Office of College Relations
Related Links
Randolph College-Affiliated Social Media Account Policy and Guidelines
How to Create a New Social Media Account for Your Program
Before creating a social media account affiliated with the College, all departments must seek approval from the Office of College Relations to ensure consistency with branding, messaging, and overall strategic communication goals.
This process includes outlining the account’s purpose, target audience, and content strategy.
Before social media accounts are approved, departments must agree to the following:
- Accounts may not be set up with a personal or individual College email. All accounts must be created with a generalized email obtained from IT. For instance, ocr@tamilfolksongs.com. This will ensure access to the account should any individuals leave the College.
- Usernames and passwords should not be shared except with approved individuals.
- OCR must be included as an admin (Facebook) and provided the username and password for all accounts (including but not limited to Instagram, SnapChat, X, Bluesky, Threads, etc.). Whenever these change, OCR should be provided with an update. This is mandatory.
Access and Management
As a general rule, we advise against allowing students to manage official College accounts. Any students assigned this role should be closely supervised by a faculty or staff member and should sign a social media agreement (OCR can provide this document). All passwords and logins should be immediately changed once a student is no longer part of the account management.
All departments must provide the name and contact information for a 24-hour on-call contact who will monitor the account (deleting and reporting spam posts, hiding or deleting comments that are off-topic to the post, etc.). An individual from the department must agree to monitor the account for any behavior that requires an urgent response. This includes evenings, weekends, holidays, and any off-hours.
Imagery and Content
Branding
The Office of College Relations will provide guidance on best practices, appropriate use of logos and other brand elements, and compliance with social media guidelines. By coordinating through this office, departments can maintain a cohesive online presence that upholds the college’s reputation and effectively engages its community.
All account holders must agree to abide by the College’s brand standards and style guides.
Please note, the College’s brand marks may only be used with permission and cannot be manipulated in any way.
Accessibility
All posts, graphics, visuals, and other content must meet ADA web accessibility standards.
Permission and Copyright
If you use any images of individuals who are not students, faculty, or staff, you must have signed photo release forms on file. Children under 18 must have forms signed by parents or guardians. Contact OCR for these forms.
Do not post anything you don’t have the legal right to use (music, photos, graphics, etc.).
A note for Instagram: Once the account is created, it needs to be changed to a professional account (instructions, which are very easy, here: http://help.instagram.com/502981923235522).
Personal and professional accounts have different options available to them, so this will help us avoid copyright issues. Professional accounts only have access to royalty-free music and sound effects. This option also allows you to access insights and data on how your posts are performing.
