NJIT Social Media Guidelines & Best Practices

Introduction

Social media is changing the way NJIT communicates from both an institutional and personal perspective. NJIT is committed to engaging audiences through traditional channels as well as meeting them in the online social media presences where they are most active.

The Office of Strategic Communications manages NJIT's official social media presences to ensure that messages and brand in these presences are consistent with university standards.

Scope

These guidelines apply to:

• Anyone creating a social media presence on behalf of NJIT or an organizational unit of NJIT
• NJIT Research Centers
• NJIT-affiliated student organizations, limited to guidelines governing the use of photographs and video, the NJIT logo and branding elements.

These guidelines and associated policy do not apply to:

• Faculty and students engaged in electronic coursework with any presence in social media or other technologies
• Those engaging in social media as an individual separate from their official role at NJIT
• Organizations where NJIT is fiscal agent (e.g., NJEDge.net)

You must comply with NJIT's social media policy

Organizational units of NJIT are encouraged to actively engage their target audiences in social media and will assist any organizational unit in getting the most value from their efforts and provide guidelines for keeping the site engaging and sustainable. 

Creating a social media presence

The starting point for any organizational unit wishing to start a social media presence is to contact James Marko (marko@njit.edu) in the Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing.

Governance

Organizational units will be required to clearly define the responsible organizational members who will manage the presence and be responsible that all communications are held to appropriate university standards.

The Office of Strategic Communications monitors NJIT's official social media presences for active, engaging, appropriate and accurate content.  Sites with persistently stale or inaccurate content may be suspended or retired because such presences are more detrimental than no presence at all. Inappropriate content may be removed as necessary and may be reported to the site on which the content or comments appeared, in addition to any applicable disciplinary charges.

Branding

The official university logo is trademarked property of NJIT and may not be used in any social media presence without permission from the Office of Strategic Communications.  Your logo or an approved logo that is distinct from NJIT’s official logo should be used, subject to NJIT’s Graphic Standards and Branding Guidelines and approval by the Office of Strategic Communications.

Photographs and video use

Photographs and videos used in official social media presences should be tagged appropriately with "njit" so that they are searchable throughout the site.  Please contact the Office of Strategic Communications for tag usage conventions for specific social media sites.

NJIT-affiliated organizational units are responsible for obtaining photo release forms for new photographs when appropriate and to provide such to the Office of Strategic Communications prior to posting on social media sites.

Using Facebook

NJIT's Facebook presence gives students a space to ask questions, share information, document and coordinate activities and to have a presence in a channel that is familiar and easily accessible for them.

There are focused NJIT Facebook groups devoted to particular clubs and organizations, departments and colleges, as well as class years in order to allow both group members and administrators to engage on specific topics.

Creating Facebook Groups and Fan Pages
If you are unsure of whether you will be best served with a Facebook Fan Page or Facebook Group, please contact the Office of Strategic Communications for additional guidance.

Facebook Fan Pages will be created by the Office of Strategic Communications and administrator privileges will be granted to designated personnel. The Office of Strategic Communications will always have an account with administrator privileges on your Fan Page but will most likely not take an active role in its maintenance. If the Office of Strategic Communications does not have administrator privileges on your current or future Facebook pages, your page will not be linked from our university social media site or from NJIT’s Facebook page.

Facebook Groups will not require the Office of Strategic Communications to be granted administrator privileges, but if images/logos are used, they must be used in accordance with all relevant guidance provided by our Branding Guide. All postings on the Facebook Groups pages should be civil, respectful, and in alignment with university policy and goals.

Using Twitter

NJIT's flagship Twitter profile provides just-in-time information about campus events, promotes new content in our other social media presences, and serves to monitor and shape the conversations taking place around NJIT’s brand and areas of expertise.

Several other NJIT-affiliated Twitter profiles are active; for example, NJIT’s Athletics program which brings information about scores, student-athletes, game schedules, and also reinforces NJIT’s core messages by re-tweeting information of interest from NJIT’s Twitter account.

Creating Twitter Accounts
Twitter accounts can be created by those responsible for monitoring and posting to the account. Before creating the account, you must contact the Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing to review naming and branding conventions.

Personal email addresses should not be used to create NJIT-affiliated Twitter accounts. They must use departmental email accounts to ensure that there is an appropriate point of contact and the ability to ensure the continuity of use of the account by the unit. If individualized Twitter accounts must be used as opposed to unit accounts be sure they are separate from the user’s personal account and are easily identified as such.

Using YouTube

NJIT curates an official YouTube account which is jointly administered by the Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing and Instructional Technology and Media Services. In addition to creating custom video content for our YouTube presence, Strategic Communications monitors, favorites, and builds playlists with NJIT community-created content. YouTube content is readily linked to in other social media presences and provides a compelling way to share information.

New YouTube accounts should not be created. If you are trying to upload a lecture, screencast, or event video, please contact ITMS. If you have video that you wish posted to NJIT’s YouTube account outside of those categories, please contact the Office of Strategic Communications to schedule a review of the video and for instructions for delivering the video in a file format best suited for upload.

Using LinkedIn

LINKEDIN

NJIT updates the LinkedIn company descriptor page. LinkedIn users self-associate with NJIT and we approve users who are deemed to be related to NJIT either as alumni, faculty, or staff.

Best Practices for engaging in Social Media at NJIT