Guidelines

Purpose

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) seeks to ensure all official UAB social media accounts (OUSMA) align with our identity standards and strategic goals, provide opportunities for two-way communication with our audiences, and comply with all applicable policies and state and federal requirements.

Policy

Social media is one of the many communication methods used by UAB to share information, engage with its audiences, and create a sense of community among followers. OUSMAs provide the opportunity for easy and instantaneous, two-way communication with prospective and current students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents of prospective and current students, media and other audiences. Social media allows UAB to share information, raise awareness of our mission and values, and build support within local, national and international communities.

UAB is committed to free and open inquiry and expression for members of its campus communities—faculty, staff, and students. Except as limitations on that freedom are appropriate to the functioning of the campuses and permissible under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, UAB respects and supports the freedom of all members of its campus community "to discuss any problem that presents itself." This policy is not intended to restrict free speech or the free expression of ideas; it will be interpreted and implemented with First Amendment protections and academic freedom principles in mind.

Official University Social Media Accounts

Creating an Official University Social Media Account

OUSMAs created after the effective date of this policy must first be approved by Marketing & Communications. Anyone seeking to create an OUSMA must complete the Social Media Account Request Form for review and approval. All requests will be evaluated by the Director of Social Media Strategy or their designee based on the proposed content of the account and how it relates to UAB's overall strategic goals. The requestor will receive written approval or denial of their request within sixty (60) days from the date of submission.

OUSMAs created after the effective date of this policy without prior approval by Marketing & Communications will be subject to review, amendment, and/or removal.

Personal email addresses or faculty/staff/student University email addresses should only be used when necessary or as a secondary contact on an account. When possible, OUSMAs should be associated with a generic University email address (example: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). When setting up new OUSMAs, account manager(s) are required to follow the Social Media Guidelines.

Existing Official University Social Media Accounts

OUSMAs created prior to the effective date of this policy are not required to submit the Social Media Account Request Form. However, all other portions of this policy are applicable to these accounts. These accounts must comply with this policy within sixty (60) days from the effective policy date.

Management of Social Media Accounts

The unit creating the OUSMA must designate at least one (1) full-time faculty or staff member as the account manager. OUSMAs may be co-managed by students with the supervision of a UAB faculty or staff member. OUSMA manager(s) must be well versed in this policy and the UAB's Social Media Guidelines and are responsible for all account content, monitoring account engagement on a consistent basis, and ensuring the account is in compliance with this policy.

In addition to the full-time faculty or staff member acting as the account manager(s), OUSMAs must have at least two (2) full-time UAB faculty or staff members with login information (user name and password) and account access at all times. All account login information should be maintained with the highest level of security.

Units must change account passwords immediately when an account manager or person with login information for an OUSMA separates from the University or unit or is no longer allowed access to the OUSMA for any reason.

Account manager(s) are not allowed to post official announcements on OUSMAs that have not already been announced by UAB Marketing & Communications. This includes situations where the UAB is waiting to officially release information to the public and/or members of the press.

Moderating Comments

When an OUSMA posts on a social media platform, a public forum may be created. As a public institution, the University must afford opportunities for constitutionally protected speech. For this reason, constitutionally protected comments and remarks to a public post that allows commenting may not be removed or hidden by OUSMAs.

However, social media platforms often have community standards that may drive the platform to unilaterally remove a comment or post. Additionally, the University and OUSMAs shall have the right, but not the obligation, to remove comments or posts that contain unprotected speech, including obscenity, harassment, illegal activity, and defamation or other falsehoods.

For concerns about content posted on OUSMAs or questions regarding content moderation, please get in touch with Maree Jones, Director of Social Media Strategy, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Social Media Account Directory

Marketing & Communications shall maintain a Social Media Directory. All OUSMAs must be registered with the Social Media Directory by submitting a Social Media Directory Request Form.

The following is required information to be maintained by Marketing & Communications for each OUSMA (note that account manager information will not be publicly posted on the Social Media Directory website for privacy reasons):

Name of the Unit
All social media accounts (examples: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok, etc.)
Social media account name(s)
University email for the account(s)
Name, email, and phone numbers (work and mobile) for all account manager(s)

For OUSMAs created after the policy effective date, the Social Media Directory Request Form must be submitted within five (5) business days from the date a new account is created. For existing OUSMAs, the Social Media Directory Request Form must be submitted within thirty (30) days from the effective policy date.

Any changes to the information listed in the Social Media Account Directory for an OUSMA must be updated immediately by emailing the changes to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Marketing & Communications shall record all Directory listings and changes.

