Best Practices
Content
Social media is about conversation and your content should be too. If you have specific questions about your content strategy or to request a content audit, contact us.
- Do share content from Brandeis Stories, Brandeis Magazine and other Brandeis publications.
- Do request that faculty, students and other stakeholders in your department share content they find interesting for you to share, whether or not it has any connection to Brandeis.
- Do post a variety of content, including links, images and even video.
- Do create a content calendar and plan posts in advance.
- Do not rely on social media as the only way to get the word out about events.
- Do not share content from unvetted, unreliable sources.
Negative Comments and Crisis Communication
Negative Comments
From time to time, someone may disagree with something that you post or your organization as a whole. If users post criticisms of your unit or organization, do not delete or suppress such comments if they raise valid points. Let the comments stand, and respond to correct misinformation. If there are privacy concerns, respond publicly that you will reach out and then follow through. Do not engage in heated arguments either publicly or privately. Remember: everything you say can be shared in a screenshot.
Often members of the community will step in to correct misinformation or defend the institution. If this happens, it may be unnecessary to add an additional official response.
Vulgar or Threatening Comments
If a comment is obscene, a personal attack on a member of the university or hate speech, take a screenshot to save for your records then hide or delete the comment.
If you see a post that you believe is threatening to the university, your organization or a community member, take a screenshot and send it to Matthew Rushton, chief of public safety, and a member of the social media team. Immediately call Public Safety at 781-736-3333.
Crisis Communication
In the event of an emergency or crisis impacting the university, we suggest sharing only official information provided by the main Brandeis University account. Social media managers must ensure that all shared information aligns with what is posted on Brandeis University's official social media channels and in official university communications. Sharing information from unofficial sources or content not approved by Brandeis may result in the spread of false or confusing information within the community and online.
Please contact us in a timely manner to alert us to any pending or predicted crisis communication or emergency response needs.
Supported Platforms
Please consult with the social media team before you create any social media accounts.