6.1. Introduction:

6.1.1. Social Media Platforms

Common social media platforms covered by these guidelines currently include (but are not limited to):

• Social Media: Facebook, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram, Discord, TikTok, Threads, Pinterest
• Blogs: WordPress, Blogger
• Photo and Video Sharing: YouTube, Flickr, Vimeo

6.1.2. Who is Affected

These guidelines apply to social media accounts created to represent Chapman University or any school, college or organization that receives the majority of its operating revenue directly from Chapman University. 

Programs, academic and operational departments, institutes, initiatives and centers should not have their own channels and should instead leverage the existing accounts of their affiliated school or college to maintain consistent branding and prevent fragmentation.

6.1.3. Who is not Affected

Social media activities by faculty and staff that are considered “personal sites” are not covered by these guidelines. However, we expect university employees acting in an individual capacity to communicate clearly that they are not representing or expressing the views of Chapman University. Additionally, personal sites are not permitted to use official Chapman University branding. Personal/individual sites maintained by faculty and staff that inherently represent the university must comply with these guidelines.

If a “personal site” states that a staff member works for or is affiliated with Chapman University on their account, the below disclaimer must be included.

Views expressed are mine and do not represent those of Chapman University.

We consider a site or account owner to inherently represent the university if the owner consciously and consistently uses his or her web presence to indicate an affiliation with Chapman University. Examples of someone who we would consider an inherent representative of the university include a faculty member who primarily uses his or her Twitter account to communicate with students, or an administrator who uses a Facebook page to share work-related information with subordinates, or a staff member who posts primarily about his or her work or research at Chapman University.

6.1.3.1. These guidelines do not apply to student organizations at this time. Clubs, organizations and other non-official accounts that are affiliated with Chapman University must not include the official “Window” profile picture and must not include any language claiming to be official. 

6.2. Criteria

We have established certain criteria to determine when and how Chapman University officially endorses a social media site. These criteria ensure that the university is represented fairly and accurately while maintaining a concise digital footprint. 

Official endorsement means the social media site will be listed on the university’s website and, whenever feasible, will be linked to, promoted, and featured in marketing and communication activities. To obtain and keep an official endorsement, you must take the following actions:

6.2.1. Before a social media account is created with the intentions of officially portraying the university, its schools, colleges or offices, please reach out to your strategist within Strategic Marketing & Communications (SMC) to begin the conversation of the tools available to communicate to your audience. If you do not know who your strategist is, reach out to SMC@chapman.edu.

6.2.1.1. Schools and Colleges may not create new TikTok accounts. Any school, college or office intending to create TikTok content must do so in collaboration with Institutional channels by contacting SMC.

6.2.1.2. Official Facebook and Instagram pages must be housed under the Chapman University Business Manager for high-level account management to ensure that ownership to the page is maintained by the university at all times. Similarly, official LinkedIn pages must be created as a “Showcase Page”  to ensure affiliation with and under the institution. Therefore, all new pages on these platforms must be created through SMC. This is simply for admin redundancy and business continuity – SMC will not be posting, commenting or acting on behalf of your account at any time.

6.2.2. Register the name of the proposed site and the name(s) of the persons responsible for providing content with the University’s Social Media & Digital Marketing Specialist before the account is created.

6.2.3. Ensure that the content appropriately represents the University, and that the social media site is compliant with internet best practices such as privacy rules, disclaimer statements, contact information, The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Brand compliance. Social Media resources to assist can be found here.

6.2.3.1. ADA and Brand compliance includes but is not limited to: Refraining from the usage of product promotion, stock images and text-on-image.

6.2.4. Clearly indicate in the description that the social media account is the official representation of the unit and legally associated and affiliated with Chapman University.

6.2.5. Include a disclaimer statement regarding the content and opinions that appear on the site.

6.2.6. Monitor replies and comments, and respond promptly and appropriately. Unanswered questions or unaddressed concerns may generate negative posts that reflect on Chapman University’s social media effort as a whole. (Best practice suggests checking and responding at least twice daily.) See commenting guidelines.

6.2.6.1. A member of the Digital Marketing team will contact the unit representative about any sites that fail to address follower concerns, questions, or comments over a period of 14 consecutive days. Any sites not addressing follower concerns, questions, or comments over a period of 21 consecutive days will be removed from the university’s Social.Chapman directory and website until consistent responses resume.

6.2.6.2. Sites must not remove or delete comments on their pages unless they meet the standards within our Web Commenting Guidelines. Social media sites should not be treated like web pages, but two-way communication channels.

6.2.6.3. Sites not addressing follower concerns, questions, or comments over a period of 30 consecutive days will be subject to closure.

6.2.7. Ensure that all social media writing is professional and grammatically correct. Please view the Writing Style Guide.

