Social Media Guidelines
At Glenville State University, we are guided by several key principles in the advancement of our mission and vision. These principles are student-centered, community, diversity, integrity, leadership, innovation, and service. The University has adopted these guidelines to assist the campus community in the safe, legal, and effective use of all social media outlets, to protect users’ personal and professional reputations, and to uphold the fundamental principles and reputation of the University.
Glenville State University uses social media to engage with past, present, and future Pioneers through shared information and open dialogue with the University. The University is represented on a variety of platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube and strives to maintain a unified, cohesive voice across all platforms.
Athletic teams, departments, and organizations on campus also run social media pages on behalf of the University. These pages should be maintained by the individuals in the department or organization and are overseen by the Office of Marketing and Public Relations.
OFFICIAL GSU ACCOUNTS
The following are official accounts for Glenville State University:
Facebook: Glenville State University
Twitter: @gopioneers
Instagram: @glenville_state
YouTube: Glenville State University
LinkedIn: Glenville State College
SOCIAL MEDIA GOALS
- To engage with current students, future students, and parents.
- To increase awareness of the endeavors of the student body and college as a whole.
- To enhance and support the University's image and branding efforts.
- To increase alumni engagement and funding.
SOCIAL MEDIA VOICE AND TONE
Who we are: Lighthearted. Fun. Engaged. Glenville State University values education and is always striving to push the barriers of what can be accomplished.
Our tone: Friendly and enthusiastic. We love engaging with others, and we believe in the University and its mission.
BRANDING AND STYLE
Just as branding is important on material items distributed by the University such as shirts, uniforms, decals, and more, branding on social media is also important. The University should have a unified voice across all social media platforms.
PROFILE AND COVER PHOTOS
Upon creation of a new social media account, the Office of Marketing and Public Relations will provide a picture that is to be used as the profile picture on all accounts. Cover photos can be selected by the organization but must be relevant and of high quality.
NAMING CONVENTIONS
All Twitter and Instagram accounts created to represent a department, organization, or team on campus must include “GSU” within their handle.
Example: @GSUSocialSciences, @GSU_activities, @GSU_softball
Facebook accounts should be named as, “The Glenville State University Department of [insert department]” or “The Glenville State University [insert organization or athletic team].”
BIOS AND DESCRIPTIONS
All social media accounts representing the college should have a completed bio stating their affiliation with Glenville State University.
Example: “The official Instagram account for the Glenville State University [insert].”
All bios must also include a link to www.glenville.edu.
PHOTO AND VIDEO QUALITY
Part of branding and style is producing high-quality content across all platforms. Photos should be high-resolution, tastefully edited, and positively highlight the college. Avoid posting content that is irrelevant, blurry, pixelated, or overexposed.
Photos of children should be avoided, and personally identifiable shots should not be posted without written consent from the child’s parent or guardian. Photos/videos portraying violence, controlled substances, and obscenity should not be posted. Avoid posting content that may represent an individual negatively. Proper copyright should be given to photos/videos that are not owned by the person who is posting them.
GSU HASHTAGS
A hashtag is a type of metadata tag used to classify and categorize text. The following hashtags are associated with Glenville State University:
#IAmGSU #PioneerNation #GoPioneers #GlenvilleViews #PioneersGoPlaces #instaGSU
ENGAGING ON SOCIAL MEDIA
BE AUTHENTIC
Use simple, straightforward language when posting on all GSU social media platforms. Maintain a positive attitude, but remain honest and transparent. Only post factual information. Avoid using exaggerations, “hype,” and all caps when posting. Remember that you are protecting the reputation and mission of the University.
POST RELEVANT CONTENT
One of the most critical aspects of social media is appealing to your audience. The social media of GSU has an audience of prospective students, current students, donors, alumni, and more, making it essential to create content that is relevant to each group. Ask yourself the following questions before posting:
- Does what I am posting align with the values of the University?
- How is this relevant to Glenville State University?
- Will my audience find this post helpful, entertaining, inspirational, or engaging?
- Could there be potential for backlash?
Not all messages belong on all channels -- Tailor relevant information to the appropriate social media platform. Relevant information may include GSU press releases and news articles, events, reminders, accomplishments, student/faculty/staff highlights, and photos and videos about the college.
STRIVE FOR ACCURACY
Ensure that all information is accurate before posting. Fact-check any statistics and numbers. Check for spelling, punctuation, and any other grammatical errors that may exist. Having a second person look at the posts before releasing them is a great way to avoid any embarrassing factual or grammatical errors.
