5 - 10.4

Administrative policy regarding social media activity

  1. Policy statement. This policy applies to all Kent state university employees who manage and/or participate in maintenance of university social media account activity in platforms ranging from, but not limited to, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Flickr, Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest for the purpose of managing the institutional brand and sharing institutional and departmental information.
  2. Scope. Employees and other members of the university community who create institutional social media accounts and/or are granted access to a social media account shall follow all policies, rules, procedures and guidelines established to manage social media activity for university accounts. This policy does not apply to personal social media activities.
  3. Implementation.
    1. The division of university communications and marketing is responsible for promulgating the rules, procedures and guidelines for regulating the university's use of social media, including but not limited to the "guide to social media" as amended. The division of university communications and marketing shall monitor industry trends to support ongoing development of university guidelines.
    2. To achieve the overall advancement of Kent state university's unique institutional brand identity, as defined in the Kent state university positioning platform and "guide to marketing," social media spaces and activity covered by this policy, shall be governed by the guide to social media.
    3. The division of university communications and marketing shall assist departments, divisions and all units covered by this policy in identifying noncompliant elements and shall provide assistance to departments to bring departmental social media spaces into compliance with this policy.
    4. The division of university communications and marketing shall be added as a social media administrator for each departmental social media account for the purpose of providing coverage during departmental transitions, which can result in lapses of maintenance.
    5. Copyright and ownership of internet materials, whether original or derived works, created or developed by Kent state university staff, faculty or students are prescribed by Kent state university contractual agreements or policies regarding intellectual property, including but not limited to rules 3342-5-11, 3342-5-10, 3342-5-10.1, 3342-5-10.2, and 3342-5-10.3 of the Administrative Code.
    6. No social media activity can contain any copyrighted or trademarked material without permission of the copyright/trademark holder except as permitted by law. Photographs, drawings, video clips or sound clips may not be used without permission of the person who created them or the entity owning the rights where applicable.
    7. Other than basic identification information described in the guide to social media, this policy is not intended to regulate content.
    8. Kent state university institutional and departmental social media accounts and activity must adhere to the terms of service established by each social media platform.
    9. Institutional and departmental social media accounts must include the institutional disclaimer statement as provided for and provided in the guide to social media.
  4. Violations
    Violations of this policy may result in the revocation of an employee's administrative rights to their respective institutional or departmental social media accounts.
Policy Effective Date:
Mar 01, 2021
Policy Prior Effective Dates: 
1/6/2014, 3/1/2015