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.