MAINTAIN CONFIDENTIALITY
Do not post confidential information about Glenville State University, its students, alumni, or fellow employees. Use good ethical judgment and follow the University's policies and federal requirements, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Never post personal information such as addresses or phone numbers and always be aware of copyright and trademark laws.
MONITOR CONTENT
All social media accounts should be monitored daily for negative comments or messages. Questions, comments, and concerns should be addressed respectfully. At times, it may be more appropriate to take a passive approach to negativity. If you have questions regarding how to respond to negative feedback, contact the Office of Marketing and Public Relations.
NETWORK-SPECIFIC GUIDELINES
- Keep content brief. Posts that include photos, videos, or albums perform better than those without.
- Keep in mind that your audience may not see your content the day that it is posted. Avoid using terms such as “today” and “tomorrow” to keep the content relevant for a more extended time.
- When posting links to Facebook, wait until the link preview has appeared with an image and then delete the hyperlink from the text. If a photo is not pulled from the article automatically, upload the appropriate photo manually. Do not post a link without a photo.
- Do not like your content.
- There is a 280 character limit on Twitter, so tweets should be kept direct and relevant. With that being said, do not sacrifice grammar in regard to the 280 character limit. Avoid abbreviations and using all caps. Referring to Glenville State University as "GSU" is appropriate.
- Only @mention relevant and active accounts.
- Shorten all links using bitly.com. Acknowledge the link using a colon (:) or a call to action.
- Limit hashtag use to one or two hashtags per tweet. See “GSU Hashtags” above for a list of approved hashtags to use.
- Contractions and the use of the ampersand (&) are permissible for Twitter.
- Include high-quality images with your tweets. Tweets that contain images have a higher engagement rate than those without.
- Emojis are permitted, but should be used tastefully.
- Instagram is primarily a photo-sharing platform; therefore, the focus should be placed on posting high-quality images that help capture the true essence of the College. National holidays, campus shots, student/faculty highlights, and sporting events are all relevant and engaging content for Instagram. Aim to show the “human side” of Glenville State University.
- Note that Instagram is not desktop friendly, meaning that you can only post from a smartphone or tablet.
- Utilize at least one hashtag per post (see “GSU Hashtags"). Avoid using more than two hashtags per post.
- Do not like your content.
- Avoid posting pictures of flyers on your feed. These images should be reserved for Instagram stories, as they are time-sensitive and will become irrelevant quickly.
CREATING AN ACCOUNT
Any organization, department, or athletic team on campus who would like to create an account that will be affiliated with the college must go through the Office of Marketing and Public Relations first. Each account should have a designated administrator responsible for keeping the account active and relevant. The Office of Marketing and Public Relations will have access to all accounts, which are owned by the University. This ensures that if an employee leaves Glenville State University, we maintain access to the account.
ADMINISTRATORS
Faculty/staff must remain administrators on all accounts. If a student has access to an account, they should only have contributor privileges and must get all content approved by the faculty/staff administrator before posting. It is recommended that no more than two people have access to an account at once. This prevents double-posting, irrelevant posting, and security problems.
Before creating an account, it is essential to consider whether you have the time and resources to maintain the account(s) to the high standard of the University. Maintaining an active social media presence involves producing new, engaging content regularly, monitoring comments, questions, and suggestions, and engaging with followers. Goals and objectives should be created to ensure that the content being produced is timely and consistent. Your social media accounts should not be an after-thought.
INACTIVE ACCOUNTS
All accounts must remain active. Social media accounts with no activity for more than 30 days will be asked to be taken down, as they reflect poorly on the University. If you have any questions about maintaining your social media account, content creation, or addressing a comment/complaint, please contact the Office of Marketing and Public Relations.
PREEXISTING ACCOUNTS
Accounts that are already established under the University are subject to follow the same guidelines as newly created accounts. Appropriate logos will be provided by the Office of Marketing and Public Relations. Existing accounts that are inactive are subject to be taken down if not claimed and made active again. Please direct any questions or concerns regarding your current social media account(s) to the Office of Marketing and Public Relations.
Existing accounts that have not completed an updated information form from the Office of Marketing and Public Relations should do so as soon as possible.
This guide is expected to evolve with the ever-changing landscape of social media and will be updated regularly. For any questions concerning social media, please contact the Office of Marketing and Public Relations.
Updated Spring 2022