Brand Standards

OUSMAs must adhere to UAB's Brand Guidelines and Social Media Guidelines.

Paid Social Media Marketing

All questions about paid social media marketing, promoted content or boosted posts can be directed to our Marketing Department.

Compliance

OUSMAs must comply with all applicable laws, regulations and policies, emphasizing those related to computer use, privacy, and human resources.

UAB is also committed and obligated to the principle of institutional control in operating its athletics program in a manner consistent with the letter and spirit of NCAA, AAC, and University rules and regulations. All interactions between UAB and student-athletes or prospective student-athletes are governed by the aforementioned rules and regulations.

The NCAA has determined that an institutional department other than athletics (such as admissions, schools/colleges, etc.) may send electronic correspondence that is not private (such as a public post/repost, tweet/retweet, like/favorite) at any time, provided the institution's athletics department is not involved in any way, and the correspondence is not created for recruiting purposes. If you are not sure whether you should share/post something regarding a prospective student-athlete, refrain from sharing/posting.

Copyright

OUSMAs must comply with UAB's copyright policies. Do not plagiarize. Attribute sources by linking to the website where the original content was generated. Likewise, do not use pictures, images, audio, or other intellectual property that the University does not own or have a license and/or permission to use.

Accessibility

OUSMAs must comply with the UAB's Web Resources Accessibility Policy.

Privacy

OUSMAs must comply with all applicable state and federal laws, including but not limited to FERPA, HIPAA, GDPR, and official UAB privacy statements and policies.

Website Security

OUSMAs must comply with the security standards set by UAB IT and any current UAB security policies or any security policies implemented in the future.

Account Inactivity & Platform Removal

OUSMAs must comply with the Social Media Guidelines related to account inactivity. If an OUSMA account is closed, an account manager must immediately notify the Director of Social Media Strategy by filling out the social media support form.

UAB shall also have the right to separate itself from any social media platform that no longer serves its strategic goals, in which case Marketing & Communications may require all OUSMAs on a particular platform be closed in accordance with the Social Media Guidelines.

If an account is unclaimed or has been inactive for some time, Marketing & Communications may take steps to forcibly remove the account from the social media platform.

Employee Personal Social Media Accounts

If faculty and staff identify themselves as employees of UAB on their social media profiles, they are encouraged to clarify that content posted on their social media accounts is representative of their personal views and/or opinions and not the views/opinions of The University of Alabama at Birmingham. When using these accounts, faculty and staff should comply with Board Rule 304 and consider their commitment to the UAB's Code of Conduct.

Faculty/staff/students publishing content on their personal social media accounts related to their work at UAB are encouraged to use the disclaimers provided below.

Disclaimer for account bios or comments: The views expressed on this [post/page/profile/website/blog] are my own and do not reflect the views of UAB.

Disclaimer for restrictive word counts: Opinions/views my own.

Definitions

Content – text, images, graphics, audios, videos, etc. that are posted/published to a social media account.

Engagement – the measure of shares, likes, comments, views, etc. that are associated with a social media account.

Account manager(s) –faculty or staff member designated by a unit to oversee all OUSMA operations, including but not limited to, account content and engagement and policy compliance.

Official UAB social media account(s) (OUSMA) – social media accounts created for use in a professional communications or marketing capacity and representing a recognized unit.

Personal social media account – faculty, staff, and student accounts that are created strictly for personal use and have no affiliation with UAB or an OUSMA.

Social media - Any website or application, now existing or hereinafter developed or created, that facilitates the sharing of information, ideas, personal messages, and other content online, including without limitation Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok, and Reddit.

Unit – Any UAB official college, office, department, division, program, organization, center or other area of campus.

Scope

This policy applies to all official UAB social media accounts, campus-wide. This policy also applies to anyone that posts on official UAB social media accounts.

UAB is a city within a city. We value every member of the UAB community and the role they play on campus, across Alabama and throughout the world. Respect and appreciation for diversity are integral to UAB's mission. UAB works actively to create a safe and welcoming physical and virtual environment, and we expect every member of this community to do the same.

UAB welcomes individuals and academic/organizational units to identify their role at UAB publicly on social media. Be aware that by doing so, you are representing UAB and therefore subject to UAB's conduct policies. Students are subject to the Academic Honor Code and Student Conduct Code. Faculty, staff, employees and other members of the UAB community are subject to the Code of Conduct.

