Policy Statement
SUNY Oneonta encourages the appropriate use of social media in communicating ideas and information, fostering engagement within the campus community and beyond, and advancing the mission of the university. This policy guides and governs the creation and use of official university social media accounts.
Rationale
The university has a responsibility to protect and enhance its reputation by seeking to ensure that all official university social media accounts align with the institution’s brand identity standards and strategic goals, as well as industry best practices. Social media standards help the university fulfill this responsibility by establishing practices to help users sustain effective social media accounts.
Applicability of the Policy
This policy applies to those who use social media to represent the university in an official capacity.
Definitions
- “Content” means text, images, graphics, audio, video, etc. that is posted/published to a social media account.
- “Account manager(s)” are university full-time faculty or staff members designated by a unit to oversee account content and engagement and maintain policy compliance.
- “Official university social media account “means social media accounts created for use in a professional communications or marketing capacity and representing a recognized university unit, department or other entity
- “Social media” means any website or application that facilitates the sharing of information, ideas, personal messages and other content online, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, YouTube and TikTok.
Procedures
To gain and retain recognition as an official university social media account, an account must:
- be approved by the head of the unit for which it is proposed and by the Dean, AVP or Chief Officer responsible for the unit (or by the responsible VP if no intermediary level exists);
- be made be made known to the Office of Communication and Marketing’s Communication and Social Media Manager in order to ensure that its purpose is not already fulfilled by another official university account;
- have at least one full-time university staff member as the account manager (accounts may be co-managed by university student interns with supervision of a full-time faculty or staff member);
- be connected to an Oneonta.edu email account, with login information maintained with the highest level of security and made known to at least one other full-time staff member; and
- adhere to “Account Manager Responsibilities” as described below.
Any social media account meeting the criteria noted above shall be recognized as an official university account. The Office of Communication and Marketing shall maintain an online record of such sites.
Account Manager Responsibilities
Managers for official university social media accounts are responsible for adhering to the following guidelines:
- Know your role. Only post about topics related to your area. Do not share personal opinions about political or social issues or reference significant institutional news or issues on social media that have not already been announced by the university. This includes situations where the university is waiting to officially release information to the public and/or members of the media. If you have any questions about whether it is appropriate to write about certain topics in your role or to respond to others’ posts, please contact the Office of Communication and Marketing.
- Have a plan. Consider messages, audiences and goals as well as a strategy for keeping information on social media sites up to date. Create a content calendar and make sure the content you’re planning makes sense for your specific account. The Office of Communication and Marketing can advise on content strategy and best practices, and convenes a campus Social Media Users Group for this purpose.
- Protect the institutional voice. Show off SUNY Oneonta with professionalism, passion and pride. As an official voice of the university, social media posts should remain in good taste. Be respectful, accurate and honest with all content, replies, comments and private messages. Assume everything you post on social media is permanent.
- Encourage open discussion, while moderating when necessary. As a public institution, the university must afford opportunities for constitutionally protected speech. For this reason, constitutionally protected comments and remarks on a post may not be removed or hidden. However, social media platforms often have community standards that may drive the platform to remove a comment or post. Additionally, the university has the right to remove comments that contain unprotected speech, including obscenity, harassment, illegal activity and defamation or falsehoods. Account managers can contact the Office of Communication and Marketing’s Communication and Social Media Manager with any questions regarding protected/unprotected speech.
- Ensure compliance. Official social media accounts must adhere to the university’s Style Guide. In addition, do not use pictures, images, music or other intellectual property that may be copyrighted, and ensure that all content complies with accessibility best practices.
Forms
Not applicable
Contacts
Questions related to the daily operational interpretation of this policy should be directed to:
Office of Communication and Marketing
(607) 436-3344
Related Documents / Policies
SUNY Oneonta Student Conduct Code
SUNY Oneonta Information Technology Acceptable Use Policy
Copyright Law of the United States
Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998
Effective Dates
Approved by the President September 24, 2013
Latest Revision Approved by the President September 2025
Next Renewal September 2028