Social Media Strategy Griffith University

Background

Social media are internet-based tools used to facilitate social interaction and community formation in online spaces or sites. Social networks refer to the groups that mobilise through the use of social media. The two defining elements of social media are conversations and community. Social media has become an established mechanism for communication by Griffith University. Griffith has a number of official social media sites and there are numerous unofficial sites that have been created by past and present students and staff. Interest and participation in social media continues to grow exponentially. Increasingly, its use has extended to organisations that recognise the benefits social media offers to engage their communities (past, present and future). For Griffith University, social media covers a range of activities including:

Relationship management. Stakeholder engagement. Reputation management. Knowledge-sharing. Student recruitment.

Social media provides a new formation of knowledge sharing and gives expression to the links between knowledge and power that have emerged within an increasingly networked culture: people from diverse backgrounds pool knowledge, debate interpretations and organise through the production of meaning. The most significant aspect is that these networks facilitate rapid information transfer by putting users in contact with each other. As technologies evolve so too do the uses people make of them. Traditional media can be conceptualised as using a one-to-many pattern by which a message is bundled and broadcast to a group. Conversely, social media is user-driven, its networks are distributed and it supports both individual conversations and group messages. Using the mechanisms, processes and language of traditional media to engage with the wider community with social media technologies is not generally effective because of the different way the new media landscape is structured. Organisational concern in this new ecology is that members of the community can, quite publicly, talk back!

Social media platforms

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Social media platforms that elements within the University can utilise include but are not limited to:

Facebook – a social networking site for finding and maintaining contacts with ‘friends’.

Twitter – a micro-blogging site allowing messages of up to 140 characters to be sent to your ‘followers’.

YouTube – video-sharing site. RSS feeds – a format for delivering regularly changing web

content. LinkedIn – a professional networking site. foursquare – a location-based social networking site. Yammer – a private, secure enterprise social networking site for

staff. Wikis – simple web pages that allow group editing Blogs –on-line journals, that allows comments from readers. Media commentary. Industry specific platforms.

Emerging technologies that are slowly gaining impetus, such as LayAR, are currently being investigated by Information Services (INS) staff for possible wide-spread use.

Official Griffith sites

In this new landscape, relationships need to be mutually beneficial and service the needs and aspirations of both the community and the Griffith brand. A well-considered, community-centred approach provides Griffith with opportunities to establish competitive advantage and generate points of differentiation from other like universities and/or organisations.Griffith is using social media platforms for a range of purposes including: engaging with the internal and external community and improving the experience people have with the University; informing people about upcoming events; answering queries and responding to concerns; putting people in touch with each other; facilitating learning and teaching, and research; and providing information in times of crisis. Griffith’s central corporate social media sites include:

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/griffithuniversity Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/griffith_uni Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/griffithuniversity

Other elements of the University also have their own official sites, such as the Griffith Business School; Griffith International; the Logan Campus; the Nathan and Mt Gravatt Gym; the Uni Bar; and the School of Education and Professional Studies, to name a few. These sites can be accessed from http://www.griffith.edu.au/social

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Sites are classified as official University sites when they are established and moderated by Griffith staff and/or students after approval by the relevant Head of Element. This could include sites for: Schools and Groups, courses or programs, alumni chapters, clubs as societies or student associations. Links to these sites should be added to the list of official sites by contacting the Web Services team at webteam@griffith.edu.au

Unofficial Griffith sites

There are also a number of unofficial sites related to Griffith. These sites have often been established by current or previous students. These are not controlled by Griffith, and given the nature of social media, Griffith is not able to influence these sites, except by using dialogue to respond to comments if and when necessary. This will be done by External Relations (ER) staff who monitor social media for this purpose. ER will liaise with relevant areas of the University in order to ensure appropriate responses are made. If necessary ER will officially petition a site regulator to remove the content if it is clearly ugly, offensive, denigrating, illegal or completely out of context