Social Media Guidelines
Social Media Guidelines 2
Table of Contents 2
Executive Summary 3
Part 1: Using social media 4
Section 1: Behavioural Standards and Responsibilities 4 Section 2: Service and Response Expectations
of Social Media 6
Section 3: Technical Standards 7
Section 4: Applying to use UWS Branded
Social Media 8
Part 2: Managing social media 9
Section 5: Management and Approval Process 9
Section 6: Moderation 10
Section 7: Social Media Marketing 10
Section 8: Points of Presence 11
Section 9: Monitoring and Review Procedures 12
Section 10: Communication 13
Appendix A 14
Social Media Project Brief 14
Social Media Project Brief Template 15
Next Steps 18
Executive Summary
Social media refers to the phenomenon by which people gather in online communities of shared interest and create, share or consume content. With the rapid growth and application of social media as an important communication medium, the University recognises the need for guidelines which clearly outline expectations for appropriate use. Importantly, any presence that UWS has in the public space has the potential to impact on the University’s public reputation. The Office of Engagement and Partnerships is responsible for managing and ensuring the protection of the brand and is therefore providing organisational leadership and guidance on social media initiatives.
The purpose of this document is to provide UWS
representatives (which includes staff, students, contractors and employees of UWS entities) with guidelines for the use of social media as part of their role at the University (official use). This document may also be used as a guide for UWS representatives engaging in personal use of social media technologies (unofficial use).
Due to the dynamic nature of social media and rapid
advancements in technology development, these documents should be considered working documents and will be updated regularly to reflect the changing needs and trends of social media use and application.
This document is divided into two parts based on information which is relevant to:
» UWS staff seeking to use social media;
» UWS Office of Engagement and Partnerships staff managing social media requests.
The Social Media Guidelines should be read in conjunction with the following UWS policies:
» UWS Code of Conduct » Media Policy
» IT Acceptable Use of Resources Policy » Bullying Prevention Policy and Guidelines » Privacy Policy
» UWS Web Policy » Copyright Policy
» Intellectual Property Policy
Should you have any questions regarding the Social Media Guidelines, please contact Deborah Moldrich, Contact Services Manager, on 02 9852 5120 or
The University supports and encourages constructive, open dialogue and the exchange of ideas between staff at all levels within the organisation and beyond. One channel of communication is through participation in social media. These standards are to inform UWS representatives of the University’s advised approach to effective and appropriate participation in social media.
Official versus unofficial use
Official use constitutes the use of social media when done so under the banner of UWS, for the purposes of your role, whether this is through UWS supported technology in a UWS web supported environment or through an external vendor/ external site.
Unofficial use constitutes the personal use of social media outside the realms of UWS and not for the purpose of your role. In these cases, however, it is important to note that if you represent yourself as a UWS agent and/or discuss matters relating to UWS in the public space you may be held accountable for any comments that breech UWS policies and procedures.
In circumstances where you are publishing content on a University related topic to your own social media pages such as a blog or Facebook™, and followers are aware you are a UWS representative, it is advisable that you use a standard disclaimer such as “The postings on this site are my own opinions and views and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the University of Western Sydney”.
Express your thoughts and opinions
but respect others
Representatives of UWS are invited to express their opinions and ideas and at the same time the University expects that you will do so in an appropriate manner which both contributes to, and is relevant to, the discussion taking place. The University respects your right to have an opinion and we trust that you will respect the rights of colleagues and others to have and express their opinions.
Comments that are, or could be considered, offensive, discriminatory, profane, obscene, indecent, defamatory or illegal will be immediately removed (where possible) or requested to be removed and followed up with the staff member. This applies to both offical and unoffical use. Depending on the nature of the inappropriate comment, further action may be required in accordance with UWS policies.
It is worth remembering that comments that would be deemed inappropriate in normal conversation are no different in the online or social media environment. As in normal conversation, it is always wise to pause and think about what you want to say before responding or commenting.
Stick to your area of expertise
Whilst the University respects your right to have an opinion on any topic, we advise that when it comes to commenting on a University related topic or an academic topic beyond your area of expertise that you make it clear to readers that your comment is purely your opinion. Please refer to the Media Policy for information on ‘academic freedoms’.
If you are presented with an online discussion / comment or social media page that is outside your area of expertise and you believe warrants a reply by the University, please contact [email protected] and it will be followed up.
Respect copyright, Intellectual property
Please do not post, or seek to post, content that includes material that is not your original work or that in any way infirnges copyright or the intellectual property of another person without proper due reference and/or acknowledgment of that work. Please refer to the Copyright Policy and the Intellectual Property Policy for more information.
