GETTING STARTED WITH SOCIAL
Social media may sound like something just for teenagers, but it’s not. Social media can make an incredible impact and should be just as strategic as your other methods of communication. We’ve outlined general guidelines for the main components found in social media below. Our goal is to maintain a cohesive university brand message across all social channels, while also allowing some individuality among CU Anschutz entities.
For a list of social media handles throughout the university, visit our social media directory.
BEFORE YOU LAUNCH YOUR SOCIAL PLATFORMS
Prior to getting started on social, please click the link below to fill out the registration form.
Social Media Registration Form
If you’re unsure if social media is right for your school, department or unit contact the digital engagement team. We’re here to help.
ACCOUNT USERNAME/HANDLE
The account username is how your followers will mention or tag you in their posts. With your username, it is key to be straightforward to clearly identify your CU Anschutz program, department or school name. Depending on what platform you are joining, the amount of characters for your account handle will change. Most common practice begins with "CU" followed directly by your school/program name. If you are creating multiple new accounts, it's best to try to be consistent with your usernames if they are all available.
Here are examples for the following platforms:
| Twitter (15 Character Limit): | Facebook (50 Character Limit): | Instagram (30 Character Limit): |
| @CUAnschutz | @CUAnschutzMedicalCampus | @CUAnschutz |
| @CUMedicalSchool | @CUCancerCenter | @CUOrthopedics |
| @CUAnschutzDEICE | @CUAlzheimers | @CUAnesthesiologyResidency |
PROFILE ICON
Your CU Anschutz social icon should be provided by CU Anschutz Printing Services. Schools/College/Departments/Programs/Centers are unable to use the University of Colorado "CU” by itself in any format on social media. The profile picture used should be consistent across all platforms as to be easily recognizable for your audience. Once your new account has been approved, request your official social icon through Printing Services.
ABOUT SECTION
The About is an opportunity to give insight to your audience about what you’re all about. Write a clear and concise description of your brand. Fill out all of the About section and other profile sections completely including a link to your website. Please include your affiliation to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in the About section.
COVER PHOTO
The cover photo has more flexibility than the profile picture. This photo can be switched out depending on events or marketing campaigns. Although we encourage you to personalize your cover photo, we do ask that you ensure your photo is relevant and not out of date.
Cover Photo Dimensions:
- Twitter: 1500 x 500 pixels
- Facebook: 820 x 312 pixels
- LinkedIn: 1584 x 396 pixels
- YouTube: 2560 x 1152 pixels
Go to cuanschutz.imagerelay.com for Cover Photo downloads.
URL STRUCTURES
For your longer page name, while it is not mandatory, many departments and units choose to use the following system: CU Anschutz + Department/Unit name. Some examples:
CU Anschutz Department of Psychiatry
CU Anschutz Health and Wellness Center
Your “About” description should include a link to your department website. The “About” section of your page should also reference the larger school or college with which your unit is associated.
TONE
What type of tone and voice will you adopt? On all our social platforms, we strive for our language to be:
- Warm
- Compassionate
- Inspiring
- Cheerfully confident
- Inclusive
Remember, each social channel has different audiences. Instagram provides the opportunity to be more playful, while Facebook errs on the side of being more educational and informational. With every story you share, we want to convey why our work matters to the everyday person.
OFFICIAL HASHTAGS
CU Anschutz has hashtags that we encourage everyone to use. Using these hashtags can help increase the reach and visibility of your content.
#CUAnschutz: A general campus-wide hashtag
#CUAnschutzTogether: A campus-wide hashtag used to promote positivity, pride and the feeling of togetherness while physically apart
#CUAnschutzGrad: A general hashtag for all commencement-related activities
PATIENT STORIES/HIPAA REGULATIONS
You must receive written consent to post pictures of patients, parts or patients, names of patient, or any likeness or a patient (e.g. name, medical record number, screenshots or EMR), even if they give you express permission.
Prior to posting anything related to a patient on social media, social administrators must follow HIPAA regulations and complete the CU Anschutz HIPAA model form. When in doubt or uncertain, always reach out to your Communication Director’s for guidance. If you do receive patient consent, be sure to remain mindful about what content you're sharing and consider your the audience. If it is more “graphic” content, consider creating a “warning” slide for Instagram.
COMMENCEMENT ASSETS
We have created a variety of social media assets, including Facebook frames, Twitter templates, Zoom backgrounds, Instagram stickers and more, for the 2021 Spring Commencement. Please visit the Social Commencement Assets webpage to access them all.
CRISIS/EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
The Office of Communications will assist with social media accounts and take steps to mitigate damage to the university brand when appropriate. This includes all school/college/department/program/center accounts across the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. If you’re experiencing a crisis on social media, immediately contact the digital engagement team for assistance. In the event of a campus-wide emergency, refrain from posting and unschedule posts across your social media channels as you wait for instructions and/or guidance from the Office of Communications.
COVID-19 SOCIAL GUIDELINES
Remain mindful. While our lives have all been greatly impacted by COVID-19, it’s important to consider what you’re posting of our students, faculty and staff. Prior to posting a current photo, ensure those are following and adhering to proper state and CDC guidelines, such as social distancing and wearing masks. If you’re posting an image of an event or gathering prior to COVID-19, ensure that is clear in the post context. We are #CUAnschutzTogether.
Please contact the Office of Communications team for any questions.
RESPECTING COPYRIGHTS
Copyright can be a tricky thing on social media. When using content from another individual be sure to credit them. It’s a small way of showing gratitude that can save you a lot of headaches later on. If you have questions on social media copyright, please contact CU Anschutz legal counsel.
SOCIAL MEDIA TERMS OF SERVICE
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tos
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/static?key=user_agreement&trk=hb_ft_userag
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/t/terms
THE DOS AND DON'TS
| DO | DON'T |
| Have the authorization to post on your department’s behalf | Post private, restricted or sensitive information |
| Follow all university policies | Post pictures of patients, parts or patients, names of patient, or any likeness or a patient (e.g. name, medical record number, screenshots or EMR), even if they give you express permission |
| Protect confidential and proprietary information | Post an unprofessional comment regarding a colleague, including a student, nurse, resident, faculty, consultant, another hospital, educator, or administrator, or anything that could be taken out of context and damaging to the university’s reputation |
| Respect copyright and fair use | Engage in arguments or negative dialogue when someone disagrees with your post |
| Ensure the security of your social media account | Represent your personal views as those of the university |
| Be transparent | Use the stand-alone logo of the university as your sole image |
| Be respectful and thoughtful | Use images that are too small to easily recognize in a browser or on mobile devices |
| Be consistent and timely | Design your own department logo that is not recognizable as being affiliated with the University of Colorado – Contact University Communications for assistance and approval of all marks |
| Strive for accuracy | Use the university logo or any other university images or iconography on personal social media sites |
| Refer to the Office of Communications website for proper social media branding and naming conventions | Post anything discussed in settings where privacy or confidentiality is expected (e.g. private meetings) |
| Prominently list the university on the social media site and not only the name of the department | Discuss a situation involving named or pictured individuals on a social media. As a guideline, do not post anything that you would not present in any public forum |
| Avoid punctuation such as periods and underscores when naming the account | Assume anything electronic is private: social media communications related to university business may be considered public and obtained by request under Colorado Open Records Act |
| Make sure your privacy settings appropriately safeguard against inappropriate viewing and sharing | |
| Be aware that your affiliation with a specific program, department or center is public knowledge whether you disclose it or not. Even personal social media posts can be inappropriately associated with the university. |