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Marketing & Public Information: Social Media Guidelines

Every day, the Antelope Valley College community interacts online. Faculty, staff and students have their own Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and online personas. At AVC, we recognize the importance of participating in these online communities. These social media guidelines are to help encourage college representatives to share their voice in the social media online communities in an effective and constructive manner. Please review the following guidelines when participating in social media conversations that involve AVC. Contact the Office of Marketing & Public Information should you have any questions about these guidelines.

The Office of Marketing & Public Information does not manage any social media sites beyond the official college channels. However, if your group needs to create a social media page to achieve its goals, please follow the guidelines below. If you have questions about establishing a page, please contact the Office of Marketing and Public Information.

AVC-Affiliated Social Media Sites

  1. Divisions, departments or organizations creating or maintaining social media profiles must notify the Office of Marketing & Public Information. The office will maintain an inventory of all AVC-related social media. Those creating social media profile are responsible for maintaining them and the associated passwords, etc. Please send a link to Executive Director of Marketing & Public Information.
  2. Departments, student groups and alumni groups who create a presence on the web should use “AVC” or “Antelope Valley College” in the title. This helps users not only find your sites, but also to clearly identify what community you belong to.  Always be honest and clear about your identity.
  3. Program or departmental sites should be authorized in advance by the respective Vice President or President. Sites sponsored by student organizations or in connection with specific activities must be authorized by the Dean of Student Development.
  4. Pages should be open and accessible to the public. Facebook sites should be pages not personal accounts or private groups. Instagram, twitter and others should not be made private.
  5. Add the AVC Webmaster as a page administrator whenever possible. This helps in the case the account is ever tampered with.
  6. Remember that you are posting as a representative of AVC. Maintain a professional tone when posting content. Post only meaningful and respectful comments. Do not write anything about a member of the College community or other schools that could be construed as slanderous or offensive. You are ultimately responsible for what you write. Remember that what you post on the Internet can be shared with just about anyone and will be archived for years. Carefully consider content before you post!  When posting pictures or videos, keep the same professional tone in mind as when you write.
  7. Post interesting information regularly. AVC will occasionally share your updates on the main AVC page. A Facebook page requires an estimated five hours of time per week to maintain properly.

Non-AVC and Personal Social Media Sites

When discussing matters related to AVC on a non-institutional or personal social media site, the college encourages utilizing the following disclaimer:

The views expressed on this ______________ (blog, twitter account, etc.) are mine alone and are not endorsed by Antelope Valley College nor do they constitute any official communication from Antelope Valley College.

The use of the AVC logo or name to promote products, causes, or political candidates on personal sites is prohibited. To obtain permission to use the logo on a personal social media site, written approval must be obtained from the president/superintendent or his/her designee. Once permission is granted, any item that uses the college logo(s) or brand elements must be reviewed and approved by the Executive Director of Marketing & Public Information or his/her designee.

Never hide your identity for the purpose of promoting AVC through social media. The Federal Trade Commission requires that you disclose your relationship with the College at all times.

Antelope Valley College does not monitor personal social media sites; however, the college reserves the right to review for compliance purposes any site or activity brought to its attention as potentially violating the guidelines established in this policy.