Domain Name Policy

& Social Media Guidelines

Developed Fall 2011*

Web Communications Division of Marketing and Communications

*Last  revision,  9/2013.  Contains  a  Summary  of  domain  name  policy  and  social  media  guidelines  for  the  University  

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Glossary of Terms Authorized Representative: Someone given authorization in writing or via email to operate, manage and/or supervise the use of a social media account or accounts. Brand: Specifically, the product under a specific company name, but also refers to the identity associated with a particular company or organization. In Fairfield’s case, our brand is both our name and the services it represents and delivers. Domain: Domain refers to an identifying name registered to a specific website. Individuals, organizations and companies can apply for a domain name. The name typically references the organization’s name or the website's function, and is followed by standardized suffixes that relate to the type of website the domain belongs to (such as .com for businesses, .edu for educational institutions, .gov for governmental websites). Examples of a domain name include fairfield.edu, yahoo.com, ct.gov, bestfriends.org. Friend: Any individual who is acting on behalf of or in accordance with the wishes and direction of one of the organized “Friends of Athletics” groups sanctioned by the Athletics department. These individuals can be staff, students, donors and members of the public at large. FERPA: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) allows students control over the disclosure of personal information. Disclosure, except for limited circumstances, must be with the consent of the student. Intellectual property: Intellectual property refers to the rights of those who have created intangible work such as music, writing, inventions or designs. Official use: Official use refers to all social media pages approved by Marketing and Communications, and are listed in a directory of social media pages on the University’s home page. All Official use social media pages must be in compliance with this Social Media Web Guidelines. Other social media page use policies, including, but not limited to, the Student Athlete Social Media policy and procedures, the Athletic Staff Social Media policy and procedures, and the Friends of Athletic Social Media policy and procedure, are unofficial use policies unless usage is on a social media page has been granted official use status, in which case, strict compliance with the Social Media Web Guidelines is required. RSS: RSS, usually considered an acronym of "Really Simple Syndication," is a method of dispersing web content via a "feed" to a variety of users and outlets. A feed is the flow of information from one source, as it is updated, to multiple other sources. For example, a university can post their news a single time via RSS, and it might simultaneously appear on several other websites, blogs or social media sites as well as being pushed out to any user who have opted for updates. Share: To post content to a social media site or network and push it to other members of said or related networks and/or the public viewing the site. Social media, social networks: Social media is a catch-all phrase for web-based or mobile technologies that allow internet users to interact with others online. These could be through text posts, photos, videos or chat, and the vehicles to post social media include Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, Foursquare, LinkedIn, Instagram, Flickr among many others. Most social networks are recognized as such by their ability to share content amongst users or the public easily.

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Social Media page, group and or presence: Any blog, page or online entity that attempts to promote, inform and or engage the public about topics, events, programs and activities of the University and its entities under the official brand and name of the University. Student Employee: Any part or full time student who is under the legal employ of a department or entity of the University. Student Group: Any group officially sanctioned by the Division of Administration and Student Affairs. Subdomain: The use or extension of a brand or name with use of the primary domain name. Examples include fairfieldlive.fairfield.edu, data.fairfield.edu, faculty.fairfield.edu. These are extensions of the initial domain and managed by the primary domain holder. Tweet: To use Twitter, or to post actively to Twitter is to perform the act of Tweeting.

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Domain Names Web Policy

Domains Consistent terminology and domain presence is a strong part of the web identity of the University and makes for ease of navigation and improves the user experience. Web domains and addresses are an important part of our web strategy and can be a critical part of a university or corporate brand.

Fairfield University, has a legal and reputational interest in the use of its name and associated trademarks, including those contained or portrayed in domain names.

This policy is intended to promote consistency in the ways in which the University, its programs and activities are portrayed on the Web, and to help assure that all sites and pages officially representing the University, its programs and activities meet established standards.

1. The standard for all websites is www.fairfield.edu. All pages and sites representing offices, departments and programs of the University will use www.fairfield.edu/name or will, when necessary for technical reasons, have a www.fairfield.edu/name alternate address or alias. VIRTUAL addresses, those that use acronyms, short department or program names, or similar alias-based navigational shortcuts, must be determined by Marketing and Communications (M&C) before implementation. Both Web Communications (WC) and Computing and Network Services (C&NS) hold a list of existing virtual addresses and must approve any application for a virtual address.

2. Only www.fairfield.edu addresses and those determined to be of information and marketing purposes by Marketing and Communications will be publicized. Since all Web addresses will begin with same domain, inclusion of www in print, radio and television promotion will not be necessary, and offices should use fairfield.edu/name. There are limited exceptions to this guideline for marketing or information purposes that both WC and C&NS maintain.

