Social Media Best Practices and Compliance
This page is intended to help guide university colleges, departments, units, programs, centers and entities to effectively use social media for official university communication.
Social media can be an effective way to communicate, promote and brand NC State to multiple audiences across and outside the university, while also letting us connect directly and immediately with students, faculty, staff, parents, fans and friends about what is important to them.
Best Practices
Have at least two admins
Having multiple account administrators for every social media account will ensure that the account can continue to thrive and be updated regularly, even if one of the existing administrators is not available or changes jobs.
Be accurate
Make sure that you have all the facts before you post. It’s better to verify information with a source first than to have to post a correction or retraction later. Cite and link to your sources whenever possible.
Realize your posts are public
There is no such thing as a truly private post on social media. Search engines can turn up posts for years after the publication date. Posts can be forwarded, copied or screenshot. In addition, as an employee of a public institution, your social media accounts are subject to the North Carolina Public Records Act. Be sure that what you post will not come back to haunt you or the university.
Be transparent
If you participate in or maintain a social media account on behalf of the department or unit, clearly state your role and goals. Keep in mind that if you are posting with a university username, other users view what you post as coming from the university. Your posts directly reflect on NC State. The line between professional and personal business is sometimes blurred. If you create social media accounts to conduct university business as an individual, be sure to identify yourself as a university employee.
Optimize your content
Consider how users engage on each social platform. Content that works well on LinkedIn may not work well on Instagram. For example, you can’t post links in the Instagram feed, so you may want to adapt your web story into a video for Instagram Reels. Think about how you can optimize your content to create the best experience for the user.
Be timely
Account administrators should regularly monitor and engage with comments, messages, tags and mentions. Post regularly. The recommended frequency varies by platform, but two to three posts per week is a good minimum posting cadence for most platforms.
Be responsible
What you write is ultimately your responsibility — but remember that it reflects on NC State. Participation in social media on behalf of NC State is not a right but an opportunity. As a representative of NC State, you have more responsibility than average users about what you post on social media. Realize that there can be consequences for things that you communicate online.
Respect others
NC State encourages freedom of expression and recognizes the value of diverse opinions. Users are free to discuss topics and disagree with one another, but please be respectful of others’ opinions. Don’t post material that is profane, libelous, obscene, threatening, abusive, harassing, hateful, defamatory or embarrassing to anyone.
Be a valued community member
If you use your social media account to comment on someone’s post, make sure it is appropriate for you to comment in your capacity as a representative of NC State and that you are contributing valuable insights.
Keep your personal views separate
Uphold the university’s mission and values in your activities. Don’t include political comments or comments on social issues, and do not conduct any political activities on behalf of any party or candidate. Do not represent your personal opinions as being endorsed by the university or any of its organizations.
Be thoughtful
If you have any questions about whether it is appropriate to write about certain kinds of material in your role as an NC State employee, ask your supervisor before you post.
Know the rules
Become familiar with the terms of service and policies of the social media sites and networks in which you participate. Pay attention to updates.
Adhere to the NC State brand
If you are creating a social media account on behalf of your department or unit, please use official logos and graphics that represent and adhere to the university brand guidelines. Whenever possible, “North Carolina State University” or “NC State” should be listed prior to the department or unit name.
Sources
These guidelines were compiled from numerous university perspectives, as well as published sources from both within NC State and externally.
The following published sources are used throughout the social media guidelines:
- Best Practices for Social Media Usage in North Carolina: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/best-practices-state-agency-social-media-usage-north-carolina/open/
- University Branding Guidelines: https://brand.ncsu.edu/
- DePaul University: https://resources.depaul.edu/brand/brand-standards/Pages/Guidelines.aspx
- University of Michigan: https://socialmedia.umich.edu/policy-guidelines/
- Clemson University: https://www.clemson.edu/marketing-and-communications/policies-and-resources/index.html/
- Colorado State: https://policylibrary.colostate.edu/policy.aspx?id=497
Compliance
Communicating on behalf of a public university brings with it special responsibilities, even on social media. Keep these things in mind to maintain compliance with university and state policies, regulations and laws:
Keep confidential matters private
Do not post proprietary information about NC State, including information about students, alumni or employees. Remember that most records related to students are protected from disclosure by FERPA, and disclosing any personally identifiable student education records through social media is a violation of FERPA. Information collected in connection with research may be protected under a nondisclosure agreement, research protocol or other applicable law or agreement.
Archive your content
As a public agency, NC State University has a responsibility to retain records for public inspection. That responsibility extends to content posted on official university social media channels. Archiving is the responsibility of the account administrator.
Get approval before endorsing any product, vendor or site
Do not use social media to endorse or promote any product, vendor, or site unless you have obtained permission to do so. For more information, review the university’s regulation on Use of the University’s Names, Marks, Symbols, Images, and Copyrights and the Trademark Licensing Rules.
Respect trademarks and copyright
Always give people proper credit for their work, and make sure you have the right to use something before you share it. Secure written permission prior to using/incorporating any copyrighted or proprietary materials except when such material is covered under Fair Use provisions. If you are unsure whether certain content is protected by intellectual property laws, contact the Director of the Open Knowledge Center or the Office of General Counsel.
Keep in mind other university policies
These guidelines do not affect other university policies, regulations, or rules that might apply to the use of social media, including but not limited to the Use of IT Resources Policy; Computer Use Regulation; Copyright Regulation; Use of the University’s Names, Marks, Symbols, Images, and Copyrights; Trademark Licensing Rules; University Record Retention and Disposition Regulations; and Equal Opportunity, Non-Discrimination and Affirmative Action Policy.