Create and post some interesting content so you have a good number of posts and other content before announcing your page.
Follow the official UNG social media pages and the affiliates to help grow your audience.
Consider following similar departments and colleagues at other schools and related professional organizations and associations, but be mindful that the pages you select to follow or "favorite" can reflect upon your department and the university.
Social media is, by design, a conversation and not a one-way broadcast. Be prepared to accept and respond to comments.
Understand that not all comments and replies will be positive, and respond to negative comments professionally and by providing any additional information that may help resolve the issue. Not every barb warrants a response.
Alternatively, you may want to immediately try to take a negative conversation "offline" by sending a message to the poster and asking them to contact you via email or by phone – especially if it is a situation that involves a student or sensitive information. Be aware that even these messages and emails may not necessarily be private; they can be easily shared by forwarding or through screen-shots and can be subject to the Georgia Open Records Act.
Correct misinformation. Always use facts to support your statements and, if possible, include links. UNG is a public institution of higher education – educate the public but don’t be condescending.
Users may post comments and start a dialogue that has little to do with the post in question. If the matter in question involves a topic that can easily ignite debate (e.g., politics or religion), avoid it.
Only delete those posts which violate the social media platform's terms of service or your posted policies; leave a response letting other users know why it was removed and reminding them of policies. Contact the user and explain why the post was deleted.
If you cannot answer a question posed in comments or posts, refer them to someone who can or seek the answer from an expert and post it – others may have the same question.
Contact the UNG Social Media Manager in the Office of University Relations quickly if the conversation turns angry or threatening, violates terms of service or university policies, becomes directed personally at specific individuals, or involves issues that administrators of the department or the university need to be made aware. If there are credible threats of harm to the university or any persons, immediately contact UNG Public Safety.
Limit the time you spend on attending to your department's social media presence to what is needed to post content, evaluate traffic data, review related pages and monitor comments. You should participate in personal social media conversations on your own time; the UNG Appropriate Usage Policy outlines that UNG computers and networks are to be used for university-related business only.