Exempt from the publicity requirement are units that apply for and are granted permission to use a .com, .net, .org or other domain. To apply for exemption contact your Account Manager to set up a meeting with WC to discuss your application and use of such a domain exemption.

Exempt from the publicity requirement are University-wide services including data.fairfield.edu, fairfieldlive.fairfield.edu, files.fairfield.edu and other similar domains managed or determined by either WC or C&NS for operational, marketing or information purposes.

Purchase, use and ownership of domains

Purchase or use of .com, .net, .org or other Web domains to represent any part of the University requires approval with C&NS serving as sole agent of the University for the ownership and maintenance of all domains representing the University and its entities or purchased with University funds. Contact Scott Barnett, director of Web Communications, at sbarnett@fairfield.edu or (203) 254-4000, ext. 3503 to begin the process.

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Application and enforcement

The purpose of this policy is to have a set of standards for Web domains that can be applied equitably across all areas of the University and can assist department leaders, Web managers, and others in planning future Web use. If absolutely necessary, the University, through various offices, has the physical ability to assign or reassign Web addresses and to deny payment on unapproved third-party Web services.

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Social Media Web Guidelines

Social Media Fairfield University maintains a robust presence in the social media networks for the purpose of maintaining a strong university presence for admissions, marketing and information purpose.

After thorough analysis in 2009, the University began a five pronged strategy to meet both our marketing/information goals and our management objectives for the social network space.

Presently, the University maintains and assists with social media sites that are consistent with the “Six A” strategy. These are sites that focus on any of the following areas:

• Admissions • Athletics • Academics • Arts • Affairs (Student) • Alumni/Advancement

The primary goal for our external web presence, in this social media space and on the Internet in general, is to promote our University’s admission goals in a positive way through distribution of pertinent, audience specific information, effective use of branding and promotional campaigns, and advertising in select social networks. All official uses of social media sites are first held to the standard of how they might improve upon or enhance our attainment of these admissions and public information objectives. For example, Admissions and the Library both maintain strong social presences that can inform, distribute, and promote information in Facebook for any of the “Six A” themes when appropriate to the potential audience.

Secondarily, our presence on these networks is important to our alumni, fans and patrons in many ways. Thus Alumni Relations, Athletics and the Quick Center and its related entities in the Arts all participate in social media networks and maintain relationships with third party groups such as fans or patrons that support their online efforts and operational goals.

A primary concern for a University of our size is the maintenance, operation and monitoring of any third-party sites. Many sites come and go that offer some sort of social interaction, but the Marketing and Communications division and specifically Web Communications actively monitor what tools and techniques might be most useful to our external information and promotion of the University and its programs. It is important that departments, programs, and other University entities be aware of the process for engaging with these sites and tools and not go it alone in regards to engaging with the public via these or any third-party websites. The social media coordinator and web communications staff are available to assist with the proper setup and development of social media sites and presence and you should contact them first before making any new accounts or entering into any vendor relationships that involve or affect social media operations.

Social media networks can be valuable communication tools, especially those that allow people to affiliate with a cause or organization and participate in conversations. There are also inherent liabilities involved with social networks, which range from messages that may offend some readers to identity theft, scams, and stalking by sexual predators.

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There is very little value to fan pages and groups that are rarely updated, and those that contain incorrect information about the University are detrimental. As with all Web pages, fan pages and groups require regular maintenance, and those that allow anyone to join and anyone to post messages or other items, must be continuously monitored.

It is not possible for the University to monitor or control all social media pages that imply a relationship to some part of the University, nor do we wish to discourage alumni, students, or others from utilizing social networks. We can, however, control which of those pages will be granted “official” use status by Marketing and Communications as more particularly discussed below. These would include any social media third party site and hosted blogs that are used for department, program and other official University uses. Personal blogs are not included in this policy.

Additionally, intellectual property (IP) rights and terms of use differ from one social site to another. For example, IP you place on Facebook gives them the right to use it in any manner:

For content that is covered by intellectual property rights, like photos and videos (IP content), you specifically give us the following permission, subject to your privacy and application settings: you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook (IP License). This IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account unless your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it.

From Facebook Statement of Rights and Responsibilities - Date of Last Revision: April 26, 2011.

Clearly this can be of concern to any organization that is interested in protecting its image, brand and presence in public media.

