Fillable Printable Social Media Policy

Social Media Policy

Responsible University Official:

Executive Director, Marketing and

Creative Services

Responsible Office: External Relations

Origination Date: August 7, 2013

Last Amended Date: Not Applicable

SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

Policy Statement

Social media provide opportunities for members of the university community to share

information and knowledge and to foster learning, innovation, collaboration, and

research. It is the policy of the university that the use of social media be consistent with

its commitment to academic freedom and university values and promote thoughtful

discourse on appropriate matters. This policy applies to all social media use on behalf of

the university; social media content created or posted on university-sponsored websites

and social media accounts; and social media content created or posted by members of the

university community in a personal capacity, if that content incorrectly creates an

appearance of an endorsement by the university or violates applicable law or university

policies.

Reason for Policy/Purpose

Use of social media is a growing means of communication which takes a number of

forms including, but not limited to, social networking websites (e.g., LinkedIn,

Facebook), microblogging websites (e.g., Twitter), blogs (university, as well as personal),

online encyclopedias (e.g., Wikipedia), and video and photo sharing websites (e.g.,

YouTube, Flickr, and Instagram). This policy provides information for members of the

university community using social media.

Who Needs to Know This Policy

Faculty, staff, and students.

Table of Contents Page #

Policy Statement ..........................................................................................1

Reason for Policy/Purpose ...........................................................................1

Who Needs to Know This Policy .................................................................1

Table of Contents .........................................................................................1

Policy/Procedures .........................................................................................2

Website Address ..........................................................................................4

Contacts ........................................................................................................4

Definitions ....................................................................................................5

Related Information .....................................................................................5

Who Approved This Policy .........................................................................6

History/Revision Dates ................................................................................6

Policy/Procedures

Social media provide opportunities for members of the university community to share

information and knowledge and to foster learning, innovation, collaboration, and

research. The university recognizes the value and importance of diverse opinions and

encourages responsible and respectful social media use that is consistent with its

commitment to academic freedom and university values.

The university also recognizes that social media content has the potential to affect the

reputation of the university and members of its community. All data and files, including

social media content, on computers owned or operated by the university or transmitted

using university computer systems are subject to applicable university policies. Social

media content that is not created or posted using computers owned or operated by the

university or transmitted using university computer systems may nonetheless be subject

to appropriate action by the university under applicable local, state or federal law, or

university policies.

The university is committed to promoting, regulating, and protecting the integrity of its

identity and its trademarked names and identifying marks. The university may pursue all

available recourse to block, remove, or delete a social media communication that

incorrectly creates an appearance of an endorsement by the university or makes an

inappropriate or unauthorized use of any intellectual property held by the university.

Guidelines for Social Media Content

Social media content created or posted on behalf of the university must:

•

Comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and university policies, including,

but not limited to, those addressing harassment, privacy of student and health

records, confidentiality, copyright, trademark, computer usage, and information

security;

•

Comply with the terms of use for the social media platform used;

•

Clearly identify its affiliation with the university, and when applicable, the role

of the faculty, staff member, or student creating or posting the social media

content (which can be provided within the social media account profile or similar

account description); and

•

Use university marks, symbols, and logos only in accordance with university

policies and standards, including the University Licensing and Trademark Policy,

George Washington University Name, Wordmark, Seal, and Color Usage Policy,

and Identity Standards & Guidelines.

Social media content created or posted on behalf of the university must not:

•

Disclose any regulated, restricted, or otherwise non- public information. More

information about data classification is available in the Information Security

Policy; and

•

Be abusive, threatening, defamatory, obscene, harassing, or create a hostile work

or learning environment.

•

Negatively impact the university’s image or the image of a member of the

university community. Members should consult the online strategy website for

social media best practices if they have questions about the impact of a post.

For additional guidance on appropriate use of media, consult the Media Policy.

Members of the university community may not:

•

Create or post personal social media content that implies that the content is on

behalf of or is endorsed by the university; if a university affiliation is identified in

such content and this could incorrectly create an appearance of an endorsement by

the university, members of the university community should include a disclaimer

that the views expressed are personal and are not necessarily those of the

university;

•

Use the university name, marks, symbols, and logos to promote a product,

service, cause, political party, or candidate on a personal social media account or

platform; and

•

Post information protected by applicable law or university policies or non-public

information about the university, its students, faculty, staff, or alumni.

