The Mississippi State University Social Media Guidelines have been developed to assist units at MSU with their social media presence. The guidelines were created to provide helpful direction to the areas of the university interested in utilizing social media as a tool for marketing, PR, crisis communication and student relations purposes. These recommendations and tips are encouraged by the Office of Public Affairs when managing a social media account affiliated with Mississippi State and will evolve as social media evolves.
If you have questions about material included in the MSU Social Media Guidelines, please contact The Office of Public Affairs at 662.325.7458.
GENERAL GUIDANCE
For the purposes of these guidelines, social media is defined as any online medium that provides for user interaction, discussion, and commenting (such as social networks, blogging, micro-blogging).
The Mississippi State University Office of Public Affairs is responsible for overseeing the coordination of all social media activity for MSU and its units.
Each unit participating in social media will designate a single point of contact for its social media efforts and provide that information to the MSU Office of Public Affairs for coordination purposes. Give that information to the MSU Office of Public Affair’s Social Media Coordinator, Grace Cockrell (gcockrell@opa.msstate.edu).
Social media accounts associated with the Mississippi State University should not be used to promote products, causes, or political candidates.
All MSU employees using social media should maintain a clear distinction between personal and professional uses. When your social media activity is observable by end-users, stakeholders, and/or other professional audiences, your behavior should represent you well and reflect positively on the university. When using social media personally, do not incorporate MSU’s name into your username (NOT “MSUgirl” or “JohnDoeMSU”), and do not assert that you are speaking on behalf MSU.
Mississippi State University employees using social media for professional purposes should communicate appropriately according to the standards of the environment in which they’re operating. Most social media environments are communities of peers, not classrooms with instructors. You should conduct yourself online as you would in public. MSU’s credibility in the social media world, just as in the real world, depends upon your credibility.
REGISTERING AND MANAGING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA
All social media accounts that wish to be officially associated with MSU should be registered with the MSU Office of Public Affairs.
To register a social media account contact Grace Cockrell, the Social Media Coordinator for the MSU Office of Public Affairs. After it is approved, MSU’s social media strategist will collaborate with you to create the new account. All social media accounts should comply with the official branding and visual identity standards of the university. If you are unsure about any aspect of creating a new MSU-affiliated social media site, contact the MSU Office of Public Affair’s social media strategist.
Best Practices for Using Social Media
DO:
DON’T:
We are happy to link to other official MSU social media pages from our Social Media Hub. If you administer an MSU social media site for a department, division, or unit, please feel free to contact the MSU Office of Public Affairs to let us know about your page.
As designated by the Office of the President, the Office of Public Affairs reserves the right to request content mangers to remove hostile, insulting, offensive, disrespectful and other inappropriate posts, comments, and content from social media that is officially associated with Mississippi State University.
Questions about Mississippi State’s Social Media Guidelines must be directed to Grace Cockrell, Social Media Coordinator, at (662) 325-7458 or gcockrell@opa.msstate.edu.