Another issue is that copyright claims could be asserted against the University if a department inadvertently posted a picture or video in which a third party claims a copyright. Posting of inappropriate content, even if unauthorized, could subject the University to embarrassment or worse.

Not to be discounted, the use of social media requires a high amount of input and maintenance by staff. As is often thought with social media, these pages do not manage themselves and to get the best marketing and information value out of these site and their tools, a large amount of staff time must be invested. You can expect to have a staff member spend five to ten hours a week on management of a busy social media page and its related accounts.

Because of these types of issues, it is important that “official” use of Facebook and other social media (as defined by the University) by your staff adhere to appropriate guidelines intended to minimize such risks. The following is the University’s policy on official use of such social media by employees and student groups. This policy will apply only to social media pages approved by Marketing and Communications. University employees and student groups acting in an individual capacity should exercise caution to communicate clearly that they are not acting in their representative capacity, or expressing the view of the University.

Questions regarding the use of Facebook, other social media, or these guidelines should be referred to Scott Barnett, director of Web Communications. Your account manager and WC assigned project manager will also be involved in the social media planning for your area.

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Official status for social media pages

Only social media pages approved by Marketing and Communications may be listed on any official University Web page, or print or electronic publication. Those that are approved will be listed in a directory of social media pages available through the University home page. Once approved, they may also be listed on the Web pages of a corresponding office, department or program. You may apply for a social media page or presence by contacting Web Communications to discuss the application process.

Criteria for obtaining official status

• The primary administrator of the page must be a benefits-eligible employee of Fairfield University. At least one other benefits-eligible employee in your department or division must have administrative access. An assigned member of the WC staff and the account manager from Marketing and Communications must be given administrative access to the page or group. Although WC does not intend to actively engage in maintaining various sites, this designation will enable WC to properly track University social media pages and respond more quickly in the event of a problem, such as the unavailability or departure of the staff member who has administrative control of the page.

• The primary administrator must agree to be responsible for: (i) managing and monitoring the content of the social media; and (ii) removing content which may violate University policies and/or State and Federal law, from social media granted official use status. If anyone can post content to the page without administrator approval, the page must be routinely monitored. The frequency with which the page must be monitored will vary with the volume of traffic, but should not be less than three times per week.

• One way of measuring the frequency with which a page is monitored is the frequency or regularity of new information posted by the administrators. While the frequency will vary depending on the nature of the page, fan pages that have clearly been abandoned are not a service to alumni, students or prospective students. WC and/or any other department should not “inherit” responsibility for page maintenance after a department or division loses interest or staffing for management, unless it deems the page(s) to be central to the social media strategy of the institution.

• Official social network pages must comply with any design or other standards adopted for such pages by the University. The use of the brand marks, logos and designs approved by Web Communications, Digital Design and Print, and/or Marketing and Communications must be approved uses and versions.

• Assignment of account names, "handles" or other nomenclature used to identify the account and University, should be developed in consultation with the Marketing and Communications division and Web Communications staff.

• Pages created by a department on behalf of the University must be created as “Facebook Pages” rather than groups or personal profiles. A Facebook Page is a profile used by an entity (i.e. a non-individual) for business purposes. Such pages may only be created by authorized representatives of the University, which at this time are representatives of WC and Marketing and Communications. This process assures proper channels of approval and all administrative guidelines have been met. Do not create Facebook Places, Google + or Facebook Community pages for your business entity, nor create similar such pages in other social media sites. Group pages are special use and recommended for semi-private or limited access groups.

• In order to comply with Facebook terms and conditions, along with terms and conditions of many popular social media sites, and to enable the University to track authorized University pages, any department wishing to create such a page must provide WC with the name and contact information for the individual(s) who will be authorized by the department to

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create, operate, monitor, and edit the Facebook & Twitter account page on an ongoing basis (i.e. the “Page Administrator”). Students may be named as Page Administrators with authorization from the hiring department and WC only. In general, WC advises the use of graduate assistants and/or work study students only in special situations and where the work can be closely monitored. Many social media sites allow for a tiered permission-level of security and it is recommended that only staff be at "administrator" (full access) levels unless account operations do not allow.

• Any changes in the designated Page Administrator(s) must be promptly communicated to WC. In the case of pages created before implementation of these guidelines, the assigned administrator should maintain the page password and its association with their personal Facebook login and transfer proper administration credentials to the person(s) outlined in these guidelines.

