Social Media Guidelines

College of Marin encourages free expression and embraces the role social media can play in connecting the institution internally, as well as with a broad range of constituencies and communities. This document was developed to provide platform-neutral guidelines for those participating in social media on behalf of, or as a representative of, College of Marin. These guidelines apply to all faculty, staff, and students; and all social media sites associated with College departments, programs, offices, and groups. Additionally, these guidelines are intended to help ensure social media users connect with audiences within the framework of existing College policies and procedures.

Because technology driving web and social media communication is constantly changing and evolving, these guidelines may be adjusted and updated as necessary.

Faculty, staff, and students seeking to create a social media presence on behalf of a department, program, office, group, function, or initiative must adhere to the guidelines in this document. Following these procedures will help identify your accounts as an official part of College of Marin amidst the vast social media clutter.

College of Marin is active on a variety of social media platforms. The official institutional accounts are listed below.
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/collegeofmarin/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/college_of_marin/
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/edu/college-of-marin-20493
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/collegeofmarin

Certain departments may need to adhere to additional policies specific to their operations, curriculum, and program. It is the responsibility of the department to know and follow any additional social media policies required by entities outside of College of Marin.

Naming Conventions

When you create a social media account, the naming convention starts with “College of Marin” and is followed by the department, program, group, etc. name. Naming in this way groups all College of Marin accounts in search results.

Coordinate District-wide

To avoid multiple accounts, please make sure your colleagues are aware of your intentions. Approval to proceed should be sought from the appropriate dean or supervisor. Accounts are district-wide, and a department should have only one account. A representative from the Marketing and Communications Office and the senior creative designer/lead web designer must be added as administrators of all College of Marin social media accounts.

Sharing of Credentials

In addition to adding a representative from the Marketing and Communications Office and the senior creative designer to all College of Marin social media accounts, log-on credentials must be shared with the area manager. Someone in the department should also be designated as a backup so that posting can occur regularly, frequently, and not necessarily by one person.

Branding

Profile pictures for department accounts should not contain the College logo but should relate to the function of the department. Contact Nicole Cruz in the Marketing and Communications Office for the official College logo if you wish to use it in other promotional materials or areas of social media.

College Logo and Usage

All College publications must include the College of Marin logo. The College logo is available in several different variations and formats. Please contact Nicole Cruz to request a logo file. In addition, the Department of Education requires the inclusion of other information related to accessibility and guidance for individuals seeking special assistance. If you have questions about logo usage and required boilerplate content, please get in touch with the Marketing and Communication Office — Creative Services.

Usage

The College of Marin logo may not be stretched to resize or recolor. Do not add your department or project name onto the logo or incorporate the logo into a text sentence. Do not try to match your document font to the logo's typeface, as its purpose is to stand out as a recognizable identifier.

Graphic Treatments

Do not apply drop shadows or any other filters or effects to the logo. Do not layer other images or graphic elements on top or behind it.

Placement and Size

Take care in determining the appropriate size of the logo in relation to your project. Logos that are too small to be legible or are oversized look unprofessional. Do not scale or stretch the logo.

The College Seal

The seal is only to be used by the Office of the Superintendent/President for awards, diplomas, certificates, and the like. The seal and logo should never be used together or altered. The vast majority of College of Marin collateral should use the logo, not the seal.

For additional guidelines regarding use of the College name, official names of programs, offices, and buildings, etc., refer to the College of Marin Editorial Style Guide.

Connect to College of Marin’s Institutional Pages

Like College of Marin on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/collegeofmarin. Follow College of Marin on Instagram @college_of_marin. Make sure to notify the Marketing and Communications Office when new accounts are created so that the institution can like and follow you, too.

Best Practices

Content Development

Post only content directly related to College business, programs, or services. Do not promote personal opinions, outside causes, or unaffiliated campaigns.

Be Accurate

Fact-check all information before posting. Give credit and link back to original sources for quotes, ideas, or videos you did not create. Proofread for spelling and grammatical errors.

Correct Mistakes

If you make a mistake, admit it and correct it immediately. When altering a published post, clearly acknowledge the error (e.g., adding "Correction:" to the text).

Be Respectful

Do not argue with commenters. Keep in mind that any responses reflect on the College. When responding to vehement posts, reply with caution and respect, or do not reply at all. Your posts are viewed by students, donors, employers, and parents. Make sure posts do not harm, alienate, or provoke.

Maintain Confidentiality

Follow federal requirements, such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, and College policies. Use good sense and ethical judgement when posting. Do not publish anything that is confidential or any proprietary information about College of Marin, its students, alumni, employees, or donors.

Be Aware of Liability

You can be held legally responsible for comments or photos you post. Make sure you are not breaking copyright laws or posting anything that is trademarked. Additional information on this topic is listed under resources at the end of this guide.

Do Not Make Endorsements

College of Marin should not be used to promote or favor any merchandise, organization, or political party.

The Marketing and Communications Office reserves the right to determine and remove from College of Marin social media sites any of the following:

Comments, links, images, or videos that are illegal or encourage illegal activity; or are obscene, defamatory, libelous, slanderous, indecent, lewd, lascivious, sexually harassing, explicit in nature, or pose health and safety risks.
Comments that personally attack or threaten a group or individual.
Anything that violates District policies regarding student, staff, and faculty regulations.
Successive off-topic comments or posts by one or more individuals or groups.
Repetitive posts.
Solicitations or advertisements.
Any materials that infringe upon the intellectual property or other rights of any third party.

Content may be removed at any time without prior notice for any reason deemed to be in the College’s best interest.
Reporting violations: Abusive content should be reported according to guidelines defined by each social media platform.

