Social Media

Social media is a powerful communications tool that has a significant impact on organizational and professional reputations. Because they blur the lines between personal voice and institutional voice, Tarrant County College (TCC) has crafted the following policy to help clarify how best to enhance and protect when participating in social media.

Policies for All Social Media Sites, Including Personal Sites

1. Protect confidential and proprietary information: Do not post confidential or proprietary information about TCC, students, employees or alumni. Students must still follow the applicable federal requirements such as FERPA and HIPAA. Adhere to all applicable college privacy and confidentiality policies. Students who share confidential information do so at the risk of disciplinary action up to and including expulsion.
2. Respect copyright and fair use: When posting, be mindful of the copyright and intellectual property rights of others and of the College.
3. Use of TCC logos for endorsements is strictly prohibited: Do not use the TCC logo or any other college images or iconography on personal social media sites. Do not use TCC’s name to promote a product, cause, or political party or candidate.
4. Terms of service: Obey the terms of service of any social media platform employed.

Student Group or Organization

1. Think twice before posting: Privacy does not exist in the world of social media. Consider what could happen if a post becomes widely known and how that may reflect both on the poster and the College. Search engines can turn up posts years after they are created, and comments can be forwarded or copied. If you wouldn’t say it in person, consider whether you should post it online. If you are unsure about posting something or responding to a comment, email web.communications@tccd.edu.
2. Strive for accuracy: Get the facts straight before posting them on social media. Review content for grammatical and spelling errors. This is especially important when posting on behalf of a student group or organization in any capacity.
3. Be respectful: Understand that content contributed to a social media site could encourage comments or discussion of opposing ideas. Responses should be considered carefully in light of how they would reflect on the poster and/or the College and its institutional voice.
4. Remember your audience: Be aware that a presence in the social media world is easily made available to the public at large. This includes prospective students, current students, and peers. Consider this before publishing to ensure the post will not alienate, harm, or provoke any of these groups.
5. On personal sites, identify your views as your own. If you identify yourself as a TCC student online, it should be clear that the views expressed are not necessarily those of the College.
6. Photography: Photographs posted on social media sites may be wrongfully appropriated. Consider adding a watermark and/or posting images at 72 dpi and approximately 800x600 resolution to better secure your intellectual property. Images at that size are sufficient for viewing on the web, but not generally suitable for printing.
7. Notify the College: Student groups or organizations that have a social media page, or would like to start one, should do so with these guidelines in mind and should also consider a faculty or staff mentor. If guidance is needed students can email web.communications@tccd.edu. All institutional pages must have a full-time appointed student who is identified as being responsible for content. 
8. Acknowledge who you are: If you are representing a TCC student group or organization when posting on a social media platform, acknowledge this.
9. Have a plan: Student groups and organizations should consider their messages, audiences and goals, as well as a strategy for keeping information on social media sites up to date. 
10. Protect the institutional voice: Posts on social media sites should protect the College’s institutional voice by remaining professional in tone and in good taste. No TCC student group or organization should construe its social media site as representing the College as a whole.  Consider this when naming pages or accounts, selecting a profile picture or icon, and selecting content to post. Names, profile images and posts should all be clearly linked to the particular student group or organization rather than to the institution as a whole.