Using Social Media

Social media: a powerful tool for good… and bad

Social media is an extraordinary way to spread news quickly, effectively and inexpensively, and it has the added benefit of being engaging and interactive. In short, social media offers a lot of potential benefit at no direct expense.

However, there are also risks associated with social media. Unlike other media, social media is interactive, and you have little control over how your audience might respond. Negative comments and general discontent can damage the public image of an organization.

So why risk it?

Because students use social media!

Studies show that social media use is increasing and that 18-29 year olds are by far the heaviest users among adults online. There also appears to be a positive correlation between an individual’s level of education and their social media use: this is especially true for twitter.

With great power comes great responsibility

Expectations and responsibilities of Students’ Union account coordinators

  • Consistent Voice: We are an organization run by students for students. Our voice should be that of a third or forth year student sharing information with their peers. It will be a balance between sounding youthful and casual while remaining professional, appropriate, and intelligent.
  • Regular messaging: It is better not to have an account at all then to have one that is dormant or rarely used. On the other hand, unless you have a major campaign or event currently taking place you should cap your posts at a maximum of 4 per day.
  • Plan ahead: Take the time weekly to brainstorm what you want to share each day. You can use tools like tweetdeck to schedule posts but please keep in mind that should a crisis or emergency arise you will likely need to cancel those posts immediately.
  • Think first: Read over your content one last time before hitting post: is your content factual, does it make sense, is it spelled correctly, could it be misunderstood, or even perceived as offensive in any way? Once you click that button there may be no taking it back.
  • Protect the brand: These accounts are tied to the Students’ Union and its public image. Be sure you know the official stance of the SU before commenting on anything that may be contentious. If you aren’t sure, ask.
  • Know the Rules: Not just our organizational rules but also the rules of each platform. For example, Facebook and Twitter contests are an excellent engagement tactic but they have rules. Please review the rules before proceeding with a contest.
  • Add value: Post only information relevant to your online community. Observe what is well received based on likes, shares, and comments and try to increase that type of content.
  • Engage your audience: beyond purely informative messaging, try to encourage involvement. Suggestions include: sharing photos and quotes, using polls, asking questions, holding contests, etc.
  • Interact: engage with other SU accounts, with University accounts, with students and our campus community.
  • Put in the Time: Spend at least 20 minutes a day checking in, responding, and scheduling new content.

Staying out of the Storm

Personal accounts vs Public accounts

On the Internet, the line between personal and public activity can be very thin. You may remember the case of Deborah Drever. She was elected as an NDP MLA in the recent provincial election but had to leave caucus (and sit as an independent) after controversy about her social media activities before the election.

Please do not direct people to your personal accounts using official Students’ Union platforms. This means that personal Twitter accounts or cell phone numbers, for example, will not be printed in the Student Handbook or on business cards.

Public accounts: Please ensure content is appropriate, professional, and consistent with the views of the organization (see the guidelines above).

Personal accounts: These are yours to do with what you will, but remember: nothing is truly private once it is on the Internet. For the SU Executive, you should consider that during your term, it is not just you who represents the Students’ Union. Your tweets, posts, likes, shares and photos do exactly the same thing.

Controversial Issues: avoiding social media uproars... and trolls

A good example of this would be engaging with campus media in a public, online fight

In this type of situation, it is best to seek out the official stance of the Students’ Union (as determined by the Executive and administered by the communications team). This ensures that we present clear and consistent messaging that has been well thought out. In turn, this should help avoid negative public relations and prevent issues from escalating online. If you are uncertain on whether or not something is controversial, please ask Nigel or Simon.

Generally speaking, complaints should receive a prompt response, but not always. If someone addresses you directly on social media with a potentially inflammatory comment or question, you should first consider whether or not it warrants a response at all. In certain instances it is best not to address an issue; otherwise you might simply “give it legs,” and prolong a discussion that might then get out of hand. If you are ever uncertain please ask.

In that context, something to keep in mind are tolls. In Internet slang, a troll is a person who sows discord on the Internet by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) by starting arguments or upsetting people. The deliberate intent is to provoke readers into an emotional response or to otherwise disrupt normal on-topic discussion.

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Contact

Phone

780-492-4241

Address

Students' Union Executive and Administrative Offices
Room 2-900
Students' Union Building
University of Alberta
8900 - 114 Street NW
Edmonton, AB
T6G 2J7