Bakersfield College Social Media Guide

If you hope to promote a Bakersfield College department, program or service via social media, you are

not alone. Social media is an increasingly popular mode for engaging target audiences and for developing

relationships with stakeholders and the public. Unlike traditional modes of communication, social media

allows for ongoing, interactive, multi-directional communication which facilitates taking a message

straight to the intended audience.

The following guide will assist Bakersfield College departments, programs and services with their social

media efforts. This guide provides the basics on social media use on behalf of Bakersfield College. All

Bakersfield College departments, programs and services are expected to follow the guidelines contained

here when using social media on behalf of the College.

Any questions about use of the Bakersfield College Social Media Guide should be directed to Bakersfield

College’s Department of Marketing and Public Relations.

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HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

Bakersfield College has developed this Social Media Guide primarily to help departments, programs, and

services navigate the world of social media. Even so, it includes tips that any social media user will find

helpful. Whether you’re a novice or an expert, we hope you will find some useful information in this

guide. This guide does not apply to social media pages for individuals.

This guide is intended to provide the basic tips that will help you get started in, and keep a valid presence

on, social media. You are likely to encounter scenarios that are beyond the scope of the information

presented here, or you may just want some extra advice. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the

Department of Marketing and Public Relations for help. We are happy to offer our suggestions and

guidance to help you maximize your social media presence. Just email us at

marketing@bakersfieldcollege.edu.

At the same time, Department of Marketing and Public Relations does not intend to exert a significant

amount of control over Bakersfield College’s social media presence. This communication is an offer to

share our expertise and share the lessons we have learned from our own experiences at Bakersfield

College, as well as the best practices of our colleagues at other colleges and universities. We do, however,

lay out some rules pertaining to how Bakersfield College organizations are identified and maintain a

presence in the world of social media. These are detailed throughout the Bakersfield College Social

Media Guide, and they include policies regarding branding, logos, colors, and identification.

We also encourage you to revisit this guide regularly, as social media is continually evolving.

We plan to update it as needed to provide the most current information on the most popular social media

outlets.

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GENERAL SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES

For many social media outlets, starting an account is as easy as setting up an email address or shopping

online. In most cases, you will need to provide at least a contact email address and set up a password.

Certain social media outlets will offer the opportunity to include other information, such as a website and

group description, on your page, as well.

Among our requirements is that departments, programs and services representing Bakersfield College

include the Bakersfield College name in the user name for your account. If College-affiliated groups all

adhere to that naming convention, then individuals who are looking for Bakersfield College departments,

programs and services on various social media outlets will know that they can merely search for

‘Bakersfield College’ to find those accounts.

Most social media outlets allow users to include a picture with their account as well. You may be

interested in using a Bakersfield College logo for that aspect of your page. Every College organization-

related account needs to include the approved Bakersfield College logo prominently on the site.

When establishing a social media presence, it is important to devote an adequate amount of time to

maintaining it, as social media requires ongoing and consistent contact. Because social media facilitates a

conversation, you do not want that conversation to fall silent for too long. Plan to spend time each day

updating the site(s) and responding to comments.

As with any interaction in which your group or event is representing the Bakersfield College, social

media communications should be appropriate to your audience. Never use profanity or other offensive

language. We also recommend that you resist the temptation of getting into an ongoing e-battle with a

social media user. You can defend yourself or your group against unfair criticism to a reasonable extent,

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but carrying on the conversation in an attempt to get the last word is likely to be a losing battle. Many

social media outlets have terms of use, and you are strongly encouraged to abide those.

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SOCIAL MEDIA REQUIREMENTS

These requirements apply to all social media presences developed for Bakersfield College departments,

programs, and services. The responsibility for following these requirements falls on those designated as

administrators for each social media page.

1) Bakersfield College departments, programs and services will monitor and moderate all content on

social media sites developed for Bakersfield College departments, programs, and services.