• Twitter, YouTube, Foursquare, Instagram and other social media networks all have distinct operational aspects making them special use cases only. Foursquare and other location-based sites with marketing interest shall also be applied and operated on a case-by-case basis. No University employee outside of the ITS department or the Marketing and Communications division should create a University social media page, group, or function outside of these guidelines without authorization by Marketing and Communications. No University employee outside of the ITS department or the Marketing and Communications division should create or manage a map, GPS or map-based product online for public use. Limited exceptions for Public Safety and internal academic uses are allowed; if you have any concerns or questions, contact the Director, Web Communications. This includes photo, video, and other multimedia sharing sites, social feed or RSS distributors and the like. The University maintains and operates out of WC all accounts for Twitter, Foursquare, YouTube, and similar sites and departments, programs, and other entities should consult with WC for information on their use. For Twitter, YouTube and other single user accounts, the staff member must provide username, password and other credentials to Web Communications for assurance of account sustainability and recoverability after staff/department changes.

Posting of Content

The following issues should be considered prior to posting content to a Facebook Page, social site, or other media-sharing online entity - e.g., text, a photograph, or video:

• General Content Issues: Remember that content posted may be redistributed through the Internet and other media channels and may be viewed by the general public. If deleted or modified, older versions may continue to exist online. Content should not be posted unless it furthers the University’s education, teaching, and research mission. Share only information that is appropriate for the public.

• Do not post material appropriate for communication on other University web channels solely on a social site.

• In order to avoid discrepancies and minimize the need for updating, Facebook and/or other social pages should not be used to post detailed policy or procedure information, for example, program admission criteria. Rather, users should be directed to the official University publications and websites for such information.

• Do not include any personally identifiable information that can be used to locate someone offline. This includes anyone’s screen name, personal photo, hobbies; identification numbers such as social security numbers or student ID, addresses and phone numbers (other than an authorized business address or business phone number).

• Do not upload, post, transmit, share, store, or otherwise make publicly available on the site any private information of any third party, including, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, Social Security numbers and credit card numbers;

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• Content must not be posted if it is not clearly suitable for all ages. • Do not post content that could create a security risk for the University. Examples include

but are not limited to images of child care facilities, restricted access research areas and information technology facilities.

• Do not post content that shows (or may be perceived to show) someone getting hurt, attacked or humiliated; that might be considered racist, bigoted, threatening, obscene, or demeaning to a particular group of individuals; that depicts activity that is (or may be perceived to be) illegal, for example drug use; that is in violation of intellectual property rights or privacy laws; or otherwise injurious or illegal.

• Use of University marks and brand. Pages should feature the school/department’s official name and graphic identity. Departments should work with WC to use photographs to display campus spaces and activities.

• Note that use of University marks, such as logos and graphics, must comply with the University’s brand policies. Questions regarding the use of University marks should be directed to the University’s brand coordinator: Curtis Ebdon, Art Director, Design and Digital Print Services, Marketing and Communications Division.

• Employees and student groups are expect to adhere to the all University applicable policies, including but not limited to, Faculty and Student Handbooks in using social media granted official use status.

• Representations, either express or implicit, that the University endorses your personal opinion is prohibited.

Use of copyrighted or proprietary materials, e.g., music, art, copyrighted photographs or texts, snippets of copyrighted video, or information considered to be a trade secret by a University contractor:

• The University would have to secure written permission prior to using/incorporating any copyrighted or proprietary materials. Questions regarding the appropriateness of a posting should be addressed to Marketing and Communications.

• The safest course is to use only materials created by the University for such purposes. Contact WC for assistance.

Use of people’s images:

• Generally speaking, prior permission (i.e. a release) must be obtained from individuals whose images are identifiable. For that reason, it is always best to use content, such as photographs or videos, provided by Marketing and Communications specifically for this purpose. Assistance with releases, or answers to questions about exceptions to the requirement for a release, can be obtained from Marketing and Communications. Photos at public, University events are allowable, but again it is advisable to ask for permission or to post notices that your image may be used.

• Do not post content that might be embarrassing to an individual or that could be construed as placing an individual in a bad or false light.

• Do not utilize images obtained for social media purpose in other advertising or promotions without review by your Account Manager. Do not post content that might cause someone to believe that his/her name, image, likeness or other identifying aspect of his/her identity is being used for commercial purposes without permission.

• Special care must always be taken when dealing with images of “special populations,” e.g., minors, health care patients, and research subjects. Stringent legal requirements apply. Generally speaking, such images should never be used in this type of context.

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• Commercial use, e.g., sales of merchandise: The provision of online services or the sale of University publications, products or paraphernalia via “E-commerce” is only permitted in accordance with University policies and procedures.

