Social media is a term used to collectively describe a set of communication tools

designed to foster interaction, discussion and community. These are typicallythird-party

services, and while they are free to use, they play an important part in the way

the university is viewed. These services can be used to engage with students, future

students, parents, alumni and friends of the university and can have a significant impact

on the institutional reputation.

Maintaining a social media account for an organization is very different than

maintaining a personal account. Because social media blurs the line between personal

voice and organizational voice, Arkansas Tech has developed the following guidelines to

help clarify how best enhance the reputation, brand and image of the university when

participating in social media, as well as to ensure appropriate and effective use of these

media.

These guidelines apply only to university-related social media accounts and not to

personal usage of any platform. Remember, you are speaking on behalf of your

program, department, office and university when communicating on social media.

• Facebook

• Twitter

• Instagram

• Youtube - playlist from centralized account Flickr - albums from centralized

account

• Snapchat - share content from centralized account Google plus - share content

from centralized account

Social media is supposed to be social. Avoid just broadcasting your messages. Make sure

you interact with your audience and other groups on campus. If your followers mention

you on social media, do your best to engage with them when possible.

Think twice, but publish once. Use common sense and good judgment when posting to

social media. If you are unsure about a post, err on the side of caution and don't post.

We encourage campus organizations and departments to find an authentic, human voice

and create an open, casual dialogue. However, the accounts should still remain

representative of a university. Spelling, grammar and tone matter.

Negative comments from followers are part of social media. If a follower has a

legitimate complaint, respond in a helpful manner. Delete negative comments only

when derogatory or foul language is used. Remove comments from solicitors.

Many negative comments stem from misinformation. It is okay to correct, but don't

engage in heated arguments. People consistently posting rude or argumentative

comments (trolls) should not be engaged.

It's okay if you don't know the answers to all the questions, but be an advocate and get

the person connected to someone who does.

Check and post from your accounts regularly. We would like you to post to social media

at least once a week on Facebook and several times a week on Twitter, outside of

comments and replies.

Use a calendar to help with regular content updates instead of throwing something

together. People want to feel like you've put thought into what you're sharing.

Tools exist that allow you to schedule posts and post to multiple platforms at once.

Using these tools heavily can significantly impact the effectiveness of your social media

efforts. People want to talk with a real person.

Naming Facebook sites should center around searchability, as Google’s search engine is

designed to pull up sites based on key word relevance.

• Arkansas Tech

• Arkansas Tech University

about the area.

For example:

• Arkansas Tech - Alumni

• Arkansas Tech University - Ozark Campus

Your profile and cover images should be something recognizable, distinctive and

relevant to your department, office or program. (Official logo, photo of your building,

an image of your group in action, etc)

Facebook requires profile photos be 180 pixels wide. Cover photos must be 720 pixels

wide. If using a logo, you may need to add white space around the border.

This will make it easier to share direct access to your page. Your username should

include Arkansas Tech or ATU and then specific entity information. No dashes,

underscores, numbers or periods should be used.

You should list your specific university address, telephone number and provide a link to

your university webpage.

Proper naming of twitter sites is difficult, as there is a 15-character limit. Names

should focus on searchability, as Google and Twitter both have in-house search engine

that are designed to pull up sites based on key word relevance.

• ArkansasTech

• ATU

When using these conventions, they should be followed with more specific

information about the area.

For example:

@ATUAlumni

@ATUEducation

@ATUDEM

Your profile and cover images should be something recognizable, distinctive and

relevant to your department, office or program. (official logo, photo of your building,

an image of your group in action, etc)

Twitter profiles should be 300 x 300 pixels wide. Header Images should be 1252 x 626

pixels wide. If using a logo, you may need to add white space around the border.

You should list your specific university address, telephone number and provide a link

to your university webpage.

Naming lnstagram sites should center around searchability, as Google's search engine is

designed to pull up sites based on key word relevance.

lnstagram acceptable naming conventions include:

• ArkansasTech

• ATU

When using these conventions, they should be followed with more specific information

about the area.

For example:

• @ATUAlumni

• @ATUCampusLife

• @ArkansasTechVB

Your profile images should be something recognizable, distinctive and relevant to your

department, office or program. (official logo, photo of your building, an image of your

group in action, etc)

Profile images should be 180 x 180 pixels wide. If using a logo, you may need to add

white space around the border.

You should list your specific university address, telephone number and provide a link

to your university webpage.

Avoid linking accounts that post on multiple platforms at the same time. Users want

content to look and feel different. This feels overly automated and fake.

Scheduled Posts:

Remember what posts you have scheduled and be aware of how current events could

impact scheduled posts. In the event of a major tragedy, you don't want to accidentally

post something that would seem insensitive or inappropriate.

Hashtags:

Hashtags should be used whenever possible to encourage sharing among all social

platforms. First include #atu and then add additional hashtags you want to share.

Emoji:

Emojis may or may not be appropriate for your social media account depending on the

account's purpose and voice. For example, emojis would be more appropriate for a

student-run organization than for an English Department account. Make sure your use

of emojis matches the voice and tone you've chosen for your account.

Punctuation:

Exclamation points in social media are welcome and can convey friendliness and

excitement. Be sure to limit exclamation points to one per sentence.

Capitalization:

Avoid using all uppercase letters in posts. This feels like shouting and is hard to read.

Vary Content:

Mix up the content you post. Remember the goal is to engage and interact, so you

should be sharing more than just upcoming events.

Interact with Others:

When referencing others organizations and campus groups, be sure to tag them in your

message. This helps users engage with you both. Also, if someone mentions you, be

sure to respond in a timely manner.

Grammar:

Proper grammar is extremely important when posting on behalf of a university

account. Be sure to check any spelling, contractions and difficult words (freshman or

freshmen). Misuse use of grammar reflects poorly on the entire institution.

Tone:

Remember this is a university account and not a personal account. The tone can be

playful, but it should remain professional.

Bandwagon:

Use caution when chiming in on national current or political events. As an official

voice of the university, doing so could put your followers in an awkward position. If

you must chime in, avoid doing so in a commercialized manner.

Pictures:

Any time you can share content using a photo, do so. Facebook's newest algorithms

separate graphics from photos. A graphic will not perform as well, so use a picture

wherever possible.

Scheduling Posts:

Use the scheduler inside Facebook. This free tool allows you to schedule posts up to a

year in advance.

Delete the link URL:

If you're posting a link on Facebook, you can delete the link after Facebook has

processed the link. This prevents the link from being shown twice.

Third-Party Applications:

Facebook does not like third-party applications that post content for you. Using these

will automatically cut the number of people seeing your post by one-third.

Be concise:

While you have 140 characters to craft your thoughts, try to use far fewer. This gives

people a chance to engage with you.

Think Before You Retweet:

When you retweet something you’re endorsing that content, so think about what you

are retweeting.

Link Shorteners:

Even though links don’t count toward characters allowed, use a link shortener to keep

the link clean and easy to read.

Grammar:

Certain grammar shortcuts are acceptable on Twitter. It is okay to use contractions, the

& sign and to remove the periods when referring to time of day.

Be concise:

Because this platform is primarily on mobile devices, keep your posts short and

concise. Remember only three lines of content are shown automatically.

Reposts:

If reposting a photo from another user or account, be sure to give credit to the

original poster. If the original poster has their account set to private, be sure to ask before

reposting.