Social Media Guidelines

The following are social media tips and guidelines for CUNY SLU students, staff, faculty and partner organizations. Use them as general best practices for personal posts as well as official submissions.

Strategize: Be clear about your objectives and goals, as well as any limitations in your content or your staff time. This will help you choose the appropriate social platforms, choose what content you want to share, and be effective in your posts.

Transparency: Be clear about who you are and your relationship with CUNY SLU. Authenticity is key! Be factual, include links to source material, and promptly fix errors. Keep personal social media use separate from the university account.

Tolerance and Respect: Be tolerant of other opinions and take the high road when provoked. When needed, flag inappropriate content, which can be done both on the platform and by bringing it to the attention of our C&M department. When it comes to negative content, such posts can be removed or hidden. But remember, deconstructing and discussing them can change minds and serve our larger goal of education.

Accessibility: CUNY SLU is committed to web accessibility. We aim that all school social accounts attempt to be accessible to those with disabilities:

• On X, use the “add description” tool on photos to write Alternative Text that can be read by screen readers used by those who are visually impaired. The text should describe the images and any words in the photo;
• Likewise, use capitalization strategically in each word in a hashtag so it is accessible to screen readers. Example: #CunySLU;
• It’s suggested video that is posted to any social platform, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube, include captions/subtitles to make them accessible to the hearing impaired. On platforms that allow it, such as Facebook and YouTube, this may be done with a separate .srt file (which creates closed captioning). Otherwise, the text should be edited into the video;
• On X, include “alt text” by adding a “description” to photos to make them accessible to screen readers. Facebook automatically generates “alt text” for images;
• Include video with subtitles or closed captioning on posts. On YouTube and Facebook, closed captioning can easily be created on the platforms.

Frequency and content: Maintain an active presence with regular posts. An ideal average is a minimum of one post per weekday on the accounts to keep activity up:

• Engage with our and other accounts. Retweet/like/share and respond to messages promptly;
• Use photos and graphics whenever possible. Here’s an updated guide to optimal photo sizes for different platforms;
• When possible, use original photos/graphics or those in the public domain. Ask for permission to use other photos for which you don’t own the copyright;
• Obtain permission from subjects before posting photos of them or information about them;
• Include tags/handles of those involved in your tweet. This serves to flag your tweet to those people/accounts and increases engagement;
• Keep hashtags limited to Instagram posts;
• Follow people, publications and groups that are relevant to your work and your department. Following them helps them to know that you have an account.

What to submit: We encourage you to submit the following for official account posting:

• Compliments and congratulations. Highlight the great work, awards and accolades of your students, faculty and staff. For example: Post a photo and congratulate a Ph.D. candidate for a successful dissertation defense;
• Announcements about upcoming events and deadlines;
• Candid and behind-the-scenes photos that show the real people and moments in your team/department;
• Links to research and students/staff quoted in the news;
• If a topic or hashtag is trending that is related to your work or field, that’s a great time to post content again to tap in when people are paying attention.