Through the use of social media the university has unparalleled chances to tell its narrative in a genuine, open, and timely way through the smart use of social media. We can also develop deeper, more meaningful connections with people we might not have connected with through more conventional means of communication.

The University’s social media guidelines are essential to ensuring that online interactions reflect the institution’s ideals, maintain a positive image, and adhere to pertinent laws. The usage of social media accounts should adhere to university guidelines, relevant state and federal laws and regulations, university priorities, and a professional demeanor.

All official university social media accounts should be registered with the Office of University Relations. All social media accounts operated by a campus unit should identify themselves in such a way as to show they are a part of the university, while not representing themselves as the university as a whole.

Example: “The College of Business and Professional Studies at Mississippi University for Women”

No campus unit should use the university wordmark or logo(s) alone on a profile image for their social media presence.

Campus units should contact the Office of University Relations for guidance on acceptable use of university logos on social media.

Social Media usage at Mississippi University for Women is governed by the same policies that govern all external communications.

• PS 7101 – Relations with External Entities   
• PS 3301 – Allocation and Use of Information Technology Resources
• PS 3302 – Appropriate Use of Electronic Communication and Information Network Resources

[These social media procedures were approved by the President and the Cabinet April 2013.]

Institutional Social Media

A university social media administrator who posts on behalf of an official university unit should follow policies and adhere to any additional policies and best practices listed.

University departments or offices that have a social media page or would like to start one should contact the Office of University Relations.

Units that are unsure who to contact should contact the Office of University Relations at 662-329-7119 to ensure all institutional social media sites coordinate with other University accounts and content.

All institutional accounts must have multiple full-time appointed employees who are identified as being responsible for content.

Ideally, this should include the head of the department/office and the account manager.

Acknowledge who you are. If you are representing a department and/or college at Mississippi University for Women when posting on a social media platform, then you need to acknowledge it.

Departments should consider their messages, audiences and goals, as well as a strategy for keeping information on social media sites up-to-date.

Whenever possible, link back to the University website.

Protect the University brand. Posts on social media sites should protect the university by remaining professional in tone.

No individual University department or office should construe its social media site as representing the university as a whole.

Consider this when naming pages or accounts, selecting a profile picture or icon, and selecting content to post. Names, profile images and posts all should be clearly linked to the particular department or office rather than to the institution as a whole. 

Social Media Usage

Do not post confidential or proprietary information about The Mississippi University for Women, students, employees, or alumni. Employees must still follow the applicable federal requirements such as FERPA and HIPAA. Adhere to all applicable university privacy and confidentiality policies.

When posting, be mindful of the copyright and intellectual property rights of others and of the university. Direct questions about fair use or copyrighted material should be directed to the university attorney.

Do not use University logos or any other university images or iconography on personal social media sites without approval from the Office of University Relations.

Do not use University name to promote a product, cause, or political party or candidate.

Respect university time and property. University computers and time on the job are reserved for university- related business as approved by supervisors and in accordance with set university policies available on the Human Resources website.

Obey the terms of service of any social media platform employed.

Stick to your area of expertise. Do not provide information about other departments, schools or entities unless that information is provided from that entity’s website, social media site or personnel. Do not reference student’s personal information (email address, address, phone number, etc.) without their permission.

Never comment or post anything related to a lawsuit or ongoing legal matter, and never use social media to spread information about a crisis situation unless the information has been verified with the President’s Office or the Crisis Action Team and released through one of the University’s official communications channels.

If you have concerns about anything that has been posted to university social media channels, please contact the Office of University Relations at (662) 329-7119 or socialmedia@muw.edu.

When Posting on Social Media as an Individual

The W recognizes that many employees make use of social media in a personal capacity. While they are not acting on behalf of the University, employees should be aware that they can appear to represent The W if they are recognized as an employee. Individuals are personally and legally responsible for everything they post online. The same policies, standards of behavior, professional expectations and laws relating to employees’ interactions with colleagues, students, parents, alumni, donors, or any other individual or group apply to online as in “real life.” The W offers the following guidelines for employees:

• Only authorized individuals may represent the organization.
• Individuals commenting about their organizations using their personal accounts must identify themselves as employees and that comment is their personal view and not the view of the organization.
• Do not disclose confidential or personal information about students, faculty or staff.
• Preserve the reputation of the organization.
• If in doubt, ask before posting. Please refer questions to University Relations. 
• Keep personal social media use to a minimum during work hours.

Pages, Not Profiles

NOTE: The University will not link directly to an individual’s profile.

When creating a Facebook presence for your unit, Facebook recommends that organizations utilize Pages instead of Profiles for many important reasons:

• More Friends – Pages will allow more than friends and followers.
• Multiple Administrators – Allow multiple members of your staff to post as a single voice, this also helps in times of transition.
• Security – A user is more likely to “Like” a Page than “Friend” a Profile, because “Liking” will not grant full access to the user’s profile.
• Features – There are additional features and flexibility that are available for Pages that don’t exist with Profiles.
• Link existing or new META accounts to the university’s business administrator account

Not Just For Units & Organizations

Because Pages are so flexible and provide that layer of separation from profiles, they can also be used for individuals for a professional presence – such as Admissions, Deans, Professors or Cabinet.

REMEMBER: The same rules that apply to faculty/staff-student and manager/staff relationships apply to social media.  Having a layer of separation with Pages can be beneficial to you.

Best Practices for Facebook Pages

Your official Unit logo should be used as the Page’s profile image to identify the page as affiliated with the University and the specific department. Avoid using just the University logo or the landmark and these can become confusing if a user is following more than one university account.

Add a Cover image. This is an image that goes at the top of your Page. This image can change as needed and can highlight the campus, your building, an event coming up or your students/faculty/staff!

Create a username. Once you have enough followers, you’ll be able to create a username, or a shortened address to your page. This can be used in publications or on your site.

Add Milestones to your Timeline. The university has a rich and storied history; share it using Timeline.

“Like” other University pages. Cross-promote with other Pages!

Know when your audience is online for greatest impact.

Pace yourself. Don’t post everything all at once; instead spread posts out.

Improve your odds. Not all Facebook posts are equal. For the best chance of being seen, include a photo or a video with each post.  Photo/Video > Link > Text only

Make it interesting. Give your followers a reason to keep checking back to your page, to share your content with their friends and to interact with you. The more they interact with you, the more likely your content will show up in their feeds.

It is SOCIAL Media – Ask questions to your followers, interact when they post a comment, answer their question, or just say Thanks for the comment!