The following guidelines and best practices aim to help Winthrop University social media users make best use of social media platforms representing their respective division(s), department(s), school(s), etc. The guidelines apply to material that Winthrop communications offices and related units publish on Winthrop-hosted websites and related social media sites.
Any questions about these guidelines should be directed to Nicole Chisari, social media manager, at chisarin@winthrop.edu.
Winthrop University encourages the use of social media to help deliver our messages effectively to a variety of audiences. To achieve this, each department or university unit should have a plan for maintaining its chosen social media platform(s) on an infinite, sustainable basis.
All institutional pages must have a full-time person (not temporary positions and/or student workers) designated as the administrator(s) for social media. Accounts should be connected with an official Winthrop University email address. Departments and units should consider their messages, audiences, and goals when designing social media sites, as well as a strategy for keeping information on these sites up-to-date.
View our social media policy for users here.
Stop and ask yourself - does our respective department, office, division, major, etc., need a social media account? If yes, decide which platform is best suited to reach your audience. Typically, younger audiences are more likely to use Instagram.
Identify a responsible individual to maintain the site. This person should have log-in credentials assigned with a winthrop.edu email address. No personal email addresses should be used.
Identify at least one other person within the office, department, or division as a "back-up." This person should also be provided log-in credentials and also use a Winthrop email address. This person can edit posts or handle maintaining the site either in tandem with the primary account holder or when the primary account holder is unavailable.
Register your site with the Winthrop Social Media Directory so potential users can find it quickly. Register an official Winthrop site. This information also helps the university disseminate important information to the administrators of sites, as well as ensuring that sites do not become "orphaned" when a site administrator leaves Winthrop.
Review the Guidelines and Best Practices (below).
Ensure all photos and graphics are in compliance with current university branding. Any item featuring a Winthrop logo should have previously been vetted by either the director of marketing or director of printing services. For graphics, official university colors can be found via our Visual Identity Manual.
Check your platforms at least twice a day for notifications, pertinent messages, and more. Respond in a timely manner. If you're unsure of a response, including if one is even needed, discuss with your supervisor or contact the social media manager for advice.
Remember that your site is a representative of Winthrop University, and therefore should follow university stances.
Ensure photos, graphics, PDFS, etc., meet the government's new accessibility requirements, coming into effect April 2027. A helpful guide can be found here.
Different social media platforms have different audiences. For example, Facebook's audience is typically 25 years and older, while Instagram trends toward 13-18-year-olds. This will help inform the language you plan to use in your messaging and help you target your messaging.
Once a post, tweet, etc., is live, it’s immediately visible to a wide audience, even if it is subsequently deleted. Study your word choice – i.e., does a word you’re planning to use have a negative connotation? Carefully review any photos or GIFs you plan to use – is there old branding? Is there a questionable icon or writing on a person’s shirt in the photo? Does the GIF include a controversial figure? Verify, verify, verify information before putting it out there. Remember: you’re reflecting the Winthrop name.
Employees posting on behalf of Winthrop Athletics should be especially careful to comply with guidelines set by the NCAA and the Big South Conference.
You don’t necessarily need to post every day, but you do need to maintain a steady presence on your chosen platform. No presence is better than a dead presence.
Additionally, make sure your language is consistent. For example, if you are writing the timing of an event as 1 p.m., continue to that format for all times in the future instead of a mix of 1:00 p.m., 1 pm, e.g.
Make sure you are properly referring to and spelling faculty/staff names and titles, building names, course names, and more.
If you have questions about proper names and other topics, consult our style guide.
Monitor incoming comments, questions, private messages, tweets, etc., and respond accurately and in a timely fashion. Carefully evaluate what needs a response - and what doesn't. If one of the aforementioned isn't asked in good faith, isn't constructive, and comes across as argumentative, you may choose not to respond.
If you are unsure if and how to respond to something, discuss with your supervisor.
A presence in the social media world is or easily can be made available to the public at large. This includes prospective students, current students, current employers and colleagues, donors, community members, and peers. Consider this before posting to be sure your message will not alienate, harm, or provoke any of these groups. If you have any questions about whether a subject or particular language is appropriate to post, ask your department head, supervisor, or advisor before you post.
As a Winthrop representative, you should model the university's commitment to respect for the dignity of others and to the civil and thoughtful discussion of opposing ideas. Content contributed to a social media site sometimes encourages comments or discussion of opposing ideas. Responses should be considered carefully in light of how they will reflect on the poster and/or the university and its institutional voice.
You are speaking on behalf of Winthrop University, not yourself.
Do not embark on discriminatory behavior including making negative comments regarding sex, gender, race, sexual orientation, nationality, disability, age, or religion.
This could cause your account to be deleted and reflects poorly on the university. It also may result in disciplinary action.
Do not disclose personal information about a student/faculty/staff/alumni/donor/other. Do not post confidential or proprietary information about Winthrop University students, employees, or alumni. Employees must follow applicable federal requirements such as FERPA and HIPA as well as appropriate conference and NCAA guidelines. Adhere to all applicable university privacy and confidentiality policies.
Consult the policy repository for questions on privacy and copyright.
If questions arise that may fall under this category, refer the matter to your supervisor or to an appropriate university official. Respect copyright laws.