Collecting User Information

• University departments should not use Facebook to collect personal information of users, as Facebook terms and conditions, as well as state and federal law, impose significant requirements and restrictions on the collection of personal information of users. In the case of minors, significant additional penalties can apply to violations.

• Social media sites and other third party (social and non-social in purpose) should not be used to collect, maintain, or distribute email addresses or other contact information for the purpose of email or text message (SMS or MMS) marketing by individual departments, programs or other entities.

• Use of the “events” feature in any social media site or tool is discouraged unless the events are coordinated with the University’s calendar systems and procedures. University sponsored events should be maintained in the public web calendar on the .edu site.

Other Do’s and Don’ts

• Pages must be monitored and updated on an ongoing basis by the departments or units that create them to enable rapid response to any problems that may arise and to ensure an engaging, interesting environment for visitors. To be effective, pages must be dynamic and will require updating more frequently than a Web site. A stale page will likely cause more damage to the image of an entity than having no page at all.

• Refrain from repeating or copying contact information such as lists of names and numbers and posting to social media sites or tools.

• Posting Share buttons on a University Web site: A “Share Link” is a button and/or a text link appearing on a web page that, upon being clicked by a user, enables the launch of a sharing mechanism through which users can share with others or post to their own member profile, links and content from that page. Use of such links is governed by certain design criteria and select sites and pages may use this promotion technique. Users should consult with their WC project manager for details.

Remember that the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of student education records. Generally, the university must have written permission from a student in order to release any information from a student's education record. In order to comply with FERPA, the university’s email system (and not Facebook) must be used when communicating about an issue involving a specific student.

Questions and Reporting Problems:

• Facebook accepts complaints regarding abuse and other issues, for example harassing messages, via hyperlinks placed throughout Facebook’s website. This can be done via “Report” links below a piece of content, or by locating the appropriate links on the Facebook “help” page. Problems or concerns regarding the use of Facebook or a University Facebook Page should be reported immediately to WC.

• Social media and media-sharing sites have distinct policies for abuse and harassment issues. Consult with WC if there are any questions or concerns in this area.

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Student organizations

The Web pages of registered student organizations are not considered official pages of the University. The University does not attempt to monitor those pages nor exercise control, unless a specific problem is reported. The policies and procedures regarding student activity and conduct on these sites are subject to the policies outlined in the computer use policies of the University and/or policies of Student Affairs. The same applies to social network pages.

Student organizations may provide information to Student 411 to complement their social media presence in other locations, and if they choose to comply with all standards for official pages, may be accorded the same status as other official pages.

Promotion

The establishment of Facebook and custom social media URLs (www.facebook.com/FairfieldUniversity) should be done by WC staff only and adhere to our practices for setup of virtual URL redirects (all redirects are requested from and verified by the Webmaster – webmaster@fairfield.edu ). Do not print or distribute Facebook or other social via posters, letters, cards or business cards without authorization by both WC and the department of Digital Design and Print.

Distribution of Content

WC will monitor social media using a host of tools and can distribute your story, media or posts efficiently using anyone of a number of backend tools. WC may occasionally post to your accounts stories of particular interest to your friends, followers and fans using these tools. By setting up an official University social media site, you agree to allow these postings and not edit, delete or block their posting using social media tools or technology.

You are encouraged to seek out postings on the main social media sites of the University and redistribute them (“share”) as you see fit within your social media sites.

You are encouraged to link and "friend" other official University social media accounts.

You are also encouraged to use the .edu placements of sharing tools (“AddThis” or “Share” or similar icons and widgets) to share .edu content with the social media environment.

Exemptions

These standards apply to all existing and future social network pages. Appeals for exemption should be sent to WC. If WC does not grant an exemption, and the applicant wishes to appeal further, the appeal may be taken to the vice president for Marketing and Communications. The decision of the vice president will be final. Personal blogs or social media pages are not covered by this policy, but such sites should not represent themselves as official or alternate university content.

Application and enforcement

The purpose of this policy is to have a set of standards for social network pages that can be applied equitably across all areas of the University and can assist department leaders, web content managers, and others in planning future Web use. If absolutely necessary, the University, through

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various offices, has the physical ability to remove Web pages that do not comply. The standards are designed to protect the reputation of the University and the safety of alumni, students, prospective students and others.