6.2.7.1. Review your comments and postings. Edit or correct all spelling and grammatical errors immediately. If editing the post is unavailable, make corrections in the comments section.

6.2.7.2. Sites with repeated spelling and grammatical errors will be removed from the university’s social media directory and website.

6.2.7.3. The style of individual college or department writing may be playful, cheerful and witty; however, the voice of your college or department should be consistent and in line with your department’s established personality and goals. See brand personality guide. 

6.2.8. Adhere to the same standards of conduct and communication that are expected in the workplace.

6.2.8.1. Respect privacy laws. Do not include confidential information about the university or its faculty, staff, or students. Posting confidential information and violating the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) will result in immediate removal from Chapman directories and marketing collateral.

6.2.8.2. Post accurate information. Clarify and consult sources before posting.

6.2.8.3. Be mindful of intellectual property rights and copyright rules. Cite, link or tag original sources whenever possible. Only use songs or sounds that are available to your account or that you have explicit, written permission to use.

6.2.8.4. Avoid threatening or illegal content. Postings must not violate Chapman University Policies, the Academic Freedom and Freedom of Speech or the Student Conduct Code.

6.2.8.4.1. Violations of Chapman’s conduct requirements will result in the removal of the posting, and appropriate actions may be taken to address any concerns. These actions may include, but are not limited to, referrals to the Dean of Students, the Office of Human Resources staff and administrators, and the Office of the Provost.

6.2.9. Adhere to Terms of Service (or Terms and Conditions) as defined by the social media website that you are using. In accordance with social media Terms of Service, brands (departments and colleges) must use brand pages and profiles provided by the social media service. Brands must not use human profiles or accounts to connect to or communicate with online users. Human profiles will not be considered for endorsement or listing on the university’s website properties or print collateral.

6.2.10. Tailor your content to the unique characteristics and audiences of each social media platform. Doing so will enhance engagement and effectiveness and ensure your messaging resonates with your target audience wherever they may be. To ensure your content resonates effectively:

6.2.10.1 Understand Platform Nuances: Each social media platform has its own culture, audience expectations and content preferences. For instance, Instagram thrives on visually engaging and short-form content, while LinkedIn is better suited for professional insights and in-depth articles.

6.2.10.2. Create Platform-Specific Content: Design and post content that aligns with the format and tone of each platform. A video intended for Instagram Reels, which emphasizes quick, visually striking clips, may not be appropriate for LinkedIn, where longer, more detailed content is valued. Conversely, a detailed blog post about complex research might engage more effectively on LinkedIn than on Instagram.

6.2.10.3. Tailor Messaging for the Audience: Adapt your messaging to match the interests and expectations of each platform’s audience. For example, professional achievements and industry news are more relevant on LinkedIn, while lifestyle content and behind-the-scenes glimpses might perform better on Instagram.

6.2.11. You cannot use Chapman University’s name or logos/marks nor an officially endorsed social media site to indicate official support of any product, private business, cause, or political party and/or candidate.

6.2.12. Affiliated units are prohibited from entering into advertising agreements with social media sites. Any affiliated unit wishing to purchase advertising on social media sites must work with Strategic Marketing and Communications to achieve their goals.

6.3. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Guidelines and Policies

6.3.1. The use of AI tools to produce entire pieces of written or visual content is prohibited. This includes images, videos, audio, music, social media captions, blog posts, flyers and other institutional communications material. 

You may not manipulate an image of campus in a manner that misrepresents Chapman and the ethos of how the university actually appears. You may remove objects that are not the focal point of the image (e.g. a tree branch, flyers on a pole, litter around a building) but you may not remove or alter the appearance of stationary units of campus facilities (E.g. the tree, the pole, the building).

6.3.2. AI tools may be used to inform content, including brainstorming ideas and direction, drafting headlines, or editing text. Some examples of this may be using Grammarly to check a caption’s grammar and punctuation, or using a video editing app to create automatic speech-to-text closed captions on a reel.

6.3.3. Users must fact-check all AI-generated or sourced content.

6.3.4. AI tools collect and store data from users as a part of their learning processes. Users may not input any private or personal data into any AI tool or service, including any personally identifiable information on students, parents, donors or other university constituents and/or any information required to be kept confidential by a Non-Disclosure Agreement or terms of a contract.

These policies will be updated as new laws and legal regulations regarding Artificial Intelligence are enacted.

6.4. Responsibilities and Clarification

We encourage anyone whose job responsibilities include posting to social media sites to contact the Digital Marketing team at any time for advice, assistance and consultation.

6.4.1. The Digital Marketing Team within SMC is responsible for administering these guidelines.

6.4.2. The Social Media & Digital Marketing Specialist:

• Supervises the endorsement process and monitors endorsed sites.
• Approves social media icons on web pages.