Social Media Guidelines

The University of Arkansas uses social media to engage in conversations with students, faculty, staff, parents, colleagues, fans and friends.

The Social Media Committee is a volunteer body which meets monthy at 1 p.m. every fourth Tuesday of the month. The committee researches and evaluates social media platforms, educates on best practices, advises when questions arise, and maintains the above social media registry. The Social Media Committee is part of the WebFirst initiative on campus.

If you have suggestions, please e-mail University Relations at urelinfo@uark.edu.

Social Media Channels

Currently, the main channels the University of Arkansas uses are YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

These profiles use the University of Arkansas logo to communicate to fans and followers that the content is official University of Arkansas information.

Additional social media outlets are operated by other campus entities. A full listing is available above.

Official University Policies

Social media usage at the University of Arkansas is governed by the same policies that govern all other digital communications. Read the policies below before engaging in any social media campaign as part of your official duties at the University of Arkansas or if you use social media for personal purposes.

Advertising on behalf of external vendors is prohibited on University of Arkansas Web sites and social media presences (with the exception of ArkansasRazorbacks.com, through their media rights provider ISP).  

• University Graphic Identity #208.0
• Code of Computing Practices #201.0
• Public Information and Media Relations #217.0
• University Web Sites and Online Communications #225.0
• Employee Conduct, Use of Property & Facilities (9.2 on this page)

Be mindful of the policies set by social media sites about how they will or will not use your content. Obey copyright law.

If you have questions about social media best practices, or need guidance when problems or issues of concern arise, contact University Relations at (479) 575-5555 or urelinfo@uark.edu. We are available to assist with any social media concern.

Getting Started

Tell Us

If you have created an official University of Arkansas social media presence, please let us know by sending a message to urelinfo@uark.edu. Designate someone responsible for the social media channel. If you need assistance choosing a social media platform, please contact us for a recommendation.

Posting co-worker’s condition in social media

Never post personal details about a co-worker’s or supervisor’s medical condition on social media outlets affiliated with the University. If the person is a public figure, work with University Relations to draft a public statement about that individual.

Responding to offensive language or inappropriate comments

The University of Arkansas welcomes the community’s contributions (comments, photos, wall posts, etc.) to official University of Arkansas Social Media outlets.
Post the following statement on your official social media page when appropriate:

“We encourage civil debate about important ideas and respect commenters’ freedom of speech. We reserve the right to remove all offensive and unrelated comments on our social media outlets. You can contact the administrator at [insert contact e-mail address]”

A Word About Emergency Communication

If a campus emergency is unfolding, please do not post speculative information about the situation on your site. For proper crisis communications response, please refer all traffic to the university’s official communication sources, or if you use university messaging, be sure the source is clearly cited with an appropriate link back to the source.

If you discover erroneous information about an unfolding crisis, please contact university relations immediately.

Best Practices

Be transparent.

Make it clear that you are blogging/Tweeting/Facebooking, etc. in your role as a staff member at the University of Arkansas. Individuals’ use of social media can help to personalize the institution to the public.

Listen and observe.

Being a consumer of social media is essential to your ability to be a successful contributor. By “listening” to online conversations, you can get an understanding of what is relevant and of interest to the community.

Be active.

Social media requires regular attention. If you don’t have the time or resources to check your sites at least a few minutes each day and to post fresh content several times a week, then reconsider jumping into social media. People will lose interest if they perceive the information or site’s content to be stale.

Participate and comment.

If you are commenting as an official part of your job, be sure to indicate who you are and your affiliation with the University of Arkansas. If you see a post that you think needs an official University of Arkansas response, please contact University Relations Media Relations at 479-575-5555.

Be prepared to accept and respond to comments on your site. To protect your site, consider moderating all comments before posting. At the very minimum, comments should be monitored regularly. Moderating allows you an opportunity to monitor when convenient for you. Understand that not all comments will be positive, and respond to negative comments professionally and respectfully, and by providing additional information that may help resolve the issue.

CONTACTS
Office of University Relations
479-575-5555
urelinfo@uark.edu