Bakersfield College departments, programs and services will follow each social media’s terms of

services for post or comment content. Additionally, any content found to be in violation of

Bakersfield College or Kern Community College District policy, procedures, guidelines or

requirements, will be removed. Content which includes spam, is inaccurate, or includes

disclosure of confidential information will be removed.

2) All Bakersfield College departments, programs and services are encouraged to notify the

Department of Marketing and Public Relations of their social media page via the Social Media

Catalog at www.bakersfieldcollege.edu/marketing/bcsocialmedia. This contact allows for cross-

promotion of each social media page and assistance with content development and

announcement.

3) All Bakersfield College departments, programs and services must have the primary contact for

their social media page be to a Bakersfield College email address.

4) All users must respect Bakersfield College’s decision to moderate, remove, or edit any

objectionable content. Do not discuss or argue with any moderation decisions on social media

sites.

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5) No social media presence should represent itself as Bakersfield College as a whole. Name of

social media sites should clearly apply to the department, program, or service to which it pertains.

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AVOID

1) Do not post content on anything related to legal matters, litigation, or any parties with whom

Bakersfield College or the Kern Community College District may be in litigation or negotiation.

2) Do not use Bakersfield College or Kern Community College District proprietary graphics, logos,

or trademarks without prior written approval.

3) Never use ethnic slurs, personal insults, or obscenities. Never engage in inflammatory or

objectionable subjects such as politics or religion.

4) Do not post confidential material. This can include confidential information about upcoming

services, finances, college/district matters, employees/employee information, strategy or

information not released to the public.

5) Do not post personal information about students.

6) Never engage trolls. Trolls are people who post comments on social media pages just for the

purposes of causing an argument.

7) Do not use Bakersfield College or Kern Community College District social media sites for

spamming, personal or commercial advertisements, or to transmit chain letters, junk mail or bulk

messages. No personal communications allowed.

8) Do not use Bakersfield College or Kern Community College District social media sites to solicit

for or promote a personal business or organization not directly related to the college or district.

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9) Do not use Bakersfield College images or iconography as endorsements on personal social media

sites or fan sites. Do not use Bakersfield College names to promote a product, cause, political

party, or candidate.

10) Do not speak as a representative of Bakersfield College. Be mindful that those looking for

information may use social media and your comments.

11) Never post photos of children. Direct any questions about this rule to the Department of

Marketing and Public Relations.

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WHAT TO DO

1) Remember that what you post on social media sites may/will remain public for a long period of

time. Think twice before posting.

2) Use your best judgment when linking to any third-party site.

3) Stay on point. Keep your posts relevant. Content should center on issues relevant to Bakersfield

College and the Kern Community College District.

4) Be courteous, professional and polite. Remember Bakersfield College and the Kern Community

College District reflect a diverse set of customs, cultures, values, and points of view.

5) Get your facts straight and verify information before posting.

6) Remember photographs can be taken and used for personal purposes. Be careful with what you

post.

7) Be the first to admit your mistakes. Be up front and correct your error.

8) Do remember that all content must be accurate and the veracity of such is often verified via the

accreditation process.

9) Proofread! As a higher education institution, Bakersfield College is held to a higher standard. See

our list of Commonly Misspelled/Misused Words for help.

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ABOUT FACEBOOK

With more than 800 million active users—including the vast majority of college students—Facebook

is one of the most popular social networking sites. In fact, more people are using Facebook than Google

these days. Many Facebook users – including at least 80 percent of college-age students – log on for

updates at least once a day.

Because Facebook is so popular, the site can be a useful tool for communicating with an

organization’s members or promoting an event. Facebook allows individuals to set up profiles, connect

with their friends, join groups, and “like” and follow their favorite brands, organizations, and celebrities.

It also allows organizations a chance to participate in an ongoing conversation with their members and/or

target customers.

However, because Facebook is so popular, it can be time-consuming and difficult to manage.

Here are a few definitions that will help you navigate the world of Facebook:

PROFILE | Individual users set up profiles that include details such as their education, occupation,

marital status, and other demographic information. In profiles, you add connections by asking people to

be your “friend,” or by responding to friend requests from other users. Bakersfield College employees

should not create an individual profile in the name of an official campus group or event.