Generating excitement
The University’s mission is to be a university of international standing and outlook, achieving excellence through scholarship, teaching, learning, research and service to its regional, national and international communities, beginning with the people of Greater Western Sydney. Social media provides a unique opportunity for us to share what we are doing with the world. We trust and expect that staff will participate in social media in accordance with these guidelines.
Part 1: Using social media
Your responsibility
Remember, what you write is ultimately your responsibility. Whilst the University respects the right of its representatives to participate in social media, you will be held accountable for anything you publish (on official and unofficial social media sites) that breaches either of the UWS policies.
The University’s rights
On any social media platforms managed by UWS (within UWS web space/control), the University reserves the right to edit, delete, reject or remove any content (including comments, images, videos, etc) which you post or seek to post that breaches the Social Media Guidelines or University policies. If you believe that content posted by a UWS representative is inappropriate or has in some way breached these guidelines and / or University policies, please contact the Social Media Work Group so the comment can be reviewed.
Use of Social Media in Learning and Teaching
Please consult your College Web Coordinator to discuss your social media requirements.
There is an expectation of immediacy in communication and interaction when utilising social media. As such, the servicing of social media sites requires sufficient resources to ensure appropriate levels of service responsiveness and activity.
» Response times – There should be a minimal
turnaround time to reply to any posts/comments that require a response. Expected response times will be dependent on the type of social media, for example, a question posted on a Facebook™ site would be best answered as soon as possible or within 24 hours whereas a response to a blog post may be acceptable up to a week later.
» Frequency of posting/updating information – There should be regular posting of content / interaction on social media sites in order to sustain user interest and user group following. Sites that are left inactive for long periods of time will not prove successful.
All known social media sites will be listed on a UWS Social Media Register administered by the Social Media Work Group (see Section 9 for further information). The Office of Engagement and Partnerships Contact Service Centre will monitor these sites on a regular basis to confirm if the sites are being supported in accordance with the service and response expectations outlined above. If service and response expectations are not being met, the Social Media Work Group may contact the site representative to discuss opportunities for social media user engagement and/or whether the continuation of the site is necessary.
The Web Services Unit (WSU) is able to provide UWS branded templates for various social media sites (e.g. Facebook™ Groups and Twitter™).
Where units seek to use a social media application with no standard template, or chose to use external vendors to develop a social media site, the following technical information on approach and standards, best practice, and hosting requirements must be adhered to. The WSU, given sufficient notice, is able to provide information to external vendors on the brand requirements if necessary.
Over-arching technical principles
All web development should conform to web validation on its relevant doctype. Please see the W3C validator at http:// validator.w3.org/
Blogging
At present UWS does not have a supported blogging solution, however there are instances of UWS-branded ‘Typepad’ blogs being used. There is a supported wiki product (an online collaboration tool) called Confluence which has some limited blogging capability.
Depending upon the association of the blog and the University, and whether or not the blogger is representing the University, pre-built authorised templates should be used by default. These templates are built to web accessibility standards; styling and design conventions of the University; and/or include the University logo.
The blogging solution should validate correctly to W3C standards with no errors on its (X)HTML document type and its CSS validation where possible. The validator is available here: http://validator.w3.org/ and http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/
The blogging solution must maintain compatibility with Internet Explorer 7+, Firefox 3+ and Safari 4+ (these are the most popular web browsers at the time of document publication). Please check with the WSU for the current minimum browser compatibility requirements should you believe these to be out of date.
Social Media customisation
All social media customisations (such as Facebook™ Groups, Twitter™ pages, etc) representing the University should follow University brand themes.
There is currently very little HTML and web development required for such customisations, and usually only involve the changing of colours / images on the page. However, should this change in the future and further customisation becomes possible, W3C standards should apply.
All stylistic themes should follow the W3C colour (contrast) principles.
Integration of social media into websites
All implementations of social media (using API’s, widgets, etc) should be approved by the relevant business owner of the page it is embedded in.
Social media widgets must come from an official, trusted source, and not a third party or unknown provider (for security purposes).
Integrated widgets must conform to the UWS Web Policy and W3C Accessibility standards. This includes not interfering with the accessibility or web validation of the page in which it is embedded.
Widgets must not adversely impact the presentation of the page or impact significantly upon any approved style or template. If you are unsure please check with your Web Coordinator.
Hosting
An Information Architecture and Strategic Planning (IASP) Work Request must be submitted to request internal hosting support. Please contact the ITS Service Desk for further details – [email protected]
Technical Expertise
It is the responsibility of the business owner to have prior knowledge of any functionality needed to operate a social network.