Information about data classification is available in the Information Security

Policy.

Creating and Registering Social Media Accounts with the University

Faculty, staff, and registered student organizations creating or registering a social media

account on behalf of the university must first notify the Office of Online Strategy in the

Division of External Relations, which will maintain a list of university social media

accounts. A supervisor must be identified for each registered social media account used

on behalf of the university. That supervisor should familiarize faculty, staff, and students

who are creating or posting social media content on registered accounts with applicable

policies and procedures. The registration form is available at

http://onlinestrategy.gwu.edu/social-media-account-registration-form.

User-Generated Content on University-Sponsored Websites or Social Media

Accounts

The university sponsors websites and maintains social media accounts that allow

members of the university community and non-affiliated users to share comments and

other user-generated content. Such websites and accounts must contain a disclaimer

stating that any such user-generated content does not reflect the opinions or views of the

university, its trustees, officers, or employees. The university reserves the right to delete

content that is defamatory, obscene, threatening, or harassing; targets or disparages any

ethnic, racial, religious, or gender group; advocates illegal activity; infringes copyrights

or trademarks; contains spam, junk mail, or unauthorized solicitations; or violates any

applicable local, state, or federal law, or university policies.

Violations and Enforcement

Suspected violations of this policy should be reported to the Office of Online Strategy in

the Division of External Relations. The Division of External Relations will coordinate

review and investigation of the possible violation, and, when appropriate, transition the

review and investigation to the Division of Student Affairs, University Human

Resources, Office of the Provost, or other units as needed. In accordance with the Non-

Retaliation Policy, the university prohibits retaliation against a member of the university

community for making a good faith report of a potential university-related legal or policy

violation. Violations of university policies may result in discipline, up to and including

termination or expulsion, or sanctions in accordance with applicable university policies,

guidelines, and codes.

Website Address for This Policy

GW University Policies

Contacts

Subject

Contact

Telephone

Email Address

Questions

Online Strategy

(202) 994-8810

onlinestrategy@

gwu.edu

Threats/

Harassment

GW Police

Department

(202) 994-6110

[email protected]

Definitions

Social media account means an identifiable profile or online identity that is attributed to

a particular individual or organization on a social media platform, which often permits a

certain amount of control to the individual or organization over the account.

Social media content means user-generated content or communications, including but

not limited to text, photographs, or video. Examples of social media content include

commentary, blog posts, and events.

Social media platform means the mobile or web-based application that allows the

creation and exchange of social media content, such as a blog, wiki, social network, and

other interactive websites. Examples of social media platforms include, but are not

limited to, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Myspace, and

Instagram.

Social media content on behalf of the university means social media content that is

created or posted by faculty, staff, or students in the university’s name within the scope

of the individual’s responsibilities or position at the university. Examples include

department Facebook pages or Flickr accounts. Social media content created or posted

by individuals with academic appointments is not included if the content is published in

their own names and is not attributed to the university, even if created as part of their

academic activities.

Supervisor means a faculty or staff member who is responsible for overseeing and

monitoring a social media account that is registered with the university. For registered

student organizations, the Supervisor will be the Staff Advisor for the organization.

Related Information

Code of Conduct for Users of Computing Systems and Services

Employee Handbook

Faculty Code

Faculty Handbook

George Washington University Name, Wordmark, Seal, and Color Usage Policy

Guide to Student Rights and Responsibilities

Identity Standards & Guidelines

Information Security Policy

Media Policy

Non-Retaliation Policy

Residential Community Conduct Guidelines

Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence Policy

and Procedures

Threats and Acts of Violence Policy

University Licensing and Trademark Policy

Use and Reproduction of Copyrighted Materials

Who Approved This Policy

Sabrina Ellis, Vice President for Human Resources

Louis H. Katz, Executive Vice President and Treasurer

Steven Lerman, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Beth Nolan, Senior Vice President and General Counsel

Lorraine Voles, Vice President for External Relations

History/Revision Dates

Origination Date: August 7, 2013

Last Amended Date:

Not Applicable

Next Review Date: October 31, 2015