Social Media Policy

Purpose

To develop and maintain a reputation for Campbell University’s social media presence as an important forum for conversations and relationships; to use social media as an integral part of an overall communications strategy to maintain and increase the prominence of University programs, initiatives, and members of its community; and to engage a full range of constituencies in new and flexible ways.

To maintain the University’s reputation of excellence, the different departments and offices of Campbell should work collaboratively to communicate to our various constituencies about the quality work of faculty and students, the endeavors we undertake in higher education, and the many service efforts we make in our community to create sustainable programs.

Application of this policy

This policy applies to social media accounts affiliated with the University for the official business purposes of Campbell, including:

  • Schools and/or colleges;
  • Departments and/or programs; and
  • Official athletic teams.

All officially-recognized social media accounts will be monitored by the University Communications & Marketing team.

Exemptions from this policy

This policy does not apply to private student or employee social media accounts.

Employees who use social media are expected to refrain from presenting themselves as official representatives of the University or from portraying the University in a negative manner. Employees are expected to use good judgment and discretion when using or accessing social media, ever aware of the importance of advancing the University’s mission, upholding its policies, and dedicating their best efforts to the broad interests of the University. Employees are liable for anything they post to social media sites in violation of this policy.

  1. Campbell University Personnel Manual
  2. Campbell University Student Handbook

Definitions of this policy

Administrator or manager: A person who is approved to manage and/or post on an officially recognized Campbell University social media account.

Poster or user: A person creating and/or posting content to any social media site.

Social media: Media designed to be disseminated through social interaction using highly accessible publishing techniques. Social media includes, but is not limited to, networks like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, and podcasts.

University’s best interest: To represent the University in a fair, accurate and legal manner while protecting the brand and reputation of the institution.

Accounts/Pages

  1. Any new account must be created or approved by an authorized administrator of the University’s Communications & Marketing office.
  2. All accounts recognized by the University must have no less than two Campbell employees as administrators at all times to ensure adherence to this policy.
    1. If a Campbell employee administrator of an account leaves the University for any reason or no longer wishes to be an account administrator, it is the department’s responsibility to remove that person as an account administrator and designate another employee to that role.
    2. If there are not two employees available to serve as account administrators, a member of the University’s Communications & Marketing team may serve in that capacity.
    3. A graduate assistant may serve as one of the administrators.
      1. If graduate assistants are serving as administrators, verify and update passwords at the end of each semester.
  3. Authorized administrators are fully responsible for all content posted by his/her departmental account and any actions that take place using the account.
  4. Pages should maintain up-to-date content with a goal of posting new content 2-3 times a week during the academic year.

Brand Management

Users of official Campbell University social media channels should reinforce the Campbell brand at all times.

  1. Recommended social media avatars/icons are available from the University Communications & Marketing team.
  2. Strive to limit typos, grammatical errors and content that is irrelevant to Campbell’s audience.
  3. Maintain the University’s voice and tone in content.
  4. Respect privacy laws, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Avoid using confidential information about the University, its staff or students in social media content.
    1. Such information includes: student grades/performance, admission status, GPA, Social Security numbers, personally identifiable health information (medical conditions or injuries).
    2. The University will not ask for, nor should an individual send, credit card or payment information, classified information, privileged information, private information or information subject to nondisclosure agreements via any social network internet communication service.
    3. Additionally, account administrators should be aware of NCAA rules governing interactions between the University and its employees, and prospective student-athletes. Contact the Department of Athletics’ compliance officials when in doubt.

Use of University Marks

  1. Accounts and pages should, where possible, feature the unit’s official name, logo and/or signature.
  2. If available, accounts and pages should use their designated avatar provided by the University’s Communications & Marketing team.
  3. Keep in mind the University colors when posting graphics.
  4. Refer to the University’s Style Guide when needed: brand.campbell.edu

Campbell University Main Social Accounts

Campbell University’s official social accounts use the handle Campbell University on Facebook, LinkedIn and Youtube and @campbelledu on Twitter and Instagram. The audience of the University’s main accounts consists of current students, prospective students, influencers, alumni and friends. We aim to provide content about Campbell that is engaging, relevant and informative for our audience.