PAGE | A page is intended for companies, groups, and other larger entities to have a Facebook

presence that mimics an individual profile. Pages allow for posting status updates, comments, and wall

posts, for example. Setting up a page, however, demonstrates that the account belongs to an organization

rather than one person. A page develops its network of connections when individuals choose to “like” the

page.

GROUP | Groups are particularly useful for interacting with a smaller number of people. In addition

to posting on the group wall or sending messages to group members, a group set-up has a forum for

members to engage in discussions on specified topics. So, if it’s important for members to talk amongst

themselves, this may be the way to go.

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EVENT | This one is pretty self-explanatory. You can schedule an event on Facebook and invite all

of your organization’s fans or members to attend. The event will then show up on the right-hand side of

your members’ news feed pages, offering a perpetual reminder. When you set up an event, you’ll also be

creating a guest list of everyone invited to attend. People can RSVP, and you’ll have a list of those who

will be attending and those who can’t make it.

WALL | The wall is where a great deal of Facebook’s information exchange takes place. Facebook

users can post directly on the walls of their friends, groups, and other organizations. Additionally, when a

Facebook user posts a status update, it shows up on the wall, as do all comments in response to the status

update. Facebook users also can post links to other websites to their walls.

STATUS UPDATES | Status updates allow Facebook users to share what they’re thinking or doing

at any point in time.

COMMENT | A comment is a response to a status update, photo, link, or other Facebook activity.

Typically, only profile or page administrators and their friends can make comments.

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FACEBOOK HOW-TO

To set up a Facebook page, you first need to have an individual profile. If no one in your organization

has a Facebook profile yet, it’s easy to create one. Just go to Facebook (www.facebook.com) and enter

the information requested: name, email address, password, gender, and birth date. Then you’ll be able to

set up a page following these steps.

1) While logged in to your individual profile, select the ads and pages option on the left-hand side of

your news feed.

2) Choose “pages” from the four options listed cross the top of the page that comes up.

3) Click on the green Create a Page button in the upper right-hand corner.

4) You’ll need to choose whether your page is for a business, public figure, or other organization.

(For most Bakersfield College pages, it will probably be the last of those.)

5) Pick a name for your page and don’t forget to include Bakersfield College!

6) Click the box that says you’re authorized to set up the page.

A Facebook group can be set up in a similar fashion. In your individual profile, click on the Groups

option on the left-hand side of the news feed. A list of your existing groups will come up, and at the top

of that list will be a “create groups” button that allows you to make a new group.

Clicking on that button will bring up a form that asks for basic info about the group, and after the group is

created, you can invite interested members to join.

For all Facebook pages:

1) Titles must include ‘Bakersfield College’ for the first two words to ensure consistency and best

results in searches. For example:

a. Bakersfield College English Department

b. Bakersfield College SGA

c. Bakersfield College Men’s Basketball

2) Make sure to “like” Bakersfield College’s official Facebook page at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bakersfield-College/142514519351

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ABOUT TWITTER

With its 140-character limit, Twitter is the ideal social networking site for those who prefer to

keep their updates short and sweet. A variety of companies, organizations and individuals have

recognized the value of using such brief messages—also known as microblogging—for getting out the

word about their efforts. In fact, the number of Twitter accounts has increased dramatically in the past

few years.

Twitter also allows its users to reach broader audiences than most other social networking sites.

Unlike your Facebook friends, you may not necessarily know your Twitter followers personally.

In most cases, you are able to follow a Twitter account without having to obtain the user’s

permission first. Often you’ll find that other Twitter users will follow your feed merely because you

followed theirs. Your time will be well spent in searching for Twitter users who might be interested in

your group or activity.

Here are a few definitions that are particularly relevant to Twitter:

TWEET | Tweets are the updates posted on Twitter. They must be limited to 140 characters or

fewer.

FEED | A Twitter feed is the list of all of a user’s tweets.

