Social media sites and platforms are fundamentally changing the way that some members of our College community interact with each other and with the College itself.
Hamilton is exploring how best to integrate these social media sites into our suite of communications and how to participate in this new world of social exchange.
The College maintains a presence on several popular social media Web sites, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Flickr. Hamilton's pages or profiles on these social media sites are considered official College communications.
If you are authorized to post for Hamilton College on a College-approved social media site, there are several things you should keep in mind.
1) Realize your posts are public – You should consider that whatever you post on a social media site will instantly become public. Anyone with access to the Web can review your activity on social media sites. Regardless of how careful you are in establishing privacy settings, your content can easily be made available to those outside of your preference settings.
2) Be transparent – It should be obvious that you work for the College if you are posting as part of your job. If you are posting about Hamilton on your personal time, please identify your connection to the College. You need to be authentic and credible.
3) Keep confidential matters private – Do not post proprietary information about Hamilton, including information about students, alumni or employees. Be aware that all College and legal guidelines, such as FERPA, are also applicable in the social media space.
4) Represent Hamilton properly – Make sure that your supervisor has authorized you to post about Hamilton on College-sponsored sites (if your post responds to someone's concern and you're not sure about College policy, contact the Communications Office). Verify information, links, images, etc. before posting. Social media sites blur the lines between professional and personal relationships, so be careful when choosing profile photos and other images to upload.
5) Be a respectful community member – When you find yourself disagreeing with others, keep your comments appropriate and polite. If you find yourself in a position where the communications become antagonistic, avoid becoming defensive. Ask the Communications Office for advice on handling sensitive issues and topics.
6) Know where to turn for help – If you encounter a question you cannot answer, or if you see incorrect information about Hamilton, contact the Communications Office for assistance.
