Communicating With the University Using the Web, FlashLine, Social Media or Electronic Newsletters


Information can be shared with the university community in various ways and the type of information will generally dictate which vehicle is best. Please use the following guidelines when filling out your request.

The request form can be used for any of the following requests:

Additionally, view other ways to promote your event, news or achievement, such as through the e-Calendar or Kent State University Media Relations.


FlashLine / Email Communication

The definition of a FlashLine communication shall be a method of electronic information exchange using either the targeted e-mail/targeted announcement or personal announcement function within the FlashLine portal. Please be advised that a request for a targeted electronic communication must comprise information deemed as official university business and meet one of the designated criteria.

Targeted Announcement/E-Mail

Criteria

  • Campus-wide critical notification
  • Important campus deadline or other time-sensitive information for students
  • Important changes in student services
  • Announcement of official policies or changes in policy
  • Announcement from governance groups (USS/Faculty Senate/GSS)

*Note: Student organization requests are not able to be sent as a targeted announcement/e-mail. Instead, it will be posted to the Personal Announcement channel in FlashLine.

Personal Announcement in FlashLine

If your request does not meet one of the criteria, it will be posted in the Personal Announcement channel in FlashLine.  What does this look like?

*Note: FlashLine requests should be submitted at least 48 hours in advance.


Kent State University Social Media

Kent State University's official Facebook page includes postings about major news, success stories and upcoming events.  News may also be posted to Twitter and Google+.

*Note: Social media requests should be submitted at least 1 week (7 days) in advance of requested publication.

Kent State University Website

You may have noticed that Kent State University promotes upcoming events, news, and student, faculty and staff success stories throughout its website as a way of communicating with the university and external community. To request placement in any of these areas, please fill out the request form.

*Note: Due to required preparation time, Kent State website requests must be submitted 1 week in advance of the requested publication date to be considered.  Events and news must meet certain criteria and, due to timing and competing events, all requests may not be honored.


Home Page

Highlight

The home page highlight is the bottom left slot on the Kent State home page. It can be used to promote events. Items typically occupy that slot for a week.  What does this look like?

Criteria

  • Appeal to external audiences in addition to the university community
  • Request includes a photo or high-quality graphic
  • Request includes a website or web page to link to (can be a Kent State page or an external page)
  • Request is submitted 1 week before requested publication


Information For Pages

Info For Highlights appear on the following web pages and can be used to promote events, news and success stories. There are multiple slots on each page, and items can occupy one of those slots for up to a month.

Criteria

  • Appeal to the designated audience
  • Request includes a photo or graphic that is viewable at a small size (70 x 70 pixels)
  • Request includes a web page or website to link to for more information (can be a Kent State page or external page)
  • Request is submitted 1 week before requested publication

If you have additional questions or are unsure if your item meets the criteria, e-mail the University Communications & Marketing webteam at webteam@kent.edu.

Announcements or Events in Electronic Newsletters

Note: For longer stories, such as news and/or achievements, use the Submit Your News form.

e-Inside

e-Inside is the university's official newsletter for communicating with faculty and staff. The newsletter is distributed every Monday morning. If you would like to have your information included in e-Inside, please fill out the communication request form. If you have news of your achievements that you would like to share in e-Inside with the university community, please use the Submit Your News form instead of the communication request form.

Deadline: You must have your request submitted by 5 p.m. Tuesday if you would like it included in the newsletter on the following Monday.

If you have additional questions or need more information, contact e-Inside at einside@kent.edu.

Other Ways to Promote Your Event


e-Calendar

You may have noticed a “What to do at KSU†list of events on the Kent State University website. And, you may be wondering if your department or departmental organization can post an event here. The answer is yes! And luckily, the steps are few and simple:
  • Go to http://www.kent.edu/news/event-submission.cfm.
  • Fill out the online event submission form. Your submission must be an event with a definitive time and place. The calendar will not post announcements, holidays or closings.
  • After you submit an event, University Communications and Marketing will review the submission for content, spelling and grammar before publishing it in the calendar. In order to allow for this review process, please submit your event at least one week in advance.


    • *Note: Not all events will appear on the www.kent.edu home page. When you submit your event, you will be asked to choose a category, and that category will determine where your event will appear on the website and in FlashLine. All events DO appear on the university’s e-calendar, viewable at http://www.kent.edu/ecalendar.cfm.

    If you are planning on using the calendar more than 10 times a year, please e-mail University Communications and Marketing Web team member Tim Priester at tprieste@kent.edu. He will create a departmental e-calendar account for your use.

    Additional Ways to Promote Your Event, Success or Activity

    Kent State University Media Relations

    A key element in any marketing effort is news coverage. Our media relations professionals seek ways to generate coverage that will enhance the image of Kent State University. Depending on the story, we aim beyond the local to regional, national and international media, including print, broadcast and the Internet.

    We invite you to contact us with information about your research, special activities and events. While we can't promise coverage of every event, we will assess the newsworthiness of activities and, depending on the story and timing, we can:

    • Write and distribute a news release and include it on the For the Media web page
    • Use a news release that you provide and include it on the For the Media web page (note that your release may be subject to editing)

    Sometimes the interest in a story or event may be to a specialized or limited audience, even within an academic area. We're happy to work with you to determine the appropriate audience for your message, or the appropriate message for your audience. For other services provided by University Communications & Marketing Media Relations, please visit the Media Relations site or contact Emily Vincent at evincen2@kent.edu.

    Request Forms

    FlashLine Communication Resources

    E-Mail Marketing

     

    *Reminder: If appropriate, you may also want to pitch your story to the Daily Kent Stater.


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