FOLLOW | When you follow a Twitter user, all of his or her tweets will be delivered

automatically to your home page. You will see their tweets whenever you log in to your account.

LIST | Twitter users can create groups using the “list” function. You can group the accounts

you’re following into various lists, organized by similar interest or geographical location, for example.

Using the list function can help you review tweets by category or interest.

RETWEET | In the world of Twitter, it’s perfectly acceptable (even encouraged) to repeat what

other people say. This is known as retweeting. When you retweet another Twitter user’s update, it shows

up with an icon that notes that the update came from elsewhere.

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MENTION | When you refer to another user in your Tweet and use the @ sign to do so, you’re

mentioning that person in your post. Twitter allows you to track every time someone mentions you in

their posts.

TAG | Tagging is a way for Twitter users to classify their tweets by subject, so that anyone using

Twitter can find all the tweets that have been posted on a particular topic. You tag a topic by using the

hash tag (#). A tweet about the College might be tagged “#BakersfieldCollege.” For example: "Is anyone

going to the #BakersfieldCollege homecoming game?" or "I can't wait for classes to start!

#BakersfieldCollege"

TRENDING TOPIC | Twitter keeps track of the most popular topics of the day – based on tags

– and those topics show up in a list on the right-hand side of a Twitter user’s home page. The trending

topics tell you what people are talking about on any given day. If you can connect your tweet to one of

the trending topics, new followers may stumble upon your feed when they search for the topic.

1) Description of account must include ‘Bakersfield College’ and the name of the department,

program, or service the account is about.

2) Website link must go back to Bakersfield College’s homepage or the department, program, or

service homepage.

3) Avoid Twinterns. Staff have the essential knowledge related to Bakersfield College departments,

programs, and services.

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ABOUT LINKEDIN

This site is designed to help members connect online with people in their professional networks—clients,

friends, and colleagues and supervisors from past and present employers. LinkedIn, which is free to join,

allows members to create profiles that list their professional experience in addition to other basic details,

such as name and contact information. The site has search functions that help members find contacts in

their network. It also allows clients, supervisors, and co-workers to offer recommendations on members’

work. As is the case with so many social media outlets, LinkedIn offers the opportunity to create and join

groups based on similar professional interests, geographical location, and other shared characteristics.

Group members can then join in discussions and share news items that may be of interest to other

members. LinkedIn also features a job search function that recommends particular openings based on

member profiles and experience. With its focus on professional connections, LinkedIn is a useful tool for

groups or departments that have career preparation and development as a focus area.

Bakersfield College is still in the early stages of making use of LinkedIn as a tool for bringing together

alumni and employees who wish to network professionally. Do not create any Bakersfield College-

themed LinkedIn group without first contacting the Department of Marketing and Public

Relations.

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ABOUT FOURSQUARE

Foursquare is a "geo-location" based website, that is also available as a mobile application, which allows

registered users to "check-in" at locations locally and around the world. Users earn points for each check-

in and badges for reaching achievements set by Foursquare. As each badge is earned it is displayed on the

user's profile. The user with the most check-ins during a 60-day span will be crowned mayor of that

location. Watch out because someone could steal that title from you and just to make sure you're not

cheating,

Foursquare keeps track of check-ins to make sure you are in that area. Your location is determined when

you log in by the GPS in your mobile device (for the application) or the IP address of the Internet

connection (for the web site) you are using. Keep an eye out at the venues you check in at as Foursquare

offers discounts to customers at select locations.

Foursquare is still new territory for Bakersfield College.

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ABOUT GOOGLE+

Google+ is a relatively new social networking service which launched in summer 2011 on an invite-only

basis. Google+ now allows business and organization presences, and Bakersfield College has a page.

Many issues currently exist with Google+ and business/organization pages and as the website evolves,

Bakersfield College will become more involved.

Google+ is new territory for Bakersfield College and being explored.

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OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA

The reality of this interconnected world is that there are new social media website popping up almost

daily. Bakersfield College’s efforts, at the time of this guide, center on Facebook and Twitter, with

preliminary work on Foursquare and LinkedIn.

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