Last Updated May 11, 2023 Introduction The following policies and community guidelines are meant to help all members of the College engage with social media responsibly. Use these guidelines as you participate in official SJDC social networks. Primary Accounts San Joaquin Delta College (SJDC) recognizes social media as a vital tool to engage our community members and enhance communication with our stakeholders. As such, the College devotes time and strategy to using these platforms as effectively as possible. The College’s primary social media platforms, managed by the Marketing and Communications Department, reflect the institution’s mission and vision and serve as a source of information and conduit of two-way communication with those in the District. The District's primary accounts include: Facebook Instagram TikTok Twitter YouTube The objectives of the primary accounts are to inform, connect, communicate, and engage. Inform: Social media is a valuable asset for informing students, staff, faculty, and the community about College news and information: registration, key dates, deadlines, special events, emergencies, etc. Connect: Through social media, we connect with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the broader community by sharing stories, connecting them to resources and the Delta College community. Communicate: Social media serves as two-way communication. We use it to send information, and we pay attention to messages we receive. Whether it’s a question, suggestion, or a complaint, it is our responsibility to engage in ways appropriate to the situation. Engage: It’s also important that our audience stay engaged with our accounts. Social media platforms are a place where you can have a little fun – participate in a trend, share photos, spotlight the campus community, or share a funny meme. Affiliated Accounts In addition to the College’s primary accounts, the District is also represented by sub-accounts. These accounts may include SJDC departments, programs, etc. As a representation of the College, these accounts should also reflect the institution’s mission and vision and serve as a source of information and conduit of two-way communication with those in the District. Creating an Affiliated Account We encourage district staff, faculty, and students who create, administer or post to affiliated Delta College social media accounts to create a place for a thoughtful and thriving online community. Those wanting to create an affiliate San Joaquin Delta College social media account should take the following things into consideration: Have an objective for your social media account. What can the platform do for you that cannot be done elsewhere? What are your goals with the account? How will you measure your goals? Maintaining a successful social media account is a significant commitment. In addition to planning, creating, and posting content, you’ll need to monitor the account, engage with others, and respond to comments or questions in a timely manner. Once the account is created: Register the social media account with the Marketing and Communications Office Follow the social media guidelines and best practices listed below. Share access to the account (username, email, and password) with two full time employees in your area or department. Have brand assets: logos, fonts, colors etc. Content Delta’s social media sites should only be used for college or district-related purposes. Content (photos/videos, text, links, etc.) must stay within district guidelines. Planning, Creating, and Posting Content When planning and creating content for each platform, keep in mind the following items. Mission and Vision. This account is representing San Joaquin Delta College and should reflect the institution’s mission and vision. Diversity. We want everyone to feel included. Make sure you are featuring information that appeals to all different audience members in your respective area. Similarly, make sure photos and videos show people of different ages, races, sexes, body types, etc. Photos/videos. As much as possible, use original campus photography and videography. A signed photo release form is required for photographs with students. Branding. All departments and offices, including affiliated Delta College social media accounts should adhere to and refer to the College’s Official Brand Standards to establish and maintain visual uniformity which supports a strong sense of identity and excellence for Delta College. Written content. Consider your tone in representing the College. On social media, written content can be slightly more informal and fun, but must remain appropriate and friendly. Accessibility. Avoid posting text-heavy graphics, flyers, or PDFs on social media as they are inaccessible with screen readers. Instead, use an image and type the important information in the caption. Similarly, consider alt text for photos and make sure that all videos are captioned. Additionally, those who are administering SJDC-registered accounts must: Protect personal information. Personal information should not be posted on social media sites, including but not limited to: Student Identification Numbers, Employee Identification Numbers, Social Security Numbers, Personal Addresses, Phone Numbers, or Driver’s License Numbers. Provide accurate information. Research before you post. Ensure that you are providing accurate information so that you are not misrepresenting the college, district or an individual. Keep conversations respectful. We strive to create an online environment that is safe, welcoming, mutually respectful and inclusive. Be aware of our district’s guidelines and our right to remove content that violates it. Monitor content. Regularly monitor content to see that guidelines and appropriate standards are followed. SJDC-registered social media channels reserve the right to block or remove content that violates the district’s guidelines. News media. Social media posts are often picked up by news outlets. If the media tries to contact you in response to a post, please contact the Marketing and Communications Office for next steps. Content Deletion Guidelines The college reserves the right to moderate and remove any content (photos/videos, links, text) that do not fall within its official guidelines, including content that is: Libelous, slanderous, inflammatory or defamatory Vulgar, racist, sexist or homophobic Obscene or containing obscene materials Violent or containing comments/materials pertaining to violence Comments that are not respectful Comments that are not relevant to the topic Incorrect/inaccurate information A commenter who is misrepresenting themselves A single person who is dominating the conversation An advertisement for a commercial business Information that violates student privacy under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) Information that violates staff privacy Social media networks reflect on the district and should therefore be structured in an appropriate, ethical, professional and lawful manner. If activity on a social networking site is offensive or violates district policy, it may result in disciplinary or legal action. Use of the district’s official social media sites and approved accounts indicates that you have read and will abide by these guidelines. Have any doubts? If you need help determining whether something is appropriate to post or have received inappropriate comments, please contact the Marketing and Communications Office. Best Practices Choose the social media platform(s) that best reach your desired audience. You do not need to post on every social media platform. Think about your area and who you need to reach. Is it current students? Returning adult learners? The community? Generally, SJDC’s Marketing Department uses the following platforms to reach varying audiences: Facebook: community members, returning adult students, parents, alumni Instagram: current students, traditional students, alumni TikTok: potential and traditional students Twitter: community members and organizations, officials, news and media outlets Have objectives. What are your goals with social media? Do you want to bring more awareness to a program or pathway? Do you want more people to attend your events or learn about services and resources. Post content regularly. Keep your social media account active! Post 3 times per week at minimum and up to 1-3 times per day on any of the platforms to keep your audience engaged. Keep it authentic. Use photos and videos of real students, staff, faculty, and the campus itself. Phone photos and videos work great! Avoid using stock images, Google images, etc. Keep written content short and sweet. On social media, there is endless content. People will scroll past content that is not easy to read. The simpler, the better. Focus on the important information and stick to that. Support your friends. Share posts from other Delta affiliated accounts to stories, repost, or retweet to help each other reach wider audiences. Emojis. If you are representing an entity and not a person, it is best to use standard yellow-toned emojis. Also, try to avoid using too many emojis in a single post and put emojis towards the end of sentences for screen readers. Tags and hashtags. Tag other accounts to help you get the word out about your program, event of resource. And use hashtags! Refer to our hashtag directory. Monitor analytics. Monitor your insights and analytics to see what worked best! Maybe there’s a pattern: certain types of photos, graphics, content, and captions may work better. And make more content like that so you can better achieve your goals with social media. Have fun! Participate in trending videos, memes, add songs, share stickers. Find ways to leverage available social media tools to engage your audience and get your message across. If you have any questions about the social media guidelines or best practices, please contact the Marketing and Communications Office. We’re happy to help!