Academic/organizational units are free to create and maintain a presence on social media that is professional, technically secure and does not violate university web policies or laws that govern the dissemination of public information. These include UAB’s Digital Mass Communications and Content policy, UAB IT's Acceptable Use Policy, as well as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). These policies are part of the implicit and explicit agreement you make with UAB for the use of its resources, including its logo and branding.

UAB Medicine employees should contact Health System Marketing Communications for the specific web standards and social media guidelines established for UAB Medicine entities.

The Marketing & Communications This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. is here to help you understand policies and practices that apply and guide you in using these tools to best serve your unit, audience and the interests of UAB.

Best Practices

This page is for anyone who runs a social media account on campus or is interested in creating one for their department or organization.

General Content Strategy

Develop a Voice Document for each of your social channels. Remember that each social media channel requires a different content approach and tone of voice.
Think about who you are trying to reach and why you would like to reach them.
Define your aesthetic, audience, content, post frequency, and set engagement and follower goals.
Track your goals by monitoring analytics on a monthly basis. Look at both high performing and low performing posts to adjust your content strategy going forward.
Create editorial calendar to keep track of upcoming events you would like to promote
Think creatively about using content to tell your UAB story- videos, graphics, animations
Mobile viewing: consider how your posts will look on a phone
Ensure your posts are accurate. Correct any errors quickly and visibly and answer any questions.
Keep your passwords/usernames in a confidential document in a place you can easily access. We recommend Box, UAB's approved cloud storage platform. If you have a staff change, remember to change any necessary passwords.

Commenting Guidelines

When responding to negative comments/messages - be tactful. Often, it is best to not engage. You can "hide" comments that are offensive on Facebook. If you run into an issue, question, or confrontation with a follower that you can’t personally handle, you can always reach out to UAB's Social Media Manager with questions.

Important Things to Keep in Mind

Academic/organizational units are free to create and maintain a presence on social media that is professional, technically secure and does not violate university web policies or laws that govern the dissemination of public information. These include UAB’s Digital Mass Communications and Content policy, UAB IT's Acceptable Use Policy, as well as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). These policies are part of the implicit and explicit agreement you make with UAB for the use of its resources, including its logo and branding. Simply put, do not ever share patient or student information on social media channels.
Respect copyright and fair use laws. Observe laws governing copyright and fair use of copyrighted material owned by others, including UAB's own copyrights and brands.
Faculty, staff, employees and other members of the UAB community are subject to the Code of Conduct.
UAB Medicine employees should contact Health System Marketing Communications for the specific web standards and social media guidelines established for UAB Medicine entities.

Best Practices for Students Helping Run Social Media at UAB

Hold your student accountable
Students are subject to the Academic Honor Code and Student Conduct Code.
Give your student a voice document you have created for your department's social account. If there is not one created, work together to create one that identifies appropriate content and visuals for your department's social channel.
Provide them with a list of simple do's and don'ts and be clear about what is not appropriate to post.
Develop an approval process for posting.
Provide the student with a template and give them examples of social posts that you have seen work well.

Best Practices for Faculty & Staff Running UAB Social Media Accounts

A "UAB Social Media Account" is defined as any account associated with the university including a department, organization, or group.
Before creating a social media account, talk with your unit communicator.
Once an account is created, send the account link to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Review Social Toolkit for best practices and proper branding.
Reach out to the social media manager at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions or concerns as they arise or to set up a one-on-one meeting.
If an employee leaves UAB, make sure you appropriately transition access to social media accounts. Change passwords and ensure the employee is removed as an administrator on all accounts.

Guidelines for Social Media Accounts Created For a Class

Before creating a social media account, talk with your unit communicator.
Once an account is created, send the account link to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Ensure all posts/comments by students are being monitored or approved.

Appropriate and Responsible Employee Social Media Communication in an Emergency

Communication related emergencies need to be handled carefully, accurately, sensitively and through the appropriate channels.
During an emergency, employees can share official communications but should not post or share information that has not been vetted and approved through proper channels.
Review all emergency communication guidelines.

Important Information About Faculty + Staff Personal Social Media Accounts

UAB welcomes individuals to identify their role at UAB publicly on social media.
Be aware that by doing so, you are representing UAB and therefore subject to UAB's conduct policies.
Employees should recognize that their communications (e.g., original statements, shares, reactions, etc.) about UAB carry an implication of official information, and can therefore have unintended consequences.
Many employees act as ambassadors in social media for UAB and are known UAB employees. Even if an employee does not identify themselves as a UAB employee – either on their profile or in posts – he or she may be a known UAB employee to recipients of a message.

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