Social Media

Social Media Policy

The University of Florida’s social media policy guides employees using social media to communicate with audiences on matters concerning or impacting UF.

ACCOUNT APPROVALS
CREATING A NEW ACCOUNT
COMMUNITY COMMENTING GUIDELINES
BRANDING AND STYLE PROFILE REQUIREMENTS
ACCESSIBILITY
BRAND HASHTAGS
PRESENTATIONS AND TRAINING
VIDEO AND IMAGERY
ICONOGRAPHY
CONTACT

Account Approvals

Before launching a university social media account, you must reach out to your college or unit communications lead and answer the questions below. These standards apply to all university employees and other people (such as volunteers, appointees, and students) who use university computing resources and are looking to create and manage a social media account on behalf of the university. Final approvals must come from the Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing (form below). A departmental administrator should be provided log-in access to serve as a backup when needed.

Please note that your unit might have additional standards and requirements. UF/IFAS guidelines here and UF Health guidelines here.

Creating a New Account

You should be able to answer the following questions before creating social media accounts.

• Have you connected with your college communications lead? You must do so before filling out this form.
• What are your goals and how will your channel(s) support this mission?
• Is there an existing social media account with an established following that can help you meet your goals and share your messages?
• Who is your audience?
  • Are your proposed social media platforms the best way to reach them? Let us know if you are unsure.
• Have you managed a social media account for a brand before?
• Do you currently manage social media accounts for the university? If so, list those.
• Do you have enough strong content for each proposed social media platform? Remember that each platform is different, and posting the same content everywhere is not best practice. High-quality photo and video content are a must for all platforms.
• Have you reviewed the UF brand guidelines and are you familiar with social media best practices?
• Do you have sufficient staff time and resources to manage the platform(s)? Consistent and frequent posting, interacting, and engaging are essential to a successful social media presence.
• Do you have a social media backup contact to manage the account(s)? This is required.
  • Alternatively, do you have multiple people running the account(s)? Keep in mind that it’s important to maintain a consistent voice and presence.
• Have you evaluated what your peers are doing on social media?

Once you’ve answered these questions, submit your accounts below for the Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing approval.

Community Commenting Guidelines

Comment moderation is an important part of social media management. Please add the following guidelines to your Facebook page “About” section and link to them for reference, as needed.

The University of Florida welcomes your comments on our social media posts and encourages interaction among Gators around the world. We also encourage our community to foster respectful and vibrant online connections. Before you post, please consider the UF Core Values and review these UF Community Commenting Guidelines (“Guidelines”).

We review all comments made, and when necessary, we reserve the right to remove comments that are:

– Off-topic

– Containing links to third-party websites or content

– Made in violation of Florida or federal law

Comments made by outside users are the authors’ opinions, not the university’s. By posting a comment on our social media pages, you agree to follow the University of Florida Community Commenting Guidelines, host social media channel Terms of Service, Florida, federal law, and UF regulations and policies – including but not limited to the university’s Acceptable Use of Computing Resources Policy. Your comments may be removed if they violate these Guidelines.

Branding and Style Profile Requirements

Avatars

UF-affiliated social media accounts serve as representatives of the university and therefore must adhere to all UF brand guidelines. Use of our official UF avatars and logos is strongly recommended for brand alignment and recognition. This will help people verify the status of your account as an official branch of the university at a glance.

These avatars, featuring the UF monogram, are available for download and have been adjusted to fit the various profile image displays. If you choose to use another brand identifier as your profile image, please be aware of image size and space to ensure that your visual is discernible and review the logo usage guidelines.

White on blue avatars are reserved for the flagship accounts.  

Departments and units can select from the following two options. Please note that these are not to be altered in any way.

Orange gradient avatars are reserved for college accounts (see below). Reach out to SCM for your custom image.

Naming

University accounts should include “UF” in their username @handle, and account name, along with mentioning “the University of Florida” spelled out as part of listing the full unit name and details in their bio. To allow for easier discovery, fully populate profiles with appropriate location (e.g., Gainesville, FL), UF website URL, etc. Maintain consistency with naming conventions across platforms whenever possible.

For example:

• twitter.com/UFAlumni
• facebook.com/UFAlumni
• instagram.com/ufalumni

Accessibility

Make your content accessible, remove barriers, and create inclusive content.

• #CamelCase your hashtags so that assistive technology can interpret each word – when using acronyms, test these with a screen reader to determine the appropriate letter case.
• Always add alternative (alt) text and captions, and never rely on the auto-generated options. THEY ALWAYS NEED EDITS!
  • All primary social platforms except for Instagram Stories allow for alt text.
  • Remember that you can’t retroactively edit or add alt text on X (Twitter).
  • Note which platforms need open captions (embedded/burned-in – inaccessible to screen readers) versus closed captions (SRT file upload – accessible to screen readers).
  • All platforms now have options for auto-generated captions, but remember to edit these. Instagram is the only platform that does not allow for in-feed post caption editing, and you can upload SRT files to Instagram Stories.
• Shorten URLs and remove “www.,” “https://,” etc.
• Consider how assistive technology interprets emojis – avoid overuse and don’t replace words with emojis.
• Use person-first language.
• When designing social graphics, check color contrast and combinations, keep text minimal, and consider typeface legibility and readability – left-aligned is best.
• For more on how to write alt text, platform features, and almost everything you need to know on accessibility (until the next app update), view Accessibility Over Everything training.

Brand Hashtags

When possible, hashtags should be used within the narrative of your sentence instead of at the end of your post copy. Use CamelCase hashtags so that screen readers can decipher them correctly. More than two or three hashtags are usually unnecessary.

Presentations and Training

Complete this form to request training for you or your unit. The training schedule will be announced soon.

Video and Imagery

When posting visuals online, following all recommended image dimensions is essential for proper display. Review our photography style guide to ensure your imagery aligns with the brand.

Iconography

Icons are a valuable design component for digital materials across all mediums. With so many options out there, we’ve created our own unique iconography style with personalized designs. From graphics, to Instagram Highlights, and more– elevate your content with the icons below.