What is social media?
Social media refers to interactive parts of the Internet where we can communicate with such audiences as prospective students, current students, faculty and staff, alumni, parents and friends of the college. It is NOT a bullhorn where the main point is to push out information; it's more about conversations. The realm of social media includes (but is not limited to) Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, blogs and more. Since social media is an ever-evolving field, more outlets and applications continue to appear and adapt to users' needs.
Why social media?
For many audiences, especially prospective students, social media is a comfortable, neutral "third space" where they can explore opportunities, make connections and ask questions (sometimes questions they may hesitate to ask via traditional channels). By maintaining a presence in social media, we meet our audiences where they already are; the huge number of prospective and current students and alumni on Facebook, for example, make this an area where we can be present for interactions and tasks that accomplish our goals and meet our audience's needs.
While having a presence in social media adds to what you do, remember that maintaining your own website and its official information remains key. Experts recommend a "hub and spoke" model where social media efforts often drive users back to your own (oswego.edu) website. In an average year, for example, Facebook alone drives more than 110,000 visits to oswego.edu.
What are my responsibilities?
If you manage an official social media channel (like a college Facebook page or department Twitter account), you are an official representative of SUNY Oswego and should behave as such. Any posts, tweets, photos, videos or other content shared via official accounts are done as an official ambassador and should strive for accuracy, act responsibly and reflect positively on our institution. For more information, visit our professional conduct page.
How do we get a share/retweet/boost from official channels?
The college's primary accounts (especially Twitter), run by the Office of Communications and Marketing, happily promote awesome content that shows SUNY Oswego is a vibrant community full of opportunities and activities. Campus entities promoting events, programs and other aspects of the college (i.e. not commercial or spam) are welcome to post on the college's Facebook wall. For consideration of a Twitter retweet to amplify messages with outstanding content, promoting upcoming events or otherwise showing potential interest to the college's stakeholders, include @sunyoswego in the middle or end of the tweet (if you start a tweet with @sunyoswego, only people following both accounts will see it in their stream).
Read our blog on why you shouldn’t post a flyer or image. For more information about effective social media practices, see our content strategy section.