Creating SPH Social Media Accounts

Social media provides a great way to share information about School of Public Health programs and centers. When determining if social media is the right communications tool to use, consider the following questions:

• Who is your intended audience? Is this the right channel to reach them?
• How much time can you dedicate to the management of this channel?
• What are your goals, and how will you measure success?

For questions about starting an SPH account read the info below and contact Rosie Yang, SPH social media manager, at yang6213@umn.edu.

Effective Social Media

• Aligns with your business plan.
• Engages the correct audience.
• Blends original content and reposts.
• Directs people to your websites and blogs.
• Uses a consistent, unique voice.

Remember, social media does not replace other communications tools such as blogs and websites—it complements them.

Requirements for All SPH Social Media Accounts

Include the following elements when creating SPH social media accounts:

• Copyright & EEO: Include the following statements in the About/Overview section: “©20XX Regents of the University of Minnesota. University of Minnesota School of Public Health is an equal opportunity educator and employer.”
• House Rules: Add the “House Rules” in your About section.
• Branding: Use an UMN profile graphic/icon (request a UMN-branded social media icon through sphcomms@umn.edu) .

• Profile Name: Use “University of Minnesota” or “UMN” as part of your profile name, description or bio.

• Affiliation to SPH: Centers show their affiliation to the School of Public Health in their profile or about section by using their full official name such as: “…the University of Minnesota School of Public Health Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation…” or “…the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health…”

Logo and Graphics Guidelines

The University wordmark must never be used on social networking sites or profiles. Instead, the University of Minnesota should be a part of the profile name.

• Request a UMN-branded social media icon through sphcomms@umn.edu.

Reminder about Taking a Position on Issues or Candidates

University social media policy and the Board of Regents code of conduct states: “No individual faculty, staff, student, or group comprised of the aforementioned individuals may use any University trademark or the official web template header and footer, or refer to his or her affiliation with the University, in any manner that suggests or implies University support or endorsement of a point of view or personal or political opinion, business, activity, movement, or program that is not official University business.”

Copyright and Intellectual Property

As a reminder, sharing of images, video, audio, and other intellectual property is subject to copyright law. Be sure to evaluate the sources of your content, and attribute appropriately. Best practice: conduct a fair use analysis and keep a record of it.

See the Board of Regents’ Copyright policy and Copyright Information and Resources on the U of M Libraries site for more information.