"Social media" refers to a wide variety of interactive media using text, pictures, video, and audio. Traditional mass media is produced in static form, and read or studied by recipients. Social media turns recipients into participants, enabling them to comment on, and contribute to, content almost instantaneously. Social media refers to a wide variety of interactive media using text, pictures, video, and audio. Traditional mass media are produced in static form, and read or studied by recipients.
Examples of social media: blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube. You can use social media at the UB Graduate School of Education via the schools' new, primary social media site (www.facebook.com/UBGraduateSchoolofEducation), or you can create your own site.
Sites can include:
You may wish to consider a program, class, or affinity presence if:
Please note that we hope to use the Graduate School of Education Facebook page as a primary driver of content to GSE's diverse range of audiences. These tips and pieces of information should be carefully considered before creating additional pages that carry the GSE logo and brand. Creating your own program, class, or affinity presence carries special responsibilities. Doing so means:
UB Graduate School of Education presences on social media sites are considered to be an extension of the website, and most guidelines that apply to the website (such as brand and identity guidelines) will also apply to your social media site.
Student Clubs/Organizations: The advisor(s) of any student club/organization must have administrative access to their club's social media account(s) with authority to review, monitor and, if necessary, change content.
To ensure continuity of the Graduate School of Education's online identity, if you are exploring the creation of your own office or administrative department presence on a social media site, please contact the Graduate School of Education Social Media Team. They can help you:
Note: Blogs should be professional in nature with content that reflects the mission and topics
relevant to the Graduate School of Education.
The University at Buffalo Graduate School of Education Social Media Directory is a comprehensive list of pages across platforms that are officially affiliated with the Graduate School of Education. This is including, but not limited to, departmental pages, research centers, and student groups.
Pages included in the GSE Social Media Directory should adhere to these best practices. In addition, we hope you can include the following statement in your "About" section, or other clearly visible section of your landing page:
"[Insert Social Media affinity name] is affiliated with the Graduate School of Education at the University at Buffalo. The Graduate School of Education creates and applies knowledge informed by research on human development, educational policy, pedagogy, and information science. For more information about the Graduate School of Education at the University at Buffalo, visit http://gse.buffalo.edu."
We hope to use this language across all platforms to unify the diverse entities that comprise GSE. If you have questions about the use of this language on your page, please ask the Social Media Team.
William Belz, Assistant Director of Web and Accessibility — wjbelz2@buffalo.edu
Danielle LeGare, Director of Content — dmlegare@buffalo.edu
Amber Winters, Assistant Dean for Communications and Marketing — awinters@buffalo.edu
To ensure continuity of the Graduate School of Education's online identity, if you are exploring the creation of your own office or administrative department presence on a social media site, please contact the Assistant Dean of Communications and Marketing (awinters@buffalo.edu) for assistance with:
When you use social media on behalf of the UB Graduate School of Education, or in your role as
a member of the UB community, keep these tips in mind.
Some suggestions:
When posting or commenting online:
The public in general, and UB Graduate School of Education faculty, staff, and students, reflect a diverse set of customs, values, and points of view. Thus:
Today's copyright laws were created with "old" media in mind. Copyright law as it relates to online media is still emerging. So follow these general rules of thumb:
Use a spell checker and manually proofread anything you post before it goes online. When in doubt about usage, consult the Associated Press Stylebook.
Refer controversial inquiries or posts to the Graduate School of Education Social Media Team.
Reporters, editors, commentators, and bloggers follow social media closely. If you're contacted by a member of the news media, refer the inquiry to Graduate School of Education Office of the Dean. This includes any request for comment from a blog or website. You will be advised whether to respond directly, or whether the school should issue a response or statement.
The University at Buffalo is a public organization, and is generally prohibited from engaging in political or partisan discourse. When posting content in connection with the university and/or using university hardware, software, or networks, avoid:
It's perfectly acceptable to talk about your work or university activities, and have a dialog with others, but it's not acceptable to publish confidential information. Confidential information includes items such as private student, staff, or faculty information, grades, or records.
Be mindful of posting information that you would not want the public to see. Google has a long memory.