Social Media Policy

1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines around contributing to the College’s social media channels, including, but not limited to, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Vine, Blogger and Flickr.

2. Scope

This policy applies to the College’s employees, students, graduates/alumni or any other person who contributes to social media in an official capacity on behalf of Loyalist.

Students using social media on a personal level are not required to adhere to policy guidelines, provided they are transparent and do not represent themselves as spokespersons for Loyalist.

3. Definitions

Contributors: Anyone who maintains a social media presence online.

Employees: Individuals on the payroll of Loyalist College, exclusive of Student Government.

Engagement: The ability to interact with another individual or organization through social media.

Graduates/Alumni: Individuals who have completed a program at Loyalist College which has resulted in an exit credential, such as a certificate, diploma or advanced diploma, or who have completed the equivalent of one year of full-time study in a ministry approved program.

Official Presence: A dedicated page or channel on a social media site that has the official Loyalist College logo and is used for the purpose of informing or communicating on behalf of the College with employees, students, alumni, and the general public.

Post: A post is any user generated information shared on a social media site.

Social Media: Social media is a term used to describe websites and applications that allow users to interact with each other using the internet. This includes but is not limited to online applications such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Vine, Blogger and Flickr.

Students: Individuals enrolled at Loyalist College in full-time, part-time, distance or continuing education studies.

4. Policy

Loyalist encourages the use of social media to promote the College, as well as student and graduate/alumni achievements. Social media is valued as a communications tool for connecting and engaging with current and prospective students, graduates/alumni and members of the community on topics ranging from campus news and events to industry updates and trends.

Department and program-specific social media presence is also encouraged, provided these tools are used in a professional manner that is beneficial to both students and faculty and staff.

5. Procedure

• 5.1 Approval
  • Employees must be authorized to post on behalf of Loyalist or as a representative of the College to provide approved information that falls within the College’s mandate or represents the College’s position or views. Unauthorized employees must receive permission from the Director of Marketing & Communications prior to posting.
  • A plan must be created by the initiating program, school, group or individual desiring an official social media site/account, and must be signed off by the Director of Marketing & Communications. The plan should identify:
    • The program/school/group/individual requesting the presence;
    • The specific type of media;
    • Objective(s) to be achieved through this channel and the target audiences;
    • Person(s) responsible for maintaining the site;
    • All individuals that will be authorized for providing content; and
    • Any other relevant information.
• 5.2 Respect
  • While freedom of speech and personal expression are encouraged, it is important to consider the impact words can have. Profanities and personal attacks, harassment, insensitivities and discrimination are strictly prohibited. At Loyalist, our goal is to create a caring culture in which every College community member lives, works and learns in an environment of mutual respect. Consider the Respect Campaign when posting online.
• 5.3 Removal of Content
  • Any content removed from Loyalist College’s social media sites will be retained and destroyed in compliance with the Ontario Freedom and Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the College’s privacy policies – this includes posts that contain personal information.
• 5.4 Unacceptable Content
  • Content or comments deemed unacceptable and removed by Loyalist College include, but are not limited to:
    • Profane language or content;
    • Commercial endorsement or solicitation, which includes showing preference of one product or service over another, request for products, services or assets for personal gain or use;
    • Loyalist’s name should never be used without permission to promote a product, cause, political party or candidate.
    • Personal attacks on individuals, groups, or ideas;
    • Content that violates another person/party’s copyright, trademark and/or intellectual property rights;
    • Content that promotes, fosters or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, colour, age, religion, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, national origin, physical or mental disability, or sexual orientation;
    • Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity, including the promotion of tobacco, alcohol and other addictive substances; and
    • Derogatory attacks, comments or opinions about College employees and its services. Repeat offenders will be advised they are in violation of the social media policy and may be blocked from the College’s social media sites.

6. Responsibilities

• 6.1 Responsibilities of employees and students:
  • Employees must receive approval before creating a social media account representing the College.
  • It will be the responsibility of the initiating department/group/individual to be the primary administrator of the site. This includes monitoring and maintaining the site and ensuring that the objectives of the site and this policy are achieved.
  • Sign a consent form indicating that they have read, understand and will adhere to the social media policy.
  • Respond to questions as quickly as possible. Questions should always be answered within 24 hours if possible. If you don’t know the answer to a question, ask the appropriate department.
  • Report violations or suspected violators of the policy to the Director of Marketing & Communications. Violators of this policy may face one or more of the following actions based on the severity and implications of the violation(s): temporary or permanent revocation of system access, disciplinary action up to, and including, termination of employment, and/or legal action.
  • Remove content on social media accounts that is in violation of the social media policy.
  • Ensure posts are accurate and contribute to the overall mission of the College. Never provide misleading facts.
  • Always ensure they have permission to post copyrighted content, including images.
  • Always ensure all photo/video subjects have signed a Loyalist College Consent and Release form prior to the photo/video being shared online via social media or other channels.
  • Make it clear they are posting on behalf of Loyalist, with the College’s best interests in mind.
  • Maintain a positive tone, and only share posts that are of value to the Loyalist brand.
  • Receive approval from the College to use the Loyalist College logo and any College imagery.
  • Protect the privacy and personal information of individuals, especially in regard to the personal information of all students and employees. If you are unsure about sharing information, use best ethical judgment or consult the Marketing & Communications department before posting.
  • Consider the impact words can have. Profanities and personal attacks, harassment, insensitivity and discrimination are strictly prohibited. Consider the Student Manual and Respect Campaign when posting online.
  • Never encourage personal attacks, harassment or arguing. Notifying the Marketing & Communications department is always the best course of action in this situation.
• 6.2 Responsibilities of the Marketing & Communications Department:
  • Post and monitor all content on behalf of Loyalist, maintaining the official social media presence of the College.
  • Remove content on all official social media accounts that is in violation of the social media policy, and report offenders to the Director, Marketing & Communications.
  • Include a statement on all official College social media sites that clearly specifies what content is unacceptable and subject to removal without notification. A link to the College’s social media policy will be made available where possible on all Loyalist-owned social media sites.
  • Be responsible for approving and creating social media accounts and maintaining administrative rights of the official presence in order to ensure brand management and consistency with other media.
  • Work collaboratively with all internal and external stakeholders to ensure that information posted on all social media sites is accurate, easy to understand, and adheres to all requirements of the social media policy.
  • Edit or remove content from any College social media site that is deemed inappropriate, offensive, inaccurate, or in violation of the College’s social media policy.
  • Approve or deny any submitted social media account creation requests.
  • Review content violating the College’s social media policy and provide direction.

7. Related Documents and Links

• Communications Policy

8. References

• Ontario Freedom and Information and Protection of Privacy Act
• The RESPECT Campaign