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Appendix A

Student Athlete Social Media policy and procedures

The Fairfield University Department of Athletics fully supports free speech, but reminds you that as a student-athlete you are under additional scrutiny from the public and media. With that in mind, the Department of Athletics prohibits student-athletes from posting, on any internet web site, remarks that can be considered as inflammatory, degrading, or in poor taste toward any other Fairfield student, student-athlete, coach, faculty or staff member, as well as players and coaches from other institutions. In addition, remarks, photographs, or videos of activities that are illegal or in violation of Fairfield University’s Student Conduct Code or the Department of Athletics’ Code of Conduct are prohibited. Any student-athlete who is found to be engaging in these activities will be in violation of Fairfield University policy and subject to disciplinary action. As a student-athlete at Fairfield, if you are on twitter, you MUST follow @StagsCompliance. This will enable you to get information regarding NCAA Rules and Regulations. On Facebook, please like the Fairfield Athletic page, as well as your team specific page. RECOMMENDATIONS It is important that you be aware of what you are posting, where you are posting and the topics about which you are posting. Always take a second look, thought, or moment before publishing your remarks, photos or videos. Maintain the highest privacy setting you can on your accounts to avoid any random person from accessing your pages. Refrain from posting personal information such as telephone number, address, class schedule, etc. Alert the compliance coordinator, coach or sports information staff of any sites that falsely appears to be yours, as this constitutes identity theft, and we will assist you in remedying the situation. Be cautious about chat groups as once you post you are linked to that group and discussions that take place. On twitter, please utilize #GoStags whenever referencing Fairfield athletics, its teams, coaches or student-athletes. This will help us create a buzz regarding Fairfield Athletics and promote all of our teams and student-athletes. You can follow @FairfieldStags, the official twitter account of Fairfield Athletics. LIKE EACH OTHER There are several official Facebook pages, one for Athletics as a whole, and then several for individual programs. Be sure to like each other athletic program pages. A list of current ‘OFFICIAL’ pages, as of August 2011, is below:

• Fairfield University Athletics • Fairfield University Men’s Basketball • Fairfield University Women’s Basketball • Fairfield University Softball • Fairfield University Men’s Lacrosse • Fairfield University Women’s Lacrosse • Fairfield University Field Hockey • Fairfield University Volleyball

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DO • Follow all the rules and regulations within the University Code of Conduct and the

Student-Athlete handbook. The venue may be different, but the rules are still the same • ASK IF YOU DON’T KNOW. Fairfield staff is here to help. • Post accurate information • Be Honest; Be Professional; Be Polite • Support your fellow Fairfield student-athletes and their teams. Follow them on twitter

and tweet about their success! Tweeting about a player from another Stag sport might just gain your team another fan at your next home game!

• Respect your audience – Do not use ethnic slurs, insults, obscenity or other actions that are not acceptable at Fairfield University.

• Be careful about what you share about yourself, who knows how far your tweet will spread

• PROOFREAD YOUR TWEET – Just like a math test, check your work twice before sending • THINK BEFORE YOU SEND – once the tweet is out there, you can’t take it back • Follow the rules & regulations of the social media site you are utilizing • Make sure you know who you are following and what they are Tweeting. Their tweets

show up in your timeline and are a reflection on you – whether you agree or not. • Tweet in a way that reflects upon you, your family, your team, and Fairfield in a positive

light.

DON’T • Tweet unsportsmanlike or disparaging comments about opponents or officials • Post copyrighted or trademarked material without permission. • Tweet vulgar, sexist, racist, or other inappropriate material – Don’t retweet it either! • Complain about your coach or teammates. It won’t accomplish anything but making a

situation worse. • Spam • Post when you are angry. • Forget about your day job. Academics and athletics should take precedence over your

social media activity. • Comment on athlete injuries, rosters, playbooks, or other team information that should

be kept private • Pick a fight – no one wins and it will just cause trouble. • Post pictures of, or write about, yourself partaking in illegal activities • Have alcohol, even if you are of legal age, or drugs in any postings

