Social Media

Be clear about your objectives and goals, as well as any limitations in your content or your staff time. This will help you choose the appropriate social platforms, choose what content you want to share, and be effective in your posts. 

Successful social media accounts require a significant investment of time. Keep your accounts updated regularly and respond quickly to comments and questions. 

Be clear about who you are and your role with The Graduate Center. Authenticity is key in social media. Be factual, include links to source material, and promptly fix errors. Keep personal social media use separate from the university account. 

• Be tolerant of other opinions and take the high road when provoked. Keep in mind that you are a Graduate Center representative and will be perceived as such.

• When needed, flag inappropriate content, which can be done both on the platform and by bringing it to the attention of appropriate university staff. 

• When it comes to negative content, such posts can be removed or hidden. But remember, deconstructing and discussing them can change minds and serve our larger goal of education. 

• The Graduate Center is committed to web accessibility. All authorized Graduate Center social accounts must be accessible to those with disabilities. 

• On Twitter, use the “add description” tool on photos to write Alternative Text that can be read by screen readers used by those who are visually impaired. The text should describe the images and any words in the photo. 

• Likewise, capitalize each word in a hashtag so it is accessible to screen readers. Example #WeAreTheGC

• Any video that is posted to any social platform, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube, must have captions/subtitles to make them accessible to the hearing impaired. On platforms that allow it, such as Facebook and YouTube, this may be done with a separate .srt file (which creates closed captioning). Otherwise, the text needs to be edited into the video. 

• On Twitter, include “alt text” by adding a “description” to photos to make them accessible to screen readers. 

• Facebook automatically generates “alt text” for images. Here are instructions on how to override that text with your own if you so choose.

• Include video with subtitles or closed captioning on posts. On YouTube and Facebook, closed captioning can easily be created on the platforms.

• Maintain an active presence with regular posts. That means, on average, a minimum of a post a day on Twitter and one post a week on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. 

• Engage with other accounts. Retweet or share and respond to messages promptly.

• Use photos whenever possible. Here’s an updated guide to optimal photo sizes for different platforms.

• Use original photos or photos in the public domain. Ask for permission to use other photos for which you don’t own the copyright. 

• Obtain permission from subjects before posting photos of them or information about them. 

• Include handles of those involved in your tweet. This serves to flag your tweet to those people/accounts and therefore increases engagement. 

• Include appropriate hashtags, but not more than three per post. Hashtags serve as search terms and can particularly help more people see your tweet when the hashtags are trending, but too many will make your message unreadable. 

• Follow people, publications and groups that are relevant to your work and your department. Following them helps them to know that you have an account. 

• Compliments and congratulations: Highlight the great work, awards and accolades of your students, faculty and staff. For example: Post a photo and congratulate a Ph.D. candidate for a successful dissertation defense. 

• Announcements about upcoming events and deadlines 

• Candid and behind-the-scenes photos that show the real people and moments in your team/department 

• Links to research and students/staff quoted in the news 

• If a topic or hashtag is trending that is related to your work or field, that’s a great time to post content again to tap in when people are paying attention