Guidelines for Account Editors

By having an additional social media account outside of the primary NJC account, you should be prepared to maintain it and keep it updated, as you would with a department webpage. NJC’s presences on social media sites are considered to be an extension of the official website, and most guidelines and best practices that apply to the website will also apply to your social media account.

Best Practices

Social media outlets have blurred the lines between public and private, professional and personal. These best practices will help maximize personal freedom while allowing you to get the most engagement from your NJC social media account:

You are representing NJC. When creating messaging, it is from the voice of NJC, not your own personal voice. Use the pronoun “we.” Refrain from posting your personal feelings, ideas and opinions. If you need to do so, do it from your personal account.
Check in with us. If your supervisor has authorized you to post or comment on social media platforms for NJC, contact the Marketing and Communications Department. They will provide you with logos and consult with you on best practices, etc.
Dialogue not monologue. Social media is not one-way “announcement” communication. Rather it is dialogue that provides an opportunity for two-way communication. Social media is not formal advertising, it is sharing a story. Allow constructive criticism from the community, but remove comments that are libelous, obscene, hateful or excessively disruptive. If uncertain on when/if you should remove content, contact the Marketing and Communications Department.
Be a moral compass. Never display or promote content that violates college policies, depicts drug use, underage drinking, violence, harassment or discrimination. Consult with the Marketing and Communications Department if you have questions about displaying potentially offensive material.
Friendly first. Interact in a friendly, respectful and constructive manner.
Be transparent about your identity, who you are communicating on behalf of and your intentions. This means being honest as well. If someone comments about an error in a post, admit the mistake and thank the follower for helping edit the post.
Consistency is king. Social media is all about being in the moment and having a consistent presence. If you aren’t going to post more than two or three times a week, you probably don’t need a social media presence.
Avoid death by hashtags. You are encouraged to use hashtags associated with NJC, but try to avoid adding too many hashtags at the end of a post (See Official Social Media Properties).
Purposeful communication. There is such a thing as too much communication, so don’t bombard your followers’ social feeds with excessive content. Create purpose-driven and planned communication.
Protect private information. Do not discuss internal policies or operations or personal information. Follow federal, state and college requirements such as FERPA and HIPAA. The importance lies in protecting the privacy of Personally Identifiable Information (PII), and student education records.
Be safe and smart. Sharing content – such as photos, text, personal information, individual location, and video – has a long life on the Internet and could put you and/or NJC at risk. Be careful about what you post. Think through all potential current and future ramifications of what you post about yourself or others.
Avoid conflict; respect others’ opinions. There are many different sides and opinions to any given issue. NJC seeks to foster an environment that allows for open exchange of ideas in a positive, non-threating environment. Remember, you are representing the voice of the college, not your own.
Listen first. Listen carefully to what is being said and investigate accuracy prior to responding.
Be responsive. When appropriate, address issues that arise from the community with a response even if the response is to indicate you are gathering more information and will get back to them. If uncertain about how/if/when to respond, contact the Marketing and Communications Department.
Be factual. Jokes or pranks are prone to misinterpretation, so use humor judiciously.
Avoid controversy. Engaging in controversial discussion, especially in the name of the college, should be avoided.
Appropriately direct media inquiries. If you are contacted by a member of the media about a posting or comment on a social networking site (whether it is one you are the editor for or the primary NJC account(s)) or a general question about NJC, official activities, events, staff, faculty or students via social media, immediately contact the Director of Communications and Public Relations at 970-521-6611 or the Social Media Coordinator at 970-521-6669.
Monitor and react appropriately. Remove comments, photos, video, posts, links that contain profanity, sell or promote products, are spam or otherwise contain unlawful threatening, harassing, bullying, slanderous, abusive or hateful content. Immediately report all instances of inappropriate content and resulting removal to the Marketing and Communications Department, and provide a screenshot of said content before it is removed.
Follow NJC rules. Communicate only in a manner that is in accordance with the NJC workplace communication that will not reveal proprietary information that respects intellectual property, privacy, copyrights and patents.
Verify and source the content. Ensure the content shared or in question is accurate and current. Ensure content is true and authentic. Provide a direct link to the original post and include online references to the author. When posting about NJC news/updates, link directly back to NJC’s official website if possible. Make changes to the original post only when necessary to make corrections and preserve the original content by using strikethrough to the changed content.
Understand the law. As a state-funded institution, NJC must comply with the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA). Understand that all conversations on any NJC social media channel may be subject to disclosure under CORA. Requests for public records should be directed to the Director of Communications and Public Relations.

Social Tone and Voice

Communication through a social platform means NJC is sharing a success story and/or a story about its culture. When posting on social media, always use the pronoun “we.” Followers associate NJC social media accounts with the college, not an individual working for the college.

