Owner - Director of External Engagement
Social Media Staff Guidelines
Established: January 2014
Version Number: 1.3
Impact Assessed: 23rd January 2014
Revised: August 2014
Approved by:
Date of next review:
www.cardiffmet.ac.uk
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Who do these guidelines relate to?
Staff members who:
1.1.
Actively blog or micro-blog (Twitter, Facebook) on behalf of
Cardiff Metropolitan University.
1.2.
Contribute comments, reviews, and content to forums,
social networks, websites or blogs on either a personal or
professional basis.
1.3.
Maintain a profile page on one of the social or business
networking sites (like Linkedin, Facebook or Twitter).
It is understood and accepted by the University that an employee’s
personal action on social media is not connected to Cardiff
Metropolitan University.
If you are currently managing a page on behalf of the University or
about to set one up, please notify the University’s Digital Media
Officer so that the page can get added to the University social
media directory. In addition to these guidelines please follow the
user guide available at www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/socialmedia . Thank
you.
These guidelines are intended for staff that identify themselves as
an employee of Cardiff Metropolitan University online. The
University and College Union (UCU) has outlined additional
guidance, which can be found here.
A copy of the Social Media Staff Guidelines and contact
information can be found here:
http://www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/socialmedia
Key principles:
Be transparent
2.1.
Be honest about who you are and who you work for, while
remembering to be careful about disclosing other personal
information.
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2.2.
Within the University there is an existing culture of
academic freedom, and it is widely accepted that staff may
express controversial views. Disclose your identify as an
employee and make sure your profile makes it clear that
the views that you express are your own views, and not
those of Cardiff Metropolitan University.
2.3.
Social media is a great way to promote Cardiff Metropolitan
University’s initiatives, activities and research. Remember
to be open about the fact that you are member of staff
when possible.
It is important to be clear and transparent in all forms of
communication to avoid any possible false representations. Under
the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive the following has now
become a criminal offence:
“Falsely claiming or creating the impression that the trader is not
acting for the purposes relating to his trade, business, craft or
profession, or falsely representing oneself as a consumer.”
Aside from the legal implications of making a false claim, this
example from Cillit Bang provides a stark example of the negative
PR impact when organisations cynically abuse the trust of
individuals.
Research your topic
2.4.
Spend time researching your topic and to the best of your
ability be accurate. If there are other people in the sociosphere that know better than you, reference them if
possible.
2.5.
Don’t lie. Aside from the legal implications, people will only
be interested in what you have to say for as long as they
trust you to provide sound information.
Acknowledge mistakes
2.6.
Once you have posted content to the web your mistakes
have become a matter of public record. The quicker you
correct any error the better perceived it will be by the
people who are reading what you have to say.
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Be constructive
2.7.
If you’re offering criticism either good or bad in a personal
capacity, substantiate what you’re saying. Saying “product
x is cool” or “product x is a nightmare” lacks depth and
doesn’t help your followers.
2.8.
If you’re unhappy about services or facilities provided by
Cardiff Metropolitan University, please follow the
University’s Complaints Procedure.
Respect the law
Individuals can be held personally responsible for defamatory or
libelous comment, or for infringing the copyright or trademarks of
any organisation. It can lead staff into breaches of discipline and
the staff disciplinary procedures would be invoked, and that in
extreme cases, staff and students may find themselves breaking
the law, for which there may be legal sanctions.
2.9.
2.10.
2.11.
Respect the confidentiality of Cardiff Metropolitan
University, its staff, its students and stakeholders.
Don’t post other people’s materials without getting
permission. Link to the original source when possible.
Respect the University’s trademarked names and use
brand images appropriately. See Cardiff Metropolitan
University’s brand use guidelines for further details.
Off-limits information
Content posted and shared online is public. Do not share content
that would be deemed to be sensitive or information that should be
kept private.
2.12.
2.13.
2.14.
2.15.
2.16.
Confidential information - seek guidance from your line
manager if you are unsure of whether something is
confidential.
Financial information.
Product development or trade secrets e.g. proprietary code.
Business strategy.
Trade secrets, including those of competitors.
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2.17.
2.18.
2.19.
2.20.
2.21.
Current legal proceedings.
