Operating Policy and Procedure
HSC OP: 67.03, Use of Social Media
PURPOSE: The purpose of this Health Sciences Center Operating Policy and Procedure (HSC OP) is to establish policy on the use of social media. The absence or lack of explicit reference to a specific social media site does not limit the extent of the application of this policy.
REVIEW: This HSC OP will be reviewed on June 1 of every year by the Assistant Director of Social Media and the Assistant Vice President of Communications & Marketing, with recommendations for revision forwarded to the Vice President of External Relations.
POLICY/PROCEDURE:
1. Institutional Social Media
a. Institutional social media accounts or any accounts being created to represent individual schools, departments, or activities of the university must receive approval from the Office of Communications and Marketing prior to creation at (806) 743-2143. Applications for creating a new account can be found at https://www.ttuhsc.edu/communications-marketing/requests/project.aspx.
b. The Assistant Director of Social Media must be an account administrator or password holder on all official TTUHSC social media accounts. This administrator is to offer guidance in content scheduling, social media best practices and protocol, and the transition of the page in the event a new administrator is selected. Social media accounts are institutional assets and must be transferred to new administrators in the event current administrators leave employment with the school or department represented by the account. When a team member leaves the university or no longer requires access to social media accounts, administrative access should be removed and/or passwords should be updated and shared with the Assistant Director of Social Media within one week of a team member’s last day of employment with the university or department represented by the account.
c. The usernames of all registered TTUHSC social media accounts must reference the full or properly abbreviated name of the university, e.g., Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center or TTUHSC. Portions of the university name, e.g., Texas Tech or TTU, followed by a department or office name are not permitted.
d. All institutional social media accounts must have a designated employee who is identified as being responsible for content and serves as the department’s social media contact. Departments should consider their messages, audiences and goals, as well as strategy for keeping information on social media sites current. For information on appropriate content and best practices in social media, visit https://www.ttuhsc.edu/communications- marketing/specialty/social-media.aspx. Posts on social media sites should protect the university’s institutional voice by remaining professional in tone and in good taste.
a. All institutional social media accounts must adhere to identity guidelines in relation to current, approved, and appropriate TTUHSC intellectual property, logos, trademarks and copyrights. For a full list of university identity guidelines, visit https://brandfolder.com/portals/ttuhsc-1.
b. All institutional social media accounts must be updated regularly. Regular engagement is necessary for a social media account to be effective in reaching an audience. If a page goes inactive for 30 days, the Office of Communications and Marketing will warn the social media administrator about their account inactivity. If the lapse continues, the social media page will be up for evaluation by the Office of Communications and Marketing.
g. For departments who wish to publicize information but do not have a registered page, the Office of Communications and Marketing can assist in posting such information on the appropriate platform.
h. To protect the safety and privacy of patients, physicians, students, residents, faculty and staff, employees must follow the applicable federal requirements such as FERPA and HIPAA for social media postings, as well as adhere to all applicable university privacy and confidentiality policies. Every TTUHSC social media administrator must submit current HIPAA and FERPA certificates of completion to the Office of Communications and Marketing. Photographs, audio or video recordings only may be made of persons who have given written consent for such purpose. Employees who share confidential information do so at the risk of disciplinary action, including termination.
2. Personal Social Media
a. Personal social media accounts should not contain “Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center” or “TTUHSC” in their username, title, screen name, etc. Doing so makes the account appear to be an official university social channel. However, it is allowed to include your affiliation with TTUHSC in the bio, about, education, and/or job experience sections.
b. Persons are prohibited from sharing confidential or proprietary information about TTUHSC and must maintain patient and student confidentiality, per HIPAA and FERPA. Employees who share confidential information do so at the risk of disciplinary action, including termination.
c. All personal social media accounts should adhere to identity guidelines in relation to TTUHSC intellectual property, logos, trademarks and copyrights. For a full list of university identity guidelines, visit https://brandfolder.com/portals/ttuhsc-1.
d. University computers and hours are reserved for university-related business as approved by supervisors.
e. For persons registering a new social media account under personal name, do not use an official TTUHSC email address to register the account.
f. All personal representation of TTUHSC intellectual property on social media should adhere to the institutional standards of conduct and ethics. For full standards details, visit HSC OP 52.06.