Sharing Good Practice
Top 6 Ways to safely promote your school on social media
By Simon Noakes you can always report the account to that social channel . Please note , that the social channels will take only defamatory and inflammatory comments seriously - as they all promote freedom of speech . Just because someone disagrees with something you have posted , doesn ’ t mean they are bad !
4 . Don ’ t use teachers ’ names on school accounts .
Setting up a social media account under a teacher ’ s name blurs the lines between school ( professional ) and personal . School departmental accounts should be set-up , in order to allow many teachers to contribute . This then allows the school to follow their students , and allow their students to follow the department - without safeguarding being called into question .
It seems like schools are still struggling to balance using social media , and hiding behind the “ eSafety ” card . Communities thrive on positive storytelling , but it is important to be safe and post / comment appropriately . Here are our top 6 ways for your school to stay safe on social media .
1 . Understand Privacy Settings for each channel .
Privacy settings differ . Fully private - only those you allow to follow you or be your friend can see what you post ; semi-private - only those that you share a link to that content can see it . Note : they don ’ t have to be following you or your friend ; public - anyone in the world can see . Just be clear on what content needs to be private , and put the rest public - so people can enjoy and share your content . That , after-all , is the point of social !
2 . Don ’ t post students names !
Why do you need to ? Prospects looking at the content are interested in the variety and diversity of opportunities . Parents know what their child looks like . A good example would be “ Year 7 Ski Trip to Colorado ”. It tells that the school is taking year 7 skiing , and if my child is in year 7 , I will be interested to take a look in the hope there is a photo of my child . This is the ONLY thing I am interested in .
3 . Block unwanted followers .
Just because your social channel is public , doesn ’ t mean you should accept all requests to follow your account . Make sure you review all followers , and block those who do not fit your ideal profile . There are many spam accounts , X-rated accounts , and accounts from individuals , who have opinions and posts that are not aligned to that of your school ’ s . If you receive unwanted comments , then
5 . Register & reserve your school handle .
Every URL is unique , and that means only ONE URL can exist for each social channel - and in particular your school ' s brand name . Have you taken steps to reserve your school handle across the major social media channels ( Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , YouTube , Flickr , Pinterest , Sound Cloud , Snapchat , Periscope , etc .) - even if you don ' t plan on using them actively in the short-term ? If you haven ’ t , you are in danger of someone else cybersquatting on your brand and using it . This may be legitimate use ( E . g . Natalie West owns @ NatWest on Twitter , so the well known UK bank has no recourse to claim it ). Don ’ t fall victim to this - as it can easily be avoided with planning .
6 . Keep social media handles consistent .
There is nothing worse than someone connecting with the wrong social media account , due to the handle being obvious but also wrong . Take a look at www . twitter . com / StoweSchool ! This is a disaster for any school . Not only does the school not control their own brand , but also the only comment left on the account is not exactly great . Users want to seamlessly jump between a school ’ s social media accounts - using the same consistent handle . Simply , “ find us / SchoolName ”….
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20 | Sep - Oct 2016 | | Class Time