Social media guidelines

These guidelines apply to University of Huddersfield employees or contractors who create or contribute to blogs, wikis, social networks, virtual worlds, or any other kind of Social Media.

While all University of Huddersfield employees are welcome to participate in Social Media, we expect everyone who participates in online commentary to understand and to follow these simple but important guidelines. These rules might sound strict and contain a bit of legal-sounding jargon but please keep in mind that our overall goal is simple: to participate online in a respectful, relevant way that protects our reputation and of course follows the letter and spirit of the law.

1. Be transparent and state that you work at the University of Huddersfield. Your honesty will be noted in the Social Media environment. If you are writing about the University of Huddersfield or a competitor, use your real name, identify that you work for the University of Huddersfield, and be clear about your role. If you have a vested interest in what you are discussing, be the first to say so.
   
   
2. Never represent yourself or the University of Huddersfield in a false or misleading way. All statements must be true and not misleading; all claims must be substantiated. Be careful when describing facilities or courses.
   
   
3. Post meaningful, respectful comments — in other words, please no spam and no remarks that are off-topic or offensive.
   
   
4. Use common sense and common courtesy: for example, it’s best to ask permission to publish or report on conversations that are meant to be private or internal to the University of Huddersfield. Make sure your efforts to be transparent don't violate the University of Huddersfield’s privacy, confidentiality, and legal guidelines.
   
   
5. Stick to your area of expertise and do feel free to provide unique, individual perspectives on non-confidential activities at the University of Huddersfield.
   
   
6. When disagreeing with others' opinions, keep it appropriate and polite. If you find yourself in a situation online that looks as if it’s becoming antagonistic, do not get overly defensive and do not disengage from the conversation abruptly: feel free to ask the PR team for advice and/or to disengage from the dialogue in a polite manner that reflects well on the University of Huddersfield.
   
   
7. If you want to write about the competition, make sure you behave diplomatically, have the facts straight and that you have the appropriate permissions.
   
   
8. Please never comment on anything related to legal matters, litigation, or any parties the University of Huddersfield’s may be in litigation with.
   
   
9. Never participate in Social Media when the topic being discussed may be considered a crisis situation. Even anonymous comments may be traced back to your or the University of Huddersfield’s IP address. Refer all Social Media activity around crisis topics to PR and/or Legal Officer in the Vice Chancellor's Office.
   
   
10. Be smart about protecting yourself, your privacy, and the University of Huddersfield’s confidential information. What you publish is widely accessible and will be around for a long time, so consider the content carefully. Google has a long memory.

A final thought and a good rule of thumb to stick to when you are adding things on social media or commenting on other posts:

Write as if you are talking to a friend (and maybe in front of your mother!)

Keep it classy, keep it clean and keep your temper.