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Social Media at HCC

Social Networking Procedures & Guidelines

The Public Information Office at HCC maintains pages on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn as a way to provide announcements and information on upcoming events and activities, as well as to provide a forum for open discussion among students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the community.

Fans and followers of HCC’s Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages agree to:

  • Respect the terms provided by Facebook
  • Respect the terms provided by Twitter
  • Respect the terms provided by LinkedIn
     
  • Understand that HCC officials have the right to remove any content deemed to be offensive, inappropriate, of a harassing or threatening nature, or comments that could be construed as defamation of character. HCC also has the right to block posts from fans or followers who violate these guidelines.

HCC Guidelines for the Creation and Maintenance of College-Affiliated Social Networking Accounts

To maximize the effectiveness of HCC’s social networking sites, the Public Information Office at HCC maintains one primary institutional page on Facebook, one on Twitter, and one on LinkedIn, and limits the number of supplemental college-affiliated accounts or groups.  College departments wishing to promote their information and services may do so through the main HCC page, by contacting the Office of Public Information. Employees of the college are not permitted to create individual department pages. The Office of Public Information reserves the right to enforce the deletion of any unapproved social media pages, groups, accounts, or sites.

Student clubs or organizations have the option of maintaining their own Facebook group, as long as it is done with the assistance of the club advisor, and initially created with the assistance of the Public Information Office. Students are not permitted to establish Twitter accounts or LinkedIn groups on behalf of the college or a college entity.

The goal is to disseminate all types of college information through one main site, rather than having many separate sites that limit the opportunity to reach the largest possible audience. This also serves to help the Office of Public Information control and monitor the release of college-related information.

Creation & Maintenance of Pages

The “official” HCC institutional pages on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are maintained by the Public Information Office. Individual departments, student clubs, and other campus entities must contact the Public Information Office PRIOR to creating a Facebook page, Twitter account, or LinkedIn group.

Campus departments, clubs, or groups are required to adhere to the following:

  • Departments and student groups must obtain approval from the Public Information Office to establish a social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Approval must be received PRIOR to the creation of the page.
     
  • Students are not permitted to create or set-up Facebook groups, Twitter accounts, or LinkedIn groups for college clubs or departments on behalf of the institution. Student groups or accounts must be set-up by the Public Information Office, club advisor, or department supervisor. 
     
  • All pages must follow established guidelines for naming conventions, image selection, and other page features as mandated by the Public Information Office.
     
  • On Facebook, only the main HCC page is to be set up as a “fan” page. Departments and student clubs must be set up as “groups.” No “friend” pages are to be established on behalf of any entity of HCC. Friend pages are designed exclusively for individuals. According to Facebook’s help section, “Groups and pages serve different purposes. Groups are meant to foster group discussion around a particular topic area while fan pages allow entities such as public figures and organizations to broadcast information to their fans.”
     
  • Administrators of department groups or accounts must include the director of Public Information, the social media and public information specialist, the department supervisor, and the department person who is charged with maintenance of the page.
     
  • Administrators of student club groups must include the club advisor, the student activities coordinator, the director of Public Information, the social media and public information specialist, and a student officer of the club who is charged with maintenance of the page. Student admins who graduate from the college need to have their admin rights removed upon graduation. In addition, when a new club officer is elected, previous student admins should have their admin rights removed. The club advisor is responsible for dispensing and removing admin rights within Facebook groups or other social media accounts.   

Posting of Information  

All content and posts are bound by the terms of use of the specific social networking site, HCC’s Guidelines for Social Networking, HCC’s Employee Code of Conduct, HCC’s Code of Student Conduct, and HCC’s Acceptable Computer Usage Policy. Content submitted by individuals does not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions held by the college.

  • College employees who have information to share with a general audience are encouraged to provide it to the Public Information Office for inclusion on HCC’s institutional pages via email to Leigh-Anne Mauk at lmauk@hagerstowncc.edu.
     
  • Information posted on group pages by administrators should be maintained on a regular basis, with information posted frequently.    
     
  • All content should be accurate, concise, student-oriented, sensitive to diverse audiences, and respectful to the college, its employees, students, and the community. Content posted should adhere to HCC’s Guidelines for Social Networking, HCC’s Employee Code of Conduct, HCC’s Code of Student Conduct, and HCC’s Acceptable Computer Usage Policy.

Monitoring of Content

The director of Public Information, the social media and public information specialist, and page administrators are charged with regularly monitoring each page in order to respond to user concerns and address issues of inappropriate conduct, with warnings to be issued as needed.
 

  • HCC officials have the right to remove any content deemed to be offensive, inappropriate, of a harassing or threatening nature, or comments that could be construed as defamation of character. HCC also has the right to block posts from fans or followers who violate these guidelines.
     
  • Concerns of abusive or inappropriate content should be reported according to the procedures posted on the social networking site and shared with HCC’s Office of Public Information at lmauk@hagerstowncc.edu.

 

Facebook Code of Conduct

The official Facebook page for Hagerstown Community College serves as a place for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the college to share news, information, photos, and videos. Please note that not all information expressed here reflects the thoughts or opinions of HCC. HCC officials have the right to remove any content deemed to be offensive, inappropriate, of a harassing or threatening nature, or comments that could be construed as defamation of character. Comments that contain profanity will also be deleted. Repeat offenders will be removed as a fan from the HCC page.

NOTE: HCC will continue to study trends and case law related to social networking and update these guidelines as needed.

Last updated – November 2011


Official Institutional Pages maintained by the Public Information Office

 

Official HCC Facebook Groups & Pages

Reminder: HCC's social media pages are maintained by the Office of Public Information. If you are an existing HCC club or department, you must first obtain permission from the Office of Public Information before creating a Facebook page. Email lmauk@hagerstowncc.edu for more information.

 

Official HCC Twitter Channels

Reminder: HCC's social media pages are maintained by the Office of Public Information. If you are an existing HCC club or department, you must first obtain permission from the Office of Public Information before creating a Twitter channel. Email lmauk@hagerstowncc.edu for more information.

  • @CyberHCC - The official Twitter channel for the HCC Cybersecurity Program. Administrators: Dave Mathers and Leigh-Anne Mauk
     
  • @hccalums - The official Twitter channel for the HCC Alumni Association. Administrators: Lisa Stewart and Leigh-Anne Mauk
     
  • @hccathletics - The official Twitter channel for athletics at HCC. Administrators: Jackie Taylor, Bo Myers, and Leigh-Anne Mauk
     
  • @HCCBizTraining - Business training and professional development through the Continuing Education and Business Services Division. Administrators: Stephanie Powers, Adrienne Summers, and Leigh-Anne Mauk
     
  • @hccfinaid- The official channel for the Student Financial Aid Office at HCC. Administrators: Britney Carter and Leigh-Anne Mauk
     
  • @hccinternships - The official channel for the Internship and Job Services Office at HCC. Administrators: Bonnie Saunders and Leigh-Anne Mauk
     
  • @hccjobs - Current jobs and employment opportunities available at HCC. Maintained by the Human Resources Department. Administrators: Rosie Oberholzer and Leigh-Anne Mauk
     
  • @hcctravel - The official channel for travel classes and trips conducted through HCC. Administrators: Leigh-Anne Mauk