暗网吃瓜 Social Media Guide

Don’t forget: It’s a conversation!

Social media allows its audiences to create connections with each other, with those connections鈥搕hat social network鈥揵ecoming as important or more important than the actual content on the site. Social media is not about pushing out your content as you would in a printed piece like a brochure or even on a traditional website. It is about allowing our users to have conversations with each other and with the University as an institution around content that is shareable, relevant, and engaging.

Find tips for how to get started

Know your social platforms

The number and variety of social networking platforms change constantly. Here is an introduction to the most popular social sites. And while no one can say what the future of Facebook or Twitter or TikTok will be in the next two or five or ten years, it does seem clear that the idea behind social media鈥攖hat people will use the web not just to find information but to form and sustain relationships鈥攊s not going away.

Explore networks

Best practices

When creating content on University social media accounts, be useful, transparent, responsive, timely, friendly, and strategic.

Follow best practices

Planning your content

Any social media channel鈥攁 Facebook page, a Twitter account, a YouTube channel鈥攊s a content beast that must be fed. And being social can be hard work if you don鈥檛 have a plan.

Have a plan

Voice and tone

We鈥檙e certainly not in the business of policing the voice and tone of the University鈥檚 official and 鈥渙fficial-ish鈥� social media accounts. However, we ask you to consider having a designated voice and tone for social media, which can give your social media posts purpose, direction, and a point of view.

Think about voice and tone

Measuring your success

There鈥檚 a relatively low barrier to entry when it comes to social media. Almost anyone can start an account for an organization, department, or group. But because social media requires time and resources, you want to make sure your efforts are worthwhile.

Basic steps for measuring and analytics

Ensuring accessibility

Over 40 million Americans鈥攁bout 12.7 percent of the population鈥攚ere living with a disability in 2017, according to the U.S. Census. To live up to the University of Rochester鈥檚 values of access and openness, our digital content鈥攊ncluding social media posts鈥攎ust be usable by everyone.

Make your social media content accessible

Facebook posting policy

The University Marketing and Communications social media team has established guidelines for public posts on the official 暗网吃瓜 Facebook page, and encourages other social media managers to adopt policies they can monitor and enforce.

Find a sample posting policy

Questions?

Have questions about how to get started managing social media accounts for the University, or suggestions and ideas to share? We would love to hear from you.

Contact our team

暗网吃瓜

Social Media User鈥檚 Guide

How to get started with social media