As UGA grows, so does its digital and social footprint. Creating a social account for a school, unit or department is a long-term commitment, and we want to make sure you’ve considered these important questions:
- What audience you are trying to reach?
- Is there already another UGA account reaching this audience? If so, can you partner with them?
- What do you want to accomplish with social media?
- Do you have time and resources to manage a social media account?
- Do you have a sustainable content plan?
- Who will manage this account daily?
Creating a UGA-Affiliated Social Media Account
It is the responsibility of individual units, divisions, and departments to ensure compliance among all social media accounts within their jurisdiction. Social media accounts must be approved by your supervisor as well as your school/college’s communications team. We discourage accounts being managed solely by part-time employees whenever possible. We do not allow student workers to manage UGA social media accounts or to have direct access to said accounts.
By creating a UGA-affiliated account you agree to:
Follow UGA Brand Standards
Adhere to brand guidelines, including name/handle and profile icon use. If you have questions about UGA’s brand guidelines, please email socmedia@uga.edu.
- Name: Your handle and/or username and public account name should include “UGA” or “University of Georgia” (i.e. @uga[name] University of Georgia Department of [Name]).
- Icon: UGA-affiliated accounts should have a UGA-branded icon as the profile image. These are made by the Division of Marketing & Communications. A unit/college’s logo liaison can request the creation of a social icon for you.
- Notify: Email the UGA social team and copy your school/college communications office to let us know you’ve created an account.
It is key that you always remember that you are representing the University of Georgia on social media. Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want Grandma to see.
Understand the Platform
Educate yourself on best practices for the platform and stay up-to-date with emerging trends. If you need guidance for how to manage a social media account, consult with your school/college’s communications office. Additionally, you may contact the UGA social team in the Division of Marketing and Communications for assistance and training.
Engage Community Regularly
It’s important to establish a regular routine for managing your social media accounts. Aim to login at least 3x/week to post or interact with followers. If you cannot find the time to consistently post or access your social account, you must deactivate it or hand it off to another member of your team who has been trained to succeed you. If you have questions about how to best sunset an account, email socmedia@uga.edu for assistance.
If you are locked out of an account, create a help ticket on the social platform. The UGA Marketing & Communications social team cannot recover accounts, cannot delete accounts and cannot get accounts verified.
Monitor and Moderate Comments
You are responsible for monitoring and moderating posts or comments on your page from other users. UGA accounts reserve the right to delete posts that:
- include violent, obscene, profane, hateful or racist comments;
- use offensive or inappropriate language;
- are offensive, denigrating or out of context;
- threaten or defame any person or organization;
- disclose personally identifiable information, such as addresses or phone numbers;
- include copyrighted material;
- would be considered spam;
- suggest or encourage illegal activity;
- solicit, advertise or endorse a third-party business or service;
- are multiple successive off-topic posts by a single user; or
- are repetitive posts copied and pasted by multiple users.
When a post violates one or more of these, you have the responsibility and discretion to remove the offending posts. You may temporarily block visitors who repeatedly violate these guidelines. If you believe a post demonstrates a credible threat, immediately notify UGA Police at (706) 542-5813.
Remember, social media is essentially a public town square. Avoid the temptation to remove posts that are merely critical, angry or represent a different opinion. You must always respect someone’s First Amendment rights. If and when you respond to negative comments, do so professionally and be sure to provide any additional information that may help resolve the issue or correct the misinformation. If you are unsure on how to best respond or if you should respond, contact socmedia@uga.edu.
Political Content
University-affiliated accounts should not post or repost content or appear to endorse a political organization, leader or representative, period. Posting of or about a political leader is only appropriate when a leader is speaking or participating in an event sponsored and organized by the university, such as lectures, panel discussions and commencement exercises.
Amplify Emergency Communications
In times of an emergency, such as inclement weather or a campus crisis, information needs to reach all the members of the university community as quickly as possible. It is essential that all crisis/emergency messages originate from the main UGA social channels and that school/college/unit/department accounts amplify accordingly to ensure safety and awareness. No one should make statements and/or address emergencies without coordinating with the Division of Marketing & Communications first.
Things to Consider Before Using Images and Trademarks
Be sure you have permission to use third-party images and other materials that you, your department or the university does not directly own. For example, if you step outside on campus and take photos of a building, you are allowed to use this photo on social media, provided people’s faces are not clearly depicted in them. If people are prominently featured and identifiable, you must obtain permission from them to use their image by having them complete the Likeness Release and FERPA Consent form.
Be Aware of Liability
You are responsible for what you post on your own social platforms and on UGA channels. Do not disclose financial or confidential student, faculty, staff, athletic, research or institutional information. Do not share university-related information that is not a matter of public record. Do not post or comment about legal matters or when the topic being discussed may be considered an emergency or crisis. Ask the UGA social team for assistance if you are in doubt about whether you should post on a questionable topic.
Follow Existing UGA Electronic Communications Policies
Social media usage at UGA is subject to the same policies that govern all electronic communications. Familiarize yourself with and abide by these policies when posting online.