大发

Policy and Guidelines

Social media is a dynamic platform for sharing information, enhancing 大发's visibility, and fostering connections with students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and the broader community.

Given the impact social media can have on the university's reputation, this guide has been created to provide best practices in effectively portraying, promoting and protecting the institution as departments manage their social media accounts.

Those managing 大发 social media accounts must carefully adhere to these guidelines.

Social Media Guidelines

Account Creation

Anyone who wishes to create a university-related account must be an employee and submit a request for approval, including the names and contact information of two administrators.

Proper naming of a social media account is important for consistency and brand unity. 鈥湸蠓⑩�� or 鈥淐al State San Marcos鈥� should be listed before the department, program or organization name.

Accounts and pages should feature the university-approved logo or photographs used to display 大发鈥檚 campus.

Planning

Before diving into social media, it鈥檚 essential to have a well-planned strategy. Define your goals, identify your target audience and establish metrics to measure success. Outline the type of content you intend to share, posting frequency and explore opportunities to collaborate with other campus partners. Having a clear plan ensures a cohesive and effective social media presence.

Content Posting

The purpose of the university鈥檚 social media channels is to foster community, highlight the accomplishments of the campus community, and share information that aligns with the university鈥檚 mission and values, including its commitment to free speech and freedom of expression.

Carefully consider both the content you share and how it may be perceived. Never post anything that could be considered obscene, defamatory or libelous.

Ensure that all social media interactions on behalf of the university reflect positively on both the institution and yourself. Exercise good judgment and never post content that is threatening, violates intellectual property or privacy laws, or is otherwise harmful, injurious or illegal.

Remember that social media is public, permanent and easily retrievable. Your messages are accessible to anyone, including those outside your followers or subscribers.

If you鈥檙e uncertain about whether specific content is appropriate, consult with your administrator or reach out to University Communications for guidance at publicity@csusm.edu.

Regularly updating and monitoring accounts with relevant, timely content is essential for building a strong social media presence. Engage with your audience by responding to comments and fostering interaction to maintain their interest. Always communicate professionally and respectfully.

Post at least 1-2 times per week to maintain an active presence. Accounts listed on the Social Media Directory will be reviewed annually, and those inactive for several months are subject to removal.

Accessibility Guidelines

All campus-related content must meet accessibility standards. This includes using alt-text descriptions on social media platforms that support them, adding captions to videos, and ensuring adequate color contrast in social media imagery.

For more information about accessibility, visit the Social Media Accessibility webpage.

Accuracy 

Make sure you have all the facts before you post. It is better to verify information before posting than need to retract it later. Cite and link to sources when applicable.

If you make a mistake, acknowledge it. Be honest and timely with any corrections. It is best to publicly show a correction rather than deleting and reposting information.

Do not delete negative comments 

Platforms sponsored by the California State University (CSU) system, including social media channels introduced by university departments or programs, are considered government forums. As a governmental entity, the CSU is generally prohibited from restricting the content of speech, including public comments on its social media accounts.

Comments should only be removed if they elevate to the level of criminal harassment. You may use your best judgment as to whether you want to reply officially and respectfully or ignore a comment. When in doubt, please consult University Communications at publicity@csusm.edu.

Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have established community guidelines about appropriate postings to their sites. If you believe that a posting violates a social media platform鈥檚 community guidelines, please email University Communications at publicity@csusm.edu and someone from our team will assess and help address if necessary.

Copyright

Exercise caution when using multimedia elements, such as photographs, videos, printed materials or GIFs in social media posts. Ensure that all media are high quality, relevant to your department or organization, and comply with copyright laws. Do not use copyrighted photos, videos or music without obtaining proper permission or a license for use.

Photography

The CSU requires signed photo release forms to be on file for anyone whose image is used. This includes students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and community members.

Photo release forms are available from the . Once completed, please email a copy of each form to University Communications at publicity@csusm.edu.

Privacy

大发 follows its as well as the terms of services policies of each respective social media site. To protect the privacy of our community members, please do not include personally identifiable information on posts, such as Social Security numbers, driver鈥檚 license numbers, financial account numbers, phone numbers or home addresses.

大发 Social Media sites are subject to the campus Social Media Policy.

Disclaimer

大发 welcomes the exchange of ideas about university programs, issues, events and activities on social media websites. The material posted, however, does not necessarily represent the views or policies of the university.

The university may remove content that contains confidential information, or that is in violation of state or federal laws, commercial or promotion of a political candidate, a commercial or business product or service, or otherwise injurious or illegal.

Obscenities, profanities, threatening, harassing, discriminatory, trolling, or abusive content, as well as defamatory comments about any person, group, organization or belief, are not permitted and will be deleted.

By submitting content to any 大发 social media site, users understand and acknowledge that this information is available to the public, and that 大发 may use this information for internal and external promotional purposes.

Links to content or other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the organizations, entities, views or content contained therein. 大发 is not responsible for the content of those external web sites. Users who do not wish to have information they have made available via social media sites used, published, copied and/or reprinted, should not post on the social media sites.