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Appendix B

Athletics Staff Social Media policy and procedures The Fairfield University Department of Athletics fully supports free speech, but reminds you that as a coach or administrator you are under additional scrutiny from the public and media. With that in mind, the Department of Athletics prohibits coaches and administrators from posting, on any internet web site, remarks that can be considered as inflammatory, degrading, or in poor taste toward any other Fairfield student, student-athlete, coach, faculty or staff member, as well as players and coaches from other institutions. In addition, remarks, photographs, or videos of activities that are illegal or in violation of Fairfield University policies or the Department of Athletics Code of Conduct are prohibited. Any staff member who is found to be engaging in these activities will be in violation of the Fairfield Code of Conduct and subject to disciplinary action. If you are on twitter, as an individual or as a team account, please follow @StagsCompliance. This will enable you to get information regarding NCAA Rules and Regulations. On Facebook, please like the Fairfield Athletic page, as well as all of our team and department official pages (a list is provided below). RECOMMENDATIONS It is important that you be aware of what you are posting, where you are posting and the topics about which you are posting. Always take a second look, thought, or moment before publishing your remarks, photos or videos. Maintain the highest privacy setting you can on your accounts to avoid any random person from accessing your pages. Refrain from posting personal information such as telephone number, address, class schedule, etc. Alert the Athletic Communications Office if any sites that falsely appears to be yours, as this constitutes identity theft, and we will assist you in remedying the situation. Be cautious about chat groups as once you post you are linked to that group and discussions that take place. On twitter, please utilize #GoStags whenever referencing Fairfield athletics, its teams, coaches or student-athletes. This will help us create a buzz regarding Fairfield Athletics and promote all of our teams and student-athletes. You can follow @FairfieldStags, the official twitter account of Fairfield Athletics. Please read and understand the entire Domain Policy and Social Media guidelines document. All aspects of this document that pertain to your role as a staff member apply to the topic of social media operations, participation and management. LIKE EACH OTHER There are several official Facebook pages, one for Athletics as a whole, and then several for individual programs. Be sure to like each other athletic program pages. A list of current ‘OFFICIAL’ pages, as of August 2011, is below:

• Fairfield University Athletics • Fairfield University Men’s Basketball • Fairfield University Women’s Basketball • Fairfield University Softball • Fairfield University Men’s Lacrosse • Fairfield University Women’s Lacrosse • Fairfield University Field Hockey • Fairfield University Volleyball

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DO

• Follow all the rules and regulations within the University Conduct Code. The venue may be different, but the rules are still the same

• Follow all NCAA, MAAC and Fairfield rules regarding recruiting. • ASK IF YOU DON’T KNOW. We are here to help you with your social media adventures • Post accurate information • Be Honest; Be Professional; Be Polite • Support your fellow Fairfield coaches and their teams. Follow them on twitter and tweet

about their success! Tweeting about another Stag sport might just gain your team another fan at your next home game!

• Respect your audience – Do not use ethnic slurs, insults, obscenity or other actions that are not acceptable at Fairfield University.

• Be careful about what you share about yourself, who knows how far your tweet will spread

• PROOFREAD YOUR TWEET – Just like a math test, check your work twice before sending • THINK BEFORE YOU SEND – once the tweet is out there, you can’t take it back • Follow the rules & regulations of the social media site you are utilizing • Make sure you know who you are following and what they are Tweeting. Their tweets

show up in your timeline and are a reflection on you – whether you agree or not. • Tweet in a way that reflects upon you, your family, your team, and Fairfield in a positive

light.

DON’T • Tweet unsportsmanlike or disparaging comments about opponents or officials • Post copyrighted or trademarked material without permission. • Tweet vulgar, sexist, racist, or other inappropriate material – Don’t retweet it either! • Complain about your coach or teammates. It won’t accomplish anything but making a

situation worse. • Spam • Post when you are angry. • Comment on athlete injuries, rosters, playbooks, or other team information that should

be kept private • Pick a fight – no one wins and it will just cause trouble. • Post pictures of, or write about, yourself partaking in illegal activities or with alcohol or

drugs, in any posting

PROGRAM FACEBOOK PAGES Please contact the Athletic Communications Office regarding program level pages before setting one up on Facebook or other social media sites. At least two administrators of the pages must exist at all times and set up is subject to the University social media management policies outlined in this document.

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KEEP THE PAGE FRESH Posting several times a week is integral to having people come back and visit. The Facebook page is your chance to have interaction with fans of the program in a situation that you have some control over. Be sure to vary your posts; just don’t post game story links from the website. Use this space to show fans, recruits, family and friends, what your program is all about. Be sure to post photos of team building activities, a Spellman workout, a bus trip, etc. If you feel that maintaining an active presence will be too difficult we can fold your page into the general athletic page. Make the Assistant AD/Athletic Communications-Digital Media contact in the sports information office an administrator. It is University policy that PR staff members are administrators on official athletic pages. The Assistant AD/Athletic Communications-Digital Mediacontact is an administrator to provide support and continuity – not provide content, though they will assist you. COACH PERSONAL TWITTER/FACEBOOK ACCOUNTS

• Be sure to include a disclaimer that all opinions expressed are yours alone and in no way should be construed as an official position of Fairfield University or Athletics.

• Be cognizant of NCAA, MAAC and University rules when posting. It is your responsibility to follow these rules.