Business owners are responsible for providing a project brief when requesting support for setting up a branded social media site. Please see Appendix A for further information. Please submit the project brief to [email protected] If you require assistance, please contact your WSU Web Coordinator.
The final decision to approve any UWS branded social media lies with the Director, Engagement and Partnerships.
Project briefs should be emailed to [email protected] where they will be reviewed by members of the Social Media Work Group before being escalated to the Director, Office of Engagement and Partnerships, for final consideration.
Moderation
See Section 6.
Monitoring and Review Procedures
See Section 9.
Social Media Register
The Social Media Work Group will administer and update a register of all social media sites both official and unofficial that relate to the University of Western Sydney. All official sites will have a contact person listed whom is responsible for the site. See Section 9 Monitoring and Review Procedures for more information.
Part 2: Managing social media
Section 5: Management and Approval Process
The Social Media Work Group and Office of Engagement and Partnerships reserves the right to remove (or request to be removed) any content published on official UWS branded social media sites which is not in accordance with the Social Media Guidelines and / or UWS policies. The response to suspected or known breaches of UWS policies will be governed by the University’s General and Academic Staff Agreements.
All official sites listed on the UWS Social Media Register will be reviewed by the Contact Service Centre on a regular basis to check that published content is in accordance with the Social Media Guidelines and relevant UWS policies. Should the review identify any content that does not meet these guidelines or UWS policies, a member of the Social Media Work Group may contact the business owner to make recommendations for amending the content.
In addition, if any content or page constitutes a potential risk to business continuity for the University, a recommendation for pulling the information down or terminating the page will be made to the business owner.
The Office of Engagement and Partnerships coordinates the creation and execution of all social media marketing strategies. To request support for a campaign, please complete the Social Media Project Brief (see Appendix A). Completing the brief will enable the Office of Engagement and Partnerships to develop an appropriate marketing strategy delivering on key requirements as outlined below.
Analytics/Measurement
Standard key performance indicators (KPIs) are developed for all marketing activities undertaken for social media.
Brand Guidelines
The UWS Brand Guidelines must be adhered to in the development of creative for all marketing and advertising campaigns and official social media sites. Please refer to http://staff.uws.edu.au/staff/visualidentity or contact the iMedia and Design Unit for support. Branding must also be consistent with UWS Web Style Guide.
Internal Promotion and Communication
Communications Plan Template to be completed, refer to http://www.uws.edu.au/project_management_methodology
Promotion Strategies
It is important that a consistent message is promoted across all channels, and there are reciprocal links between all social media platforms and communication channels. Support is available from the Office of Engagement and Partnerships.
Process for submitting brief
The recommended timeframe is to submit a brief 30 calendar days ahead of delivery. The brief should be emailed to [email protected]
Please see Section 5 Management and Approval Process.
There is the opportunity for social media links to have a presence across the UWS web space on relevant pages and mini-sites. The logo / widget placement must be consistent with Visual Identity and Web Style Guide and the specifications of the social media provider. Presence or location of links and widgets will be approved through the formal approval process. It will also be reviewed whether there should be a presence to the social media site on the UWS website.
Embedding Social Media
In some instances it may be appropriate for a social media tool to be embedded in the UWS website. This decision will be reviewed through the formal approval process and will consider UWS Web Policy, brand implications, technical requirements, and cost.
Informal Monitoring
The Social Media Work Group will informally monitor new/ existing/developing social media on an ongoing basis. Informal monitoring includes:
» Reading articles and blog sites » Attending conferences
» Joining social media research groups.
Formal Monitoring
All social media sites that refer to the University of Western Sydney, both official and unofficial, will be kept on a UWS Social Media Registry.
All official sites will be reviewed by the Contact Service Centre on monthly basis (high traffic sites may be monitored weekly or fortnightly or as required) to check that published content is in accordance with relevant University policies and social media guidelines, particularly that sites are being updated in accordance with the service and response expectations outlined in Section 2.
All unofficial sites will also be monitored regularly to determine what, if any, impact the content of these sites may have on the University’s reputation. Should you be aware of an unofficial site which includes content about UWS (e.g. www. boredofstudies.org.au), please inform the Social Media Working Group via [email protected] so that the site can be added to the register.
Section 9: Monitoring and Review Procedures
Review
The Social Media Working Group will meet quarterly or as frequently as needed depending on the social media climate. Review will be included as an agenda item and will include the following items for discussion:
» Changes in social media trends and technologies (new, popular, etc)
» Recommendations for improvement to current practices
» Specific social media sites that are no longer relevant and review if support is still required (decision to terminate site)
» Changes and updates required for the Social Media Guidelines
» Identify / raise general issues.
