UIC Social Media Guidelines and Best Practices

Overview

Role of primary UIC social media accounts

The primary university social media accounts are managed by the Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications. These include FacebookTwitterInstagramYouTube and LinkedIn. These primary channels focus on universitywide information, and an editorial process is used to determine what is posted. Content from other areas of the university is welcome and encouraged but posted at the discretion of SMC staff. The primary university accounts also are used in times of crisis to support how we reach the general community and public. 

Other schools, divisions, departments, etc., also have official UIC-affiliated social media channels to reach diverse and niche UIC audiences, as well as foster a sense of community among prospective students, current students, alumni, faculty, staff and Chicagoans.

For a list of UIC accounts, visit the UIC Social Media Directory.

Social media review

SMC will routinely review all UIC-affiliated social media pages to ensure they adhere to SMC’s social media guidelines and best practices and uphold the UIC brand. New and existing accounts should share username(s) and password(s) with their unit’s dean or vice chancellor and chief college communicator to ensure that accounts are accessible to the university and are not abandoned. If social media guidelines are not followed, SMC may make recommendations to modify or shut down accounts.

We will reach out to social media managers as needed to discuss solutions for pages that need support. SMC is happy to provide counsel to help optimize the effectiveness of social media content.

As new channels become available, SMC will evaluate the outlet and usage flow to determine whether to launch new accounts.

The university can remove or change any content or accounts at the discretion of the Vice Chancellor for Strategic Marketing and Communications.

All official university social media accounts must also adhere to state and federal laws and regulations and university policies.

Starting a social media channel

All official UIC social media accounts must be reviewed and approved by the Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications. UIC employees who want to start a social media channel must first have approval from their college or unit’s chief communicator and then their dean and or unit head. Employees should then fill out the social media account request form online. Each new page will be under review for the first six months of its existence to ensure that it conforms to UIC’s social media policies and guidelines. To be added as an official channel, accounts must follow the guidelines listed below.

Accessibility

Social media guidelines

Page administrators for UIC-affiliated social media accounts

UIC social media accounts and page administrators must follow these policies:

Content around selling third-party products or services, advertising, promotion of commercial venture, or advocating for political candidates or issues is NOT permitted.

Social media best practices

The most successful social media channels have clear message strategies, update content frequently and know target audiences. Tips include:

Goals

All UIC social media accounts should aim to:

Comments Policy

Comments should be monitored regularly to ensure that they adhere to the comments policy, and account managers should be prepared to monitor and manage conversations and posts, as appropriate. UIC social media outlets are places where the UIC community and friends can learn about research, academics, people, issues and activities related to the University of Illinois Chicago. People are encouraged to post comments in this spirit, with respect for other users. While it’s best not to censor or delete unflattering comments, account and page managers reserve the right to delete profanity, off-topic or abusive comments. If counsel is needed on deleting content or a user, contact SMC for assistance. Posted comments from viewers/users do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the university.

Visual Elements

All logos used on social media must be approved by the Office of Marketing and Brand Management within SMC. Logos can be downloaded from the Office of Marketing and Brand Management’s website.

UIC Marketing and Brand Management also provides a gallery of campus images and videos that can be used on social media. Contact SMC for additional questions or needs. Ensure that all photos have alt-text and videos are captioned to meet accessibility requirements.

UI Health

To learn more about social media and patient health information, please view the UI Health social media guidelines.

University policies

UIC has policies related to the use of technology, codes of conduct and confidentiality that must be adhered to when posting on social media. For more information, please review these policies:

IT Security Program

HR Policies and Procedures

Nondiscrimination

Student Handbook

University Code of Conduct

Web privacy

Endorsement of Commercial Services or Products by UIC Employees

University of Illinois Policy for Publishing on the Internet

If you have any specific questions about these social media guidelines, please contact Strategic Marketing and Communications at uictoday@uic.edu.


Contact:

Christy Levy
312-996-0662
christyb@uic.edu