Personal information (anyone’s, not just yours).
Offensive, pornographic or indecent content.
Information that is readily available elsewhere. Example,
encourage people to login to Blackboard to check for
lecture updates, instead of posting the update on social
media.
Anything that may bring Cardiff Metropolitan University into
disrepute.
As a member of staff at Cardiff Metropolitan University, we all have
the responsibility to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998.
Further information can be found in the Data Protection Policy and
Data Protection Procedures and Guidelines.
Appropriate behaviour
The Social Media Staff Guidelines should be used in accordance
and alongside existing policies at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
If you are using social media in a personal or professional capacity
then, you may find these useful.
2.22.
2.23.
2.24.
2.25.
2.26.
2.27.
2.28.
Be respectful of other people. Apart from thinking how you
will be perceived by strangers. Remember that it’s likely
that content you post will be read by other members of
staff, students and stakeholders.
Don’t write things that you wouldn’t be prepared to say in
person, and be mindful of posting photographs or
comments about colleagues and events, which others
consider to be private.
Remember to proof content before posting. Check for any
spelling or grammatical errors.
Refer online negative comments or feedback to your line
manager, and link to the University’s Complaints Procedure
when appropriate.
Take conversations offline where possible, especially if
they’re negative. If these aren’t dealt with, they can quickly
escalate.
Share University events and news on department social
media pages.
Online enquires should be directed to the most relevant
person or department at the University. For example, if you
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2.29.
2.30.
2.31.
2.32.
2.33.
2.34.
receive an accommodation question on your department
page, please refer to the relevant contact.
Although Internet and social media access provided by the
University is intended to be used for institutional purposes,
it is appreciated that there may be occasions when the
system and/or the facilities need to be used for personal
purposes. See section 2.1 of the Electronic
Communications Policy for further details.
Cardiff Metropolitan University corporate social media
accounts should not be used for sending receiving personal
communications.
Academic email addresses should not be used for
registration on any online services (Twitter), unless these
are to be used for business or academic purposes. See
section 2.2 of the Electronic Communications Policy for
further details.
Careful consideration should be undertaken when storing
or sharing information (including documents) on Cloud
based services, such as Dropbox and Twitter. Please see
section 8 of the Electronic Communications Policy for
further guidance.
Do not use social network sites to attack or abuse
members of staff, students or stakeholders. If there is a
matter you want to complain about then you should use the
University’s Complaints Procedure.
Use common sense when posting on social media. What
you post on social media should represent the University in
a fair and respectful manner. Should you see bad
language/inappropriate conversation then, you should
report to the page manager.
By engaging with online services such as social media on behalf of
the University, all content is subject to Cardiff Metropolitan
University’s ‘Unacceptable Use’ guidelines of the Electronic
Communications Policy. Section 5.3.
Failing to act in accordance with these policies or behavior that is
deemed unacceptable, will be subject to Disciplinary (Misconduct
and Unsatisfactory Performance) Procedure.
If you feel a University page is not acting in accordance with these
guidelines, please notify your line manager in accordance with the
University’s Complaints Procedure.
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Friends and connections
2.35.
2.36.
Who you choose to connect with is at your discretion and
the choice not to link with an individual will be supported by
Cardiff Metropolitan University. But exercise judgment in
deciding which peers, contacts, industry figures and
students it is prudent to link to.
Do not contact students from your personal Facebook
account. Encourage people to discuss University matters
over email, telephone or in person. Use discussion boards
on Blackboard for academic learning.
Dealing with the press
As a member of staff at Cardiff Metropolitan University, you may
receive a request from the media for commentary or become a
regular prominent commentator in your field.
If contacted by the press, always inform your line manager who will
in turn notify Sarah Brown (Communications, Marketing & Student
Recruitment) at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Contact information for Sarah Brown:
Telephone: (029) 2041 6059.
Email: sbrown@cardiffmet.ac.uk
Additional guidance and support
The University has provided a user guide on social media, which
can be accessed at http://www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/socialmedia
A copy of the Social Media Staff Guidelines can be found here:
http://www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/socialmedia
If you have any questions, or need help setting up or managing
your department’s social media profiles then, please contact:
Email: socialmedia@cardiffmet.ac.uk
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