• Remember that you are always ‘ON’ as a Fairfield coach. Even if the account is not being utilized in a Fairfield manner, you are associated with the University and your program.

• Do not use program or university logos on your personal pages without permission. Please contact the Assistant Athletics Director/Athletic Communications – Digital Media Coordinator for usage rules.

PROGRAM TWITTER ACCOUNTS • Keep it active. Make sure that the people who follow you are getting information from

you • Don’t be afraid to post photos – make it fun • Use it to show off the behind the scenes of your program. • Stay consistent. If you tweet while you are winning, tweet while you are losing. Take

the opportunity to show the good side of what is going on. • Find a way to keep the post active in your offseason so that your followers don’t forget

about you. • Be mindful of NCAA, MAAC and University policies. Make sure not to violate any

recruiting rules. • Provide the Assistant AD/Athletic Communications & Digital Media Coordinator in the

Athletic Communictations Office with login information for emergency situations, so the page can remain active in your absence

• IF YOU DON’T KNOW, ASK!

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Appendix C

Friends of Athletics Social Media policy and procedures

The Fairfield University Department of Athletics fully supports free speech, but reminds you that as a Friend of Athletics your communications can be viewed as representing the views of Fairfield University and your words and actions reflect on Fairfield University. With this in mind, we ask that you refrain from remarks that can be considered inflammatory, degrading, or in poor taste toward any Fairfield student, student-athlete, coach, faculty or staff member, as well as players and coaches from other institutions. In addition, remarks, photographs, or videos of activities that are illegal or in violation of Fairfield University Policy or the Department of Athletics Code of Conduct are prohibited. Anyone engaging in such activities may be prohibited from associating with Fairfield Athletics. There are numerous resources available to you as to acceptable practices as a Friend of Fairfield Athletics. The NCAA has several publications and websites in which association rules are spelled out. Associate AD/Compliance Joe Klauder is your on campus resource for all NCAA rules and regulations. He can be reached via phone, 203-254-4000 ext. 3466, or email at jklauder@fairfield.edu. If you utilize a twitter account, please follow @StagsCompliance, which has useful tidbits regarding NCAA rules and topics of discussions. The Fairfield Athletic page on Facebook will also, from time-to-time, provide compliance related links and information. RECOMMENDATIONS It is important that you be aware of what you are posting, where you are posting and the topics about which you are posting. Always take a second look, thought, or moment before pressing send on an email, or publishing your remarks, photos or videos. Refrain from posting personal information such as telephone number, address, class schedule as well as disseminating similar information of a Fairfield student-athlete. Please alert the compliance coordinator or sports information staff if you become aware of any sites that falsely appear to be a Fairfield student-athlete, coach or administrator, and we will remedy the situation. Also be aware that the University mark, seal and Athletic logos are trademarked. It is prohibited to use those marks without express consent of Fairfield Athletics. Please contact Senior Associate Director of Athletics Pat Murphy by phone at 203-254-4000 ext. 2102 or email at pmurphy@fairfield.edu.

LIKE EACH OTHER There are several official Facebook pages, one for Athletics as a whole, and then several for individual programs. A list of current ‘OFFICIAL’ pages, as of August 2011, is below:

• Fairfield University Athletics • Fairfield University Men’s Basketball • Fairfield University Women’s Basketball • Fairfield University Softball • Fairfield University Men’s Lacrosse • Fairfield University Women’s Lacrosse • Fairfield University Field Hockey • Fairfield University Volleyball

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DO • ASK IF YOU DON’T KNOW. We are here to assist you in navigating rules and

regulations. • Follow all the rules and regulations within the University Conduct Code, the NCAA, Metro

Atlantic Athletic Conference, America East Conference and ECAC Lacrosse League. • As a ‘booster’ you are prohibited, by NCAA rule, from commenting on recruits and can

put prospective student-athletes eligibility at risk by doing so. • Be Honest; Be Professional; Be Polite • Respect your audience – Do not use ethnic slurs, insults, obscenity or other actions that

are not acceptable at Fairfield University. • PROOFREAD YOUR TWEET – Just like a math test, check your work twice before sending! • THINK BEFORE YOU SEND – once you put it out there, you can’t take it back!

DON’T • Publish or promote unsportsmanlike or disparaging comments about opponents or

officials • Post copyrighted or trademarked material without permission. • Complain about coaches, student-athletes, or administrators. Handle all such issues in

the appropriate, and private, manner. • Comment on athlete injuries, rosters, playbooks, or other team information that should

be kept private