FAQs

This policy applies to all Social Media accounts representing UNC Charlotte and/or one of its offices, departments, centers, colleges, schools, or programs. The policy does not apply to personal Social Media accounts of students or employees, or student organization social media accounts. Learn more about the social media policy here.

While many social media teams around the university are small, it is important to identify a second account administrator in the event of an emergency, employee turnover, or other events in which the primary administrator might not be reachable. If your account currently only has a primary administrator, the University social team recommends choosing a person on your communications team or with a communications-related role to serve as a secondary account administrator and ask to meet with them regarding the change. You can also direct them to this website for how-to tutorials, best practices, guidelines, and for a review of the social media policy.

Yes. The University Social Media Policy states that all accounts must be registered with the social media team. By registering your account, you will receive inclusion into the directory of official accounts, inclusion into a network of social media managers across campus to receive updates, access to graphic templates and pre-sized campus photography, and protection against credential loss. This also helps the University social media team to assess the University’s overall social media footprint and to provide you with support as needed.

To register your account, you’ll need to be prepared to input information for which accounts you operate (i.e. Twitter, Instagram), contact information for two designated account administrators (a primary and a secondary), credential information for designated accounts, and granting of Facebook access as applicable. Learn more about account registration here.

It is recommended that your University social media login credentials be tied to departmental email addresses (i.e. socialmedia@uncc.edu, marketing@uncc.edu, etc.) in all cases where possible to avoid operation from your personal social media accounts. Please contact the social media team at socialmedia@uncc.edu if this applies to your accounts. For Facebook specifically, we will work with account administrators to coordinate administrative access to the main UNC Charlotte Facebook channel on a case by case basis.

If your request for a social media presence is approved, the University social media team will reach out to provide you with next steps to complete the registration process, including gaining account credentials and a branded profile image. 

If your social media request for a new account needs further evaluation, it may mean that the requested information in the request form was incomplete, your accounts do not meet requirements as outlined in the university social media policy, or the University social media team would like to partner with you on a communications solution that may more closely align with your goals and the existing UNC Charlotte social media landscape. Discussions following an account request will seek to understand how to best tailor a solution to fit the needs of each individual entity requesting a social media presence.

After the account registration process is complete, a member of the University social media team will reach out to you for confirmation. There, we will discuss any questions you may have or address specific discussion points, and you will be provided with guidance on ensuring your profile is up to date with back-end compliance and University naming conventions. After the consultation is complete, your account will be added to the official directory of University social media accounts.

After the account registration process is complete, a member of the University social media team will reach out to you for confirmation. There, we will discuss any questions you may have or address specific discussion points, and you will be provided with guidance on ensuring your profile is up to date with back-end compliance and University naming conventions. After the consultation is complete, your account will be added to the official directory of University social media accounts.

At many institutions, YouTube is considered a social media channel. The UNC Charlotte social media team does not currently operate the UNC Charlotte YouTube page and is not requiring registration of YouTube channels at this time.  For questions related to YouTube, please email socialmedia@uncc.edu and we are happy to connect you with a member of the University Communications Digital Media Team for more specific information.

Because Facebook requires the operation of business pages through personal social media accounts, we follow different protocols when ensuring administrative access. Instead of login credentials, we will request access to your submitted Facebook page through UNC Charlotte’s Business Manager account. You should receive a notification when this occurs, and it is a simple one-click approval from your end to accept the request. When that is accepted, this part of the process is complete.

No, accounts run by students on behalf of a student organization or club do not fall within this University policy.

Groups offer a more informal place for brainstorming, discussing, and community building around a particular topic. Because of this informal nature, groups are not required to be registered in this process. However, language suggesting the informal and unofficial nature of groups is strongly suggested. Please reach out to the University social media team at socialmedia@uncc.edu if you’d like assistance with that language.

If you are unsure of how to craft an appropriate response to an inquiry or comment on social media, please flag it to the University social media team at socialmedia@uncc.edu for review. The social media policy outlines guidelines and instructions for University account administrators who encounter true threats, incitement of violence or lawless action, fighting words, libel or defamation, obscenity, unlawful harassment or discrimination, invasion of privacy, or comments that are otherwise not protected speech. Please reference section IV, part B for more information on moderating these types of content.

Strategic realignment or the gradual phasing out of accounts under the same umbrella may be recommended options when assessing the ROI of operating certain social media accounts. Your account may be worth re-evaluating if: 

• Your team is not able to dedicate two account administrators 
• You cannot maintain a regular posting cadence
• The account’s initial intended purpose is now irrelevant or outdated

The University social media team is happy to work with you if any of the above are the case in determining what path may be right for your accounts. Please go ahead and register the aforementioned accounts that you would like to delete or consolidate through the account registration form. In your submission, chose the option under the ‘Would you like to continue maintaining this account(s)’ that feels the most accurate to your situation. Upon submission, a member of the social media team will follow up with you on next steps.

The account registration process outlined in the social media policy requires the detailing of two account administrators and administrative access/credentials given to the University social media team to minimize the risk of access loss to your University social account. Unfortunately, unless the credential loss takes place after the account has been registered, there is no guarantee that access to your accounts can be reinstated. If this is the case, seek support through the social media platform you have been locked out of to understand options that may be available to you.

The University social media team is happy to work with your team on the basics of social media management, tactics to improve your social presence and any other support within our social media scope.

You can find general information on best practices and guidelines under the Content, Account Management, and Guidelines and Best Practices sections of this website. If you would like to learn more or receive more individualized help, please reach out directly to the social media team at socialmedia@uncc.edu and be on the lookout for updates on resources and assets that will soon become available.

The University social media team first recommends allocating time and resources toward maintaining a presence on the top social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn), as they provide the most sophisticated platforms and potential reach for desired audiences. If you are still interested in pursuing a presence on another platform, please contact the social media team at socialmedia@uncc.edu to discuss your content strategy before moving forward.

To update credentials that you have previously passed along to the social media team as part of your registration process, please email socialmedia.charlotte.edu to let us know that this is the case. Please do not provide your updated credentials in that email. We will provide you with a more secure form to submit the new credentials.