different. We believe that is a major strength in our communications – especially on social media. Therefore, we encourage you to:

    • Show empathy andunderstanding
    • Offer an apology if one iswarranted
    • Admit mistakes orproblems
    • Be friendly, sincere, and beyou
student leaning on tree looking at laptop

Glossary of Terms

Click fora fulllist of social media terms and definitions.