Social Networking

Social Networking communication is an excellent vehicle for sharing information, multimedia, event information, and building an online community presence.

The University Presence on Social Networking Sites:
Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc.

Web sites and/or accounts that purport to represent information as Montclair State University (including the colleges, departments, divisions, offices, centers, institutes, programs, series, etc.) on any publicly available Web site must be coordinated, approved, and co-administered by the University Communications, Web Services. University Communications will provide appropriate logos.

This includes all pages identified as representing Montclair State University or its subdivisions, particularly on social networking sites such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc (see below for additional guidelines).

As with all electronic communication, an Internet presence only has impact and effectiveness when information posted on it is up-to-date and accurate, and comments and requests are managed and responded to in a timely manner. Outdated information or a poorly managed presence does not reflect well on the originator and the institution.

Web sites/providers that host unauthorized accounts using identification as Montclair State University or its subdivisions—in name or image, including logos—will be contacted for immediate removal of accounts.

University Communications, Web Services, maintains a Social Networking Web page that lists official academic/administrative department Social Networking links. Using an image of the Red Hawk texting, this Web page serves as an official gateway and a resource to our students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, etc. who want to get connected. Contact Cindy Meneghin, meneghinc@mail.montclair.edu, for more information.

Facebook Guidelines

Facebook is a ubiquitous and rapidly growing platform for social networking and sharing updates and information.

University Communications works with the departments/offices of the institution that require outreach to a general interest mass audience (undergraduate and graduate admissions, MBA program, arts and cultural programming, alumni association) to establish a formal presence. Departments/Offices of the University with a demonstrated need for an official Facebook presence should contact the appropriate Dean or Divisional Vice President for approval. Once approved, please contact University Communications.

Facebook Pages and Groups—What’s the Difference?

• Pages in Facebook are organizational profiles, intended to be created and maintained by authorized representatives of the organization. Facebook pages do not display the identities of administrators to page users. Pages in Facebook must be coordinated, approved, and co-administered by University employees of the originating department and Web Services.
• Groups are Facebook communities created by users and range in level of formality; any Facebook account holder who has interest in a topic/organization can create a group. Administrators of a group do not necessarily purport to formally represent the organization or provide definitive information, and the identities of administrators are displayed to page users. Groups in Facebook are freely created and maintained on an individual user level; departments are encouraged to seek out enthusiastic and knowledgeable representatives of their areas to administer a Group—this may include faculty, students, alumni, or other close constituents who volunteer for this responsibility.

Creating Facebook Pages

Official Montclair State University Facebook Pages must be created in conjunction with a Facebook Profile, associated with a specific person. The following guidelines should be implemented for all MSU Official Facebook Pages:

• The name of the Page should always include "Montclair State University (name of department/function/etc) Official Page." For example: “Montclair State University Undergraduate Admissions Official Page.”
• Official Pages have designated administrators within the originating department/office; a member of Web Services must be listed as one of the administrators. Contact Cindy Meneghin (meneghinc@mail.montclair.edu) before creating an official administration or academic Facebook Page.

Creating Facebook Groups

For colleges/schools/departments that do not have as broad a mass audience but wish to dedicate resources to a Facebook presence, University Communications recommends creating a Facebook Group. University Communications does not monitor nor administer Groups, unless the college/school/department creates a Group as their official Facebook presence instead of a Facebook Page.

Linking to Facebook Pages and Groups

Since Facebook Pages and Groups exist on Web servers maintained by Facebook, users wishing to view those pages must be on www.facebook.com to access them. The pages may be accessed by a manual search from the Facebook main page or through a hyperlink from another Web site.

Hyperlinks from Montclair State University Web pages to a Facebook page are allowed but in order to minimize user misunderstandings and to protect Montclair State’s identity on its Web pages, the following rules should be observed:

• Facebook logos or icons can appear on Montclair State Web pages but must be smaller than the Montclair State logo.
• Links from Montclair State Web pages to Facebook pages should be in text clearly indicating that the user will be leaving Montclair State’s Web site and going to a page maintained by Facebook. For example: If you’d like to follow us on Facebook, join our group on Facebook.com (with “Facebook.com” being a hyperlink to the appropriate Facebook page).
• If you can, request a customized URL for your Facebook page. For example, Montclair State University Official Facebook page has the customized URL: www.facebook.com/montclairstateuniversity. This URL takes you to the Welcome page, a additional app available through Facebook. University Communications Web Services is available to assist academic and administrative departments create a Welcome tab for the Facebook page.

YouTube

University Communications Web Services maintains the official Montclair State University YouTube.com presence (www.youtube.com/montclairstate). If you wish to make a suggestion of a video to be included in this collection, contact Web Services.

Twitter

Twitter is a limited communication method that allows you to post a message, up to 140 characters, for viewing by those who also have a Twitter account and have chosen to follow your postings. This method is very specific and requires the cultivation of an audience. It also is focused on ‘following’ the actions/thoughts of a specific person. Because of these limitations, it is not an optimal tool for University departments. University Communications does maintain an official University Twitter presence (twitter.com/montclairstateu) where announcements with links to University News items, are provided.