UW’s Social Media Guidelines

UW’s Social Media Guidelines: http://passcouncil.washington.edu/social-media-guidelines/

Best Practices for Use of Social Media

1. Be Thoughtful About Your Posts

There is no expectation of privacy when using social media. Consider what could happen if a post becomes widely known and how that may reflect on both you and the UW. Search engines can turn up posts years after they are created, and comments can be forwarded or copied. If you wouldn’t say it at a conference or to a member of the media, consider whether you should post it online. If you are unsure about posting something or responding to a comment, seek advice from your supervisor, residency or academic advisor, or the department head or Chair.

2. Maintain Confidentiality

Observe all state or federal regulations such as FERPA and HIPAA and University Administrative Policy Statements. Do not post personally identifiable information or protected health information.

3. Remember Your Audience

A presence in the social media world is or easily can be made available to the public at large. This includes prospective students, current students, current employers and colleagues, patients and their families, and peers. Consider this before publishing to ensure the post will not alienate, harm, or provoke any of these groups.

4. Strive for Accuracy

Get the facts straight before posting them on social media. Review content for grammatical and spelling errors. This is especially important if posting on behalf of the UW in any capacity.

5. Personal Use

These Guidelines are aimed at use of social media for work purposes, not personal use. Laws and regulations generally prohibit personal use of computers and network facilities to access social media sites. See APS 47.2.

6. Core Values

Communicators should be mindful of the UW’s Vision and Values. Do not post any material that is obscene, defamatory, profane, threatening, harassing, abusive, hateful, or embarrassing to another person or entity. Individuals may be held personally liable for posting such material. See the Non-Discrimination and Non-Retaliation Policy, as well as UW’s Core Values.

7. Departmental Use of Social Media in Hiring and Decision-Making

Using social media to gather information on candidates may open a multitude of undesired and/or unintended risks and issues. Therefore, it is recommended that social media resources are not used for pre-employment hiring and promotion decision-making.

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