  1. Collaborations with the University’s main accounts can elevate a sub-group or organization’s reach and grow its following. Collaborations can happen in two ways:
    1. Working alongside the University’s social media team to create a content campaign;
    2. Submitting created content for review and approval.
  2. External Communications
    1. Campbell’s social content is designed to be external communication, which means it is designed for an external audience. Content that is targeted for internal audiences like faculty/staff will only be shared on a must-need basis.
  3. Promotional Posts
    1. Promotional posts are defined as content that asks the audience to pay for an item or is fundraising in nature.
    2. Promotional posts will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Exception: Founders Week, Campbell Day and Campbell TAG Day

Content

  1. Content should be posted with the understanding that it may be redistributed through the Internet and other media channels and may be viewed by the general public. Keep in mind that some versions of content may continue to exist even if it is deleted or modified.
  2. When possible, content should direct users to www.campbell.edu.
  3. Social media platforms are not to be used to post lengthy policy or procedural information, nor should it be used as a means of sharing admission criteria. Users should be directed to official University websites, electronic resources or publications for such information.
  4. Do not post content that may be considered controversial or portray the University in a negative light.
  5. Content must be posted as the department and not as an individual. This maintains the privacy of the individual maintaining the page and preserves the consistency of the University’s voice online.
  6. Personal text, photos, videos and other material posted on social media pages should be in keeping with generally accepted professional and/or ethical standards for your field(s) of work and/or study.
  7. Do not use hate language, profanity, place holders of profanity, or statements that may be viewed as offensive to a reasonable person.
  8. Do not engage in arguments or post inflammatory comments or statements in response to any negative or derogatory comments about the University.
  9. Endorsing commercial products or services is not permitted. 

Engaging with Users

Social media platforms should encourage communication through commenting, replying and liking posts/tweets. The following guidelines are in place to prevent malicious comments on University pages:

  1. Comments must be relevant to the topic discussed.
  2. Comments that are off-topic, abusive, contain profanity, are threatening in tone or devolve into personal attacks should be hidden/deleted immediately.
  3. Posts that contain links that are determined to be spam, sales, or advertising should be removed immediately.
  4. Enabling public wall posts is at the discretion of the authorized user of the page. By enabling this feature, the department is responsible for addressing public posts promptly and professionally.

Students

  1. Tag officially registered student groups/teams (Campbell Football, etc.) when appropriate instead of individual students.
  2. Use caution when retweeting or reposting content originated by a student user. While retweets are not endorsements, they display those users (and their content) to our audience.

Emergency/Crisis Communication

  1. In the event of a crisis or campus emergency, social media is used as a vital communication channel. Information posted on social media channels during such an event should direct followers to the Campbell University homepage. All accounts should follow the lead of the main Campbell University accounts on Facebook and Twitter.
    1. A crisis or campus emergency includes: inclement weather, fire, campus shooting, threat to campus, etc.
  2. Administrators of Campbell University social media channels should not post information about an emergency/crisis before the main University accounts.
  3. Administrators of Campbell University social media channels should not reinterpret, add to or delete from language used in crisis or campus emergency notifications.
  4. If there is a safety concern resulting from a post on an account you oversee, contact Public Safety immediately. After contacting Public Safety, send an email to cuweb@email.campbell.edu with a screenshot of the post.

Troubleshooting

  1. Accounts/pages will be monitored on a regular basis. If an issue comes up, please contact University Communications & Marketing for discussions on a resolution plan.
  2. Resources:
    1. Facebook Pages Help Page
    2. Instagram Help Center
    3. LinkedIn Help Page
    4. Snapchat Support
    5. Twitter Support
    6. YouTube Help Page