A Note on Style Guides

Reporters and editors use the Associated Press (AP) Style Guide for all newspaper copy. News releases, public service announcements, and calendar listings sent from College of Marin conform to this style. Some frequently used features include:

Numbers

Spell out one through nine. Write ten and above in numerals—except when beginning a sentence:
He wrote nine books. He wrote 46 books.

Do not go beyond two decimal places:
7.51 million people.
The College received a $1 million grant.

Do not mix millions and billions:
$2.6 billion, not 2 billion 600 million.

Capitalization

Seasons are not capitalized (except when used to denote an issue of a journal). It is the spring semester. He will be attending the fall semester. The Associated Press Style Manual allows capitalization of seasons if it is part of a formal name. Arguably, College of Marin Spring Semester might be considered a formal name. So perhaps the jury is still out on this matter, but for the interim lowercase works in most instances.

When referring to College of Marin:

College of Marin

The College
COM
(Incorrect: Not CoM, CofM, com, or c.o.m.)

Dates and Time

Formal writing: Saturday, September 18, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Informal writing: Sat., Sept. 18, 1 pm - 3 pm or SEPTEMBER 18, 1 PM - 3 PM

Age

Use numerals after a person’s name separated by a comma:
John Jones, 38

Titles

Only use initial caps when preceding a name:
Superintendent/President David Wain Coon, Ed.D.
David Wain Coon is the superintendent/president of the United States.

Only use full title and full name on first reference. Subsequently, use only the last name:
Superintendent/President David Wain Coon, Ed.D., said College of Marin offers great opportunities.
“We are the community’s college,” said Coon.

Academic Degrees

Do not abbreviate or capitalize:
John Jones has a doctorate in psychology.
However, abbreviations A.A., A.S., B.S., B.A., M.A., LL.D. and Ph.D. may be used when many individuals by degree must be listed. Use these abbreviations only after a full name.

College of Marin Web Address

http://www1.marin.edu
http://mycom.marin.edu
(Incorrect: https://marin.edu, https://mycom.marin.edu)

Resources

21 Ways Nonprofits Can Use Facebook to Get Their Mission Across
http://blogs.constantcontact.com/nonprofits-use-facebook/

Copyright Information
http://www.copyright.gov

Facebook for COM Departments Workbook

Facebook Privacy Controls
https://www.facebook.com/help/325807937506242/

Facebook Terms and Policies
https://www.facebook.com/policies

Facebook Reporting
https://www.facebook.com/help/181495968648557

Crowd Notice - Consent and Release
College of Marin (COM) will be photographing and digitally recording during [name of event or activity]. Your image may be used in College printed and digital publications/platforms and the College website for promotional and educational purposes. By attending this event you consent to your image being used, without compensation, by COM for promotional and educational purposes and release COM from any and all liability on account of such usage. If you do not wish to be subject to the foregoing please do not enter this area.

HOW-TO GUIDES
Create a Facebook Account

Facebook Page Basics (admin tools, page settings)
Boost Posts to Reach More People
Have Conversations

Create an Instagram Account

Quick Ideas for Posts

Community & Culture

Student Takeovers: Have a student ambassador host a "Day in the Life" on Instagram/Facebook Stories.
Behind-the-scenes photos or footage of campus life.
Alumni & Student Spotlights: Share success stories (text, photo, or video) to show the ROI of your program.
Brief faculty intros (video bio).
"Meet the Department": Short video clips showing faculty/staff personality beyond their job title.

Events & Important Dates

Create and share event invites
Share recap photos or videos soon after an event.
Reminders: Post clear, visual reminders for registration deadlines, financial aid, or campus closures.

Educational & Helpful Resources

"How-To" Micro-Videos: 15-second clips explaining common campus processes (e.g., "How to register," "How to find the library").
Share relevant industry news, research, or data trends.
Cross-promote events or news from official College of Marin channels.
Resource Collections: Share curated lists of tips or tools relevant to your specific department.

Engagement & Interactivity

Polls & Q&As: Use Instagram/Facebook Story stickers to host live Q&A sessions.
User-Generated Content: Ask students to tag the college in their photos and repost them (with permission).

Strategic "Filler" (Use Sparingly)

Actionable Tips: Instead of generic quotes, share "3 Study Tips for Finals Week" or "One Time-Management Hack for Commuter Students."
Wish your followers happy holidays and share important academic break dates.

Global Policies

Accessibility (ADA Compliance): All videos must include closed captions (auto-generated is fine if checked for accuracy). All posted images must include descriptive alt-text for screen readers.
Crisis Communications: During a campus emergency, all departments must immediately pause their scheduled posts. Only share or retweet official updates from the main College of Marin channels until the "all clear" is given.

Platform-Specific Strategies

Different audiences live on different platforms. Departments should tailor their content accordingly:
Instagram Target current and prospective students by highlighting campus life and culture. Focus your energy on short-form videos (Reels) and interactive Stories using polls and Q&A stickers rather than just posting standard photos.

Facebook

Use Facebook to reach parents, older alumni, and the local community. Because organic reach is low on standard posts, focus on creating Facebook Events and participating in Facebook Groups to build community.

This is the place for alumni, faculty, and local employers. Build the College's prestige by highlighting career outcomes, faculty research, and alumni job placements.

Twitter (X)

Treat Twitter like a news ticker for local media, government officials, and active students. It is best used for quick, real-time campus updates, sports scores, and emergency alerts.

Centralized Link Strategy

Because platforms like Instagram don't allow clickable links in captions, departments should use a Linktree (or similar "link in bio" tool) to house multiple active links in one place.

Most importantly, the main link in this Linktree should direct users to a master directory of official COM-affiliated Instagram accounts. This creates a central, easy-to-find hub where students can connect with campus clubs, learning communities, and student services.