Social Media: Community Engagement Protocols

All affiliated University of Massachusetts Amherst channels should feel encouraged to include these guidelines below on their pages or provide a link to this page.  

UMass Amherst welcomes comments on social media. Here are a few guidelines for our community engaging on our social channels:

• Share your feedback, questions, relevant observations, and additional information related to the topic relevant to the post. Discuss the post topic. Keep comments brief and to the point.
• Do not degrade others on the basis of gender, race, class, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual preference, disability, or other classification.
• If promoting a program or event, please identify your UMass Amherst connection.
• Feel free to share your participation in community events, but please don’t use the page to ask for money or promote services, products, or entities, even if it’s on behalf of a worthy cause. By the same token, it’s fine to share if you’re running for political office, but please do not promote your campaign.
• You may flag inappropriate comments, either via the tools provided on the platform or by emailing @email.
• UMass Amherst reserves the right to delete comments that are defamatory, obscene, threatening, harassing, disclose information that is confidential under law, incite imminent lawless action, or violate existing laws or intellectual property rights. Duplicative comments by the same user or comments that are outside the topic of the forum may also be removed. UMass Amherst is not responsible for, and neither endorses nor opposes, comments posted on this site by visitors. Keep in mind that information posted on the UMass Amherst social media platforms is available for all to see, and comments are subject to defamation, antitrust, privacy, and other laws.

Negative feedback is an inherent part of modern communication channels. Social media creates a two-way dialogue that can provide opportunities to build trust, develop positive engagement, and highlight user-generated content.  

As a public university, we are responsible for respecting healthy public debate, even around topics that may be difficult or troubling. It is important to allow a free marketplace of ideas and allow these conversations to happen.

In most circumstances, do not:

• Ban users from your page or account.
• Disable comments.
• Otherwise prohibit or shut down active discussions on your accounts.
• However, consistent trolling; off-topic, threatening, or harassing comments; and advocacy of crime violate our social media guidelines, and the university has the right to remove such content from public view.

Comments or posts may be hidden or removed if they:

• Reveal personal information about someone, including students, staff, or faculty members.
• Are intentionally off-topic or otherwise unrelated.
• Threaten, harass, or defame an individual.
• Advocate for a crime.
• Include copyrighted or trademarked material.
• Give the appearance of legal, medical, or financial advice.
• Are considered spam, including advertisement or promotion of a commercial product, service, or individual.
• Are duplicative comments by the same user or multiple users—these are viewed as spam. The first comment from the individual should be approved, however. In other words, if a user comments the same thing five times, you should approve the first comment; you may hide or remove the other four.

Other considerations:

If, after careful consideration and consultation with your supervisor, you decide to ban or block an individual, you must document it with a screenshot, time of comment, the channel where the comment or post was made, the handle and name of the user, and the offense. Retain this information for your records for at least three years.

If you need further guidance on an issue, consult with the social media director in University Relations.

If you believe a post demonstrates a credible threat, immediately notify UMass Police via its nonemergency line at (413) 545-2121, as well as the social media team in University Relations.

Please note that UMass Amherst, as a public university, is subject to public records requests under Massachusetts state law. You should preserve comments, even if deleted from public view, as part of your management practices.