Social Media

Whether using social media personally or on behalf of an MIT department, lab, or center, we recommend that you follow these best practices:

Be transparent. MIT promotes transparency. We recommend that you do not blog anonymously or use pseudonyms or false screen names when posting or creating a page on behalf of MIT.

Think carefully when you “friend,” “like,” or “follow.” Is it an appropriate relationship? Is there a chance for misinterpretation from your audience?

Slow down—think before you post. Consider the content carefully and be cautious about disclosing personal details or making statements that you may regret later.

Encourage conversation. Do not turn into a one-way broadcaster; this defeats the purpose of social media. It is not always advisable to block comments just because they are negative. Use negative comments as an opportunity for discussion.

It is perfectly acceptable to talk about your work or have a dialogue with the community. However, it is not okay to disclose personal, confidential, or proprietary information concerning the Institute or any faculty, staff, or student in any form of media. Sharing this type of information, even unintentionally or in good faith, can result in legal action against you and/or the Institute. Be careful about disclosing information about research in your department. If you are unsure about sharing the details of ongoing research, ask before posting.

Respect the privacy of others. Respect the privacy of your fellow faculty, staff, and students. Before sharing a comment, post, picture, or video through any type of social media or network, it is usually best to get consent. Keep in mind that certain information about individuals is protected by MIT’s privacy policy, and student information is subject to special treatment under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and MIT’s Student Information Policy.

Respect the intellectual property of others. It is critical that you show proper respect for the laws governing intellectual property, including patent, copyright, trademark, and fair use. MIT has specific policies regarding the use and ownership of intellectual property. Read more about intellectual property, copyright, and Athena Rules of Use.

When quoting someone else’s work, it is best to only use short excerpts and credit the original author/source. It is also good practice to link to others’ work rather than to reproduce it. Don’t take a screenshot of a tweet and post it on your blog. Instead, embed the post. We live in an electronic age that makes it easy to share and download content, such as music and photos. Remember that the laws of the physical world still apply to the electronic world. Just because it’s online and easy to grab doesn’t mean it’s yours for the taking.

When using someone else’s photo or video, we recommend you credit the photographer/video producer, as in this example. You might also consider tagging the person in your post if that option is available, as in this example. This practice goes beyond common courtesy. There are very strict copyright policies that we must adhere to.

Respect your audience, MIT, and your coworkers. Members of the MIT community reflect a diverse set of customs, values, and points of view. When speaking on behalf of MIT, don’t be afraid to be yourself, but do so respectfully and with good judgment. When posting on behalf of MIT, it may be best to avoid controversial issues and inflammatory topics. Avoid content that could come across as a political statement of any kind.

When representing yourself in social media, be clear that the views and opinions expressed are yours alone and do not represent the official views of MIT. Still, your audience may attribute your comments to MIT, so be mindful of how they will reflect on MIT and its reputation. The Institute could also be called upon to respond to your personal views, whether MIT agrees with them or not. MIT may also be called upon to act on what you say on your personal accounts, and demands for disciplinary action are common. Make sure you understand MIT’s policies on personal conduct, racist conduct, and harassment.

Be the first to respond to your own mistakes. If you make an error, be up front about your mistake and correct it quickly. If you choose to modify an earlier post, make it clear that you have done so. If someone accuses you of posting something improper, such as their copyrighted material or a defamatory comment about them, deal with it quickly. It’s better to remove it immediately to lessen the possibility of a legal action.

Use discretion when deleting comments. You are welcome to adopt the policy we use for MIT’s flagship social media accounts. We will only delete comments if they are off topic and include marketing spam or hate speech, or if they're obscene, profane, or contain someone's personal or private information.

When an individual posts a negative comment that is related to the topic, your gut reaction may be to delete it right away. However, deleting the comment or reply has the potential to hurt you more than help you. Deleting someone's comment is censorship and breeds distrust with your department's identity.

Comply with the terms of service of third-party entities. Most social networking sites have their own rules, policies, and procedures, and you will likely be required to accept their terms of service before you can begin to use them. It’s always good to familiarize yourself with these rules so that you can be sure you are able to comply with them.

Follow MIT’s policies and procedures. MIT’s Policies and Procedures provide advice to MIT staff, faculty, and students who use social media to promote an MIT event, initiative, or academic program. They are not intended to replace any of MIT’s existing policies and procedures, which prevail over these guidelines.

Responding to comments

Social media is robust and timely for a reason: it’s real-time, community-generated content. These conversations can often add value. If the conversations among your followers are on topic, let them happen, but it’s best not to engage. The only time you might want to respond to comments is when followers are asking for more information. They could be seeking information regarding the post, the topic, or an event. It pays to be helpful.

If there are comments that are generally positive or favorable toward your DLC or MIT, do a quick check to make sure there is nothing questionable about the commenter (for example, they’re not posting anti-vaccine propaganda). If you don’t find anything controversial about the commenter, go ahead and give the comment a like. It helps to grow loyalty among your online community when you engage in this way. The Institute Office of Communications has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to hate speech or profanity on our social media channels, and any comments including either will be deleted immediately.

If a member of our community is complaining about something in a public forum or social media platform, direct message that person and try to take the conversation off the public platform and to a private space as quickly as possible (e.g., “We are so sorry you’ve had a negative experience. Please private message us with your email address so we can help you resolve the issue.”).

You may consider posting a comments policy in the community you’ve created. Here is an example:

Comments policy

• MIT <your organization name> has created this page to provide a format for discussion about news and events related to <subject matter>.
• MIT <your organization name> reserves the right to remove any content that is deemed, in our sole view, commercial, harmful, inappropriate, erroneous, harassing, libelous, threatening, discriminatory, or wildly off-topic.
• MIT <your organization name> reserves the right to remove you from the community/block you from posting after the second offense.
• MIT <your organization name> is not responsible for the content posted by others on this page; please note that community-contributed content is the opinion of the specific author and does not necessarily represent the opinions of MIT <your organization name>.
• Thank you for your presence and comments and for your role in creating a safe and dynamic environment for our online community.

For a Facebook page, you could add:

• MIT <your organization name> abides by Facebook’s Terms and Conditions and asks you to do the same while in this community.

Dealing with trolling

The more time you spend on the internet, the greater the chance you will either witness or become a victim of trolling. See this blog post on how to recognize and deal with trolling behaviors.

Social media is constantly being redefined. Stay current by keeping informed of trends and how they could impact higher education. Consider a few practical tips for keeping informed:

• Follow social media blogs, join interest groups, or share information with peers:
  • Read the MIT Social Media Hub blog.
  • Review the websites and mobile apps of other universities. If something interests you, contact that department to inquire about their approach.
  • Schedule a meeting with Jenny Fowler, MIT’s director of social media strategy. This is a free service for MIT staff and faculty.
• Identify the trends and technologies you should follow, and consider how to incorporate these new methods into your social media strategy.
• Change is inevitable. Be willing to consider how new approaches fit into your overall strategy.
• If you want to explore a new approach but have reservations, consider testing concepts and tools on a small scale, then refine your overall strategy based on the outcomes.