Be confident, but not arrogant. You are smart and know your area of study/interest, but followers may not. Use simple terms that are easy to understand and comprehend, and stay away from jargon and/or acronyms.
Show excitement. We want the student to feel welcomed and at home. Questions from students, the community? Use a conversational tone as though you are speaking or explaining something to a friend.
Be empathetic, but not overbearing. Communicate with respect. Everyone is your peer on social media. Offer encouragement and patience.
Express genuine happiness for students and community members. Don’t assume an accomplishment was easy.
Provide enough detail. For informational posts (e.g., events, disasters or cancellations) remember: WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY.

Types of Accounts

All social media accounts must be approved by the NJC Marketing and Communications Department. Accounts will be created by the social media coordinator and then access will be granted once all required information has been provided to the coordinator. Training is available through the Marketing and Communications Department for each of the following channels:

Facebook

Creation of a Facebook account must be requested through the NJC Marketing and Communications Department. A cover photo, profile picture and desired page name must be provided, along with the NJC email that will be associated with the Facebook page. NJC’s Social Media Coordinator will set up the page and provide the page editor with the password. The account editor will be responsible for communicating with the social media coordinator to edit main account info and adhering to the Profile Identity guidelines.
Editors are employees of the college who are approved to edit, curate and maintain an official Facebook page of NJC.
Admins have oversight over the editors of an official Facebook page of NJC. Admin status is restricted to Department Chairs, Directors and the Social Media Coordinator.
Facebook Etiquette refers to appropriate posting behavior. Posting one to two times per day on Facebook is sufficient. This amount of posts ensures an account is posting quality information and not filling up followers’ newsfeeds with an abundance of notifications. Facebook etiquette ensures that when an affiliated page appears in a user’s newsfeed, they are excited to see our name, not annoyed. More than two posts a day should be reserved for emergency situations only (e.g., emergencies, cancellations, etc.).
Facebook Stories: If you have more timely, relevant information to share or want to provide more information, Facebook Stories is another outlet to post in. Users have to click to view stories and stories are only available for 24 hours.

Twitter

Creation of a Twitter account must be requested through the NJC Marketing and Communications Department. A cover photo and profile picture must be provided, as well as a desired username and NJC email associated with the account.
Twitter Business accounts are restricted unless permission is otherwise granted by the NJC Marketing and Communications Department.
Five posts per day is acceptable on Twitter. Twitter has a rapid-fire, quick-news rapport so engaging with followers throughout the day as news arises is acceptable. One post per day is the minimum activity. Note that posts are limited to 280 characters.

Instagram

Creation of an Instagram account must be requested through the NJC Marketing and Communications Department. A profile picture must be provided, as well as the desired username and NJC email associated with the account.
Instagram Business accounts are restricted unless permission is otherwise granted by the NJC Marketing and Communications Department.
One to two posts per day ensure that only the most polished and relevant photos are shared on Instagram.
Instagram Stories are displayed for 24 hours (and expire at the end of that 24-hour time period) and allow for closer, more engaging interaction with followers. Stories can be used to go behind-the-scenes, publish day-to-day news, and promote events/classes. Stories provide stickers and poll options that followers can interact with and allow followers to direct message accounts.

YouTube

There is only one official YouTube channel associated with NJC. This provides students, faculty and staff, community members, and the rest of the NJC community with one central hub to find videos and information on the college. If you have a video you feel is appropriate to add to the Northeastern Junior College YouTube channel, please request video approval through the NJC Marketing and Communications Department.
Additional YouTube accounts affiliated with NJC are restricted.

Snapchat

Creation of a Snapchat account must be requested through the NJC Marketing and Communications Department. To centralize the flow of information to students, Snapchat accounts will be limited and selective.

There is only one official LinkedIn account associated with NJC.

Flickr

There is only one official Flickr account associated with NJC.
If you have photos you would like to have uploaded to the photo stream, please contact the NJC Marketing and Communications Department to have the photos approved and uploaded.

Profile Identities

For specific information regarding approved NJC logos, fonts, colors, etc., please contact the NJC Marketing and Communications Department.

All social media accounts must feature the NJC logo in either the profile picture or cover photo. If there is only one photo associated with the username of that account, that photo must have the logo visible.
Only the logos provided to you by the NJC Marketing and Communications Department (with the exception of the Athletics Department) can be used for social media accounts. No custom logos are authorized, unless approved by the NJC Marketing and Communications Department.
Account names must include either Northeastern or NJC as their title (e.g., Northeastern Admissions, NJC Men’s Soccer). Make sure the username aligns with the associated team or department name. This is not the place to create a new identity.
All pages and accounts must have a link in the bio that directs followers to njc.edu or gonjc.com, if it is an athletic account.