Social Media for University Employees

Social media has become one of the most common and effective ways to communicate with friends, partners and colleagues – both in the workplace and outside it. These channels have made communication faster, and have allowed messages to reach farther, than ever before. However, they are not without risks.  

These recommendations are intended to help faculty and staff understand those risks when using social media such as: Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Threads, LinkedIn, Reddit, Wikipedia, Substack, and more.  

Note: These recommendations do not constitute an official university policy. For guidelines on official CMU social media accounts, please visit the CMU Social Media Policy. 

Personal responsibility 

CMU employees are personally responsible for the content they publish online, whether on personal blogs, chat boards, social media platforms or other digital channels. All users of social media platforms are also responsible for following the platform’s rules and regulations. 

Remember: There’s no such thing as privacy on social media

Adjusting your privacy settings and limiting your followers are good practices, but they don’t offer true privacy online. Anyone with access to your posts can take screenshots and repost them on other platforms, on other accounts, and in ways you may not expect. Consider that anything you publish may become public and will exist online for a long time.

Remember: If it’s in print, including things that are posted and published online, it should be considered public and permanent. 

CMU accounts vs. personal accounts 

If you plan to use a social media channel primarily to conduct university business, that account, and the posts and comments made on that account, must adhere to CMU’s Social Media Policy, Expressive Activity and Advocacy Policy, and Public Statement Policy. 

If you use a social media channel primarily for personal reasons, that account should be linked to your personal contact information – your personal, non-CMU email address and phone number. 

If you plan to use your personal social media accounts to share work-related content or to engage in work-related activity, you may wish to consider the privacy settings on your account and carefully select individuals you follow and/or you permit to see your posts. Remember, however, that anything you publish online can – and likely will – be seen by a larger audience. 

Set clear boundaries 

If you plan to use a personal social media account to interact with students, colleagues, partners, etc. for university-related reasons, make sure to clearly define your expectations for those online connections with those individuals and your supervisor.  

Consider whether you are willing to respond to questions you receive via direct social media messages after hours and on weekends, and what kinds of information you are willing to share. Remember that social media interactions are usually informal and casual, and those interactions may affect working relationships offline. 

Sharing posts about CMU 

It is wonderful to share good news about CMU on your personal social media channels! Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to amplify and share posts from official CMU college, department and unit pages, and to share links to stories and content posted on the CMU website. 

Please do not share any confidential or protected information about CMU, its students, faculty, and staff, or proprietary information about processes, plans, systems, research, etc.

Protect privacy, confidentiality and intellectual property 

Be respectful of people’s privacy – don’t share names and images of people on social media without their permission. Also consider federal privacy laws, including HIPAA and FERPA, before posting information about others.  

Do not post confidential information about the university, its students, alumni or employees. This can include but is not limited to embargoed news and information; proprietary information about processes, plans, systems, research or services; internal memos and confidential communications; or personally identifiable information about students, faculty and staff. 

Be mindful of copyrighted/trademarked content. Respect artists, authors and other content creators by requesting their permission before sharing their material. Note that images, text and music shared on social media may be subject to copyright laws and regulations. 

Do no harm 

Model CMU’s core values in your behavior online. Respect, inclusiveness, and compassion are part of our culture – make them part of your posting plan! Aim to do no harm when posting and commenting; avoid personal insults and use of any language that might violate CMU’s non-discrimination policy. 

Trolls, canceling and doxxing 

Social media posts can quickly become targets for bad behavior online. Faculty and staff who post strong opinions about certain topics may be on the receiving end of one or more of the following online tactics: 

Trolling: Internet trolls harass other users, repeatedly posting offensive comments intended to provoke a response. The best way to deal with trolls is to ignore them completely; if they aren’t getting the highly charged emotional response they want, they get bored and usually go away. In MarCom speak: Don’t feed the trolls. You may also wish to report trolling behaviors to the social media platform and/or block users who repeatedly harass you online on your personal accounts. Note that official CMU accounts may not be permitted to block users; please reach out to the MarCom social media team before blocking users on an official CMU channel. 

Canceling: Some users will take offense to posts or comments and will encourage audiences to “cancel,” avoid, boycott or shame an individual or an organization into changing their words or behavior. Depending on the post or incident that incited the cancellation, you may wish to consider whether the criticism has merit. If you have made a mistake, it’s OK to admit the mistake and share what you’ve learned. If the claims are false, you may wish to work with a trusted friend to consider a response – or you may simply ignore the harassment. Internet cancellation campaigners get bored quickly and will eventually move on to other targets. 

Doxxing: One of the highest levels of online bullying, doxxing involves publicly sharing personally identifiable information (phone numbers, addresses, family details, etc.) about another user and encouraging others to harass them offline as well as online. This kind of behavior can become dangerous – please seek help from local law enforcement if you, your colleagues or someone you know receive threats. 

Don’t engage with attacks on CMU 

If someone else’s posts or comments take a negative view of the university, please simply report it to CMU’s social media team. Do not respond to or engage with negative comments – allow CMU to respond in a way consistent with its issue management strategy. 

How the audience sees you 

It’s ok to identify yourself as a CMU employee, but it’s a good idea to include a disclaimer on your personal profile that acknowledges that you are sharing your personal views and ideas. An example might be “The views expressed on this account are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Central Michigan University.” 

Remember that if your personal social media account uses a picture of you in CMU clothing or standing in front of identifiable CMU landmarks, such as the Seal, you may “become CMU” to them. If your personal social media account uses your job title at CMU, audiences may see you as a representative of CMU; they may consider your posts and comments as coming “from CMU.” 

Be authentically you 

Your social media activity tells a detailed story about you – make it a good one! Consider what messages about yourself you are sending through the photos, posts and comments you share online – and how those messages may be received by friends, colleagues, neighbors, family and even future employers.