Prepared by University Communications and Public Affairs
This guide was developed to empower UCSD departments to establish and manage their own social media networks. We recognize the value of social media sites as a vital resource to positively promote and communicate news and events to our campus community. As university communicators, you already have an innate sense of what’s appropriate to say to your various target audiences. Follow that intuition and use your best judgement!
We hope that the suggestions and ideas outlined in this guide will inspire your involvement and be helpful as you move forward with your own social media strategy! Below are suggested UCSD social network usage best practices and content parameters to follow as you move forward with your unit’s social networking efforts:
Be professional. Everything you upload on social media is public and can live forever. Review the UC San Diego Principles of Community for guidance.
Be ethical. Do not post content on your personal social media that could mis-represent the values and ethics of the Basic Needs Team.
Quality matters. Take time to check spelling and grammar before publishing your content. If you are uncertain about a post, have someone else review it for an outside perspective.
Obtain permissions. Get permission from your supervisor before you refer to or post images, copyrighted material, intellectual property, etc.
Keep it legal. There are legal issues such as intellectual property and privacy that could not only get you in trouble; it could get the university in trouble. Do not disclose anything that contains confidential or proprietary information about UCSD, its employees, students, affiliates, or vendors.