Concordia releases social media handbook
Social media is more popular than ever on campus. Every day, more members of the Concordia community sign up or log onto websites such as Twitter and Facebook to find out what their colleagues and friends are up to around the university, and to comment about ongoing activities and events.
Concordia’s Director of Web Communications Lucy Niro says that while the university has several, experienced social media practitioners, many students, staff and faculty are new to the game. As a result, they have questions about how best to engage with the various platforms, and what practices to follow or avoid not only on when they manage social media in the workplace but also personally.
To help address some of those questions, the Web Communications unit of University Communications Services (UCS) has published a social media handbook, that provides practical tips for using social media, as well as guidelines for setting up and populating professional social media accounts.
“The idea behind the handbook stemmed from recommendations found in the university-wide social media assessment that concluded last May,” Niro says. “The handbook was really a collaborative effort. We held discussions with practitioners from both academic and administrative units and analyzed what some other universities and organizations are doing.”
Niro insists that the handbook will continue to evolve as new platforms and best practices for social media emerge, and she urges practitioners to send in their questions and comments.
“Our social media program takes into account the ever-changing needs of not only the individuals we serve but that of our own practitioners,” she says. “We need to have frequent dialogue and exchanges; after all, that’s what social media is all about.”
The handbook also contains information about some of the most widely used social media sites, as well as links to university policies that extend to social media usage among students, staff, and faculty; some best practices and tips, and guidelines for individuals who request social media accounts on behalf of university departments, programs or offices.
Any Concordia staff or faculty member who is interested in setting up a social media account for their office or department is encouraged to contact a UCS Client Service Coordinator to discuss their needs. Before reaching out to the coordinator, the individual should determine how they plan to use social media to achieve their professional goals.
“If you’ve opened a social media account, for it to be effective, you need to be fully present, and you also need to be open to receiving feedback,” Niro says. “You need to invest time and effort into engaging with individuals.”
Niro stresses that social media relationships require credibility and integrity to maintain, something she has learned through her own experience. “We have to be genuine and transparent,” she says. “It’s not enough to pay lip service to those traits. We really have to practice what we preach.”
Per the handbook, practitioners who set up a professional social media account are encouraged to experiment with it for a while by, for example, sharing posts with a select group of individuals first before going live. “You will be in a position to gauge how much time and effort is involved in maintaining that presence, and, most importantly, you will receive constructive feedback that will allow you to make any necessary adjustments before promoting your presence more widely.”
When asked to assess Concordia’s social media performance, Niro says while the university has made considerable headway, there is much room for improvement. “We are well on our way to creating a university-wide social media program. I think the fact that we are collaborating, we are talking, and that we have an active social media presence means that we have lots of potential for growth.”
Related link:
• Social Media Handbook