Implement
Recommendations put forward by the Social Media Working Group will be sent to the Executive Director, Engagement and Partnerships, for approval.
The Social Media Working Group will endeavour to keep abreast of social media technologies and trends and share this information with the University community.
Information will be made available through the following locations:
» Web Services Unit home page
» Staff Pages - UWS Social Media Del.icio.us page for the Social Media Work Group to bookmark relevant social media links
» Email - contact the Social Media Work Group by email through [email protected]
» Distribution List – web form available to submit expressions of interest in joining the Social Media distribution list.
The UWS Community is also encouraged to attend the Web Services Unit Forums to keep up to date with UWS web initiatives.
The Social Media Project Brief is designed to document the benefits and value of the request for a Social Media campaign. By focusing on benefits from the outset, the team can be sure that they identify everything that needs to be done to deliver the final business results.
The Social Media Project Brief has been developed in accordance with UWS Web Policy, UWS Social Media Guidelines, and UWS Web Style Guide.
The Social Media Project Brief must be produced within the Initiating Stage of a Social Media lifecycle (minimum 30 calendar days before the go live date). The Social Media Project Brief is authorised by the Project Manager and the Executive Director, Office of Engagement and Partnerships. If you have any questions while completing the brief, please use the below contact information:
Deborah Moldrich
Contact Services Manager 02 9852 5120 [email protected] Amy Scott Web Coordinator 02 4620 3229 [email protected]
Social Media Project Brief Template
Contact Details of Business Owner Name:
UWS Staff ID: Role: Unit: Division: Phone Number: Mobile: Email: Rationale What is the purpose?
Who is your target audience (please be specific, e.g. age, location, income, etc)
What is your project budget?
What is your time frame? (Include key dates such as proposed launch date)
What are the implications if the campaign is not live by that date?
What is the pull down date? (If no pull down date, advise how this will be supported / resourced)
If pull down date, will the campaign be a recurring request? If yes, what is the anticipated need over an annual cycle?
How many people do you expect to interact with the campaign (weekly)?
Public Awareness (for example Search Engine Optimisation)
Website Access (e.g. generating traffic to a specific UWS page)
Customer/Client/Stakeholder Enquiries Sales
Email Subscriptions Bookings/Registrations Other (please specify)
Are there any reporting requirements?
Site Domain Name
A domain name is your intended internet address (for example www.uws.edu.au). Do you require a domain name? Y / N (If yes, continue. If no, go to Creative Brief) Do you have a current domain name? Y / N
What is the domain name you would like to have for your Social Media Campaign? http:// ___________ .uws.edu.au
http://www.uws.edu.au/__________ http://myfuture.uws.edu.au/_______
Creative Brief What is the expected look and feel (e.g. fresh,
contemporary, bright, etc)
Tone and Manner – what is the communication style you want this campaign to convey? Is there any specific colour scheme required? (If Yes, please explain)
What images do you want presented on the campaign pages?
Do you have images for the site? If yes, please attach.
Is the campaign linking with another corporate company? If yes, do they have a corporate design/look and feel?
Do you have any sample / preferred social media sites that you can provide as a reference point?
Do you have marketing material that will link to the site? (E.g. print, newspaper advertising, etc). If you have copies of the creative, please attach.
Competitors Who is directly and indirectly competing and what
are they doing? (provide examples of advertising and other activity if available)
Customer/client promise – what is the one thing (or more, if applicable) that you can promise that you know your competition cannot? (if there is nothing, then say no)
Issues, Constraints and Risks List any issues to be taken into account when
considering the potential implementation of the ‘Rationale’ (note: this may include barriers of a specific target audience you are wanting to interact with)
List any constraints to be taken into account when considering the potential implementation of the above
List any risks (e.g. business, safety, regulatory) to be taken into account when considering the potential implementation of the above
Assumptions and Requirements List any assumptions to be taken into account
when considering the potential implementation of the above.
Requirements – elements that must be included (e.g. logo, CRICOS code, contact details, etc.)
Workflow Management How often are you considering making updates to
the campaign? (e.g. Messaging fans/followers) How many people will need to have access to make the updates?
Is an approval process required for the publishing of content?
If yes, who is the person that will approve for publishing to the web?
Software Requirements If there are software requirements, please list
them.
Marketing and Communication Opportunities Will you be requesting banner rotation on the
Future Students or Corporate Site?
What, if any, Digital Media advertising will you be requesting to support the site?
What, if any, non Digital Media advertising will you be requesting to support the site?
Do you require any specific reporting requirements for the performance of the advertising? If yes, please specify.
Next Steps
Submit your brief to [email protected] Your brief will be reviewed and you will be contacted by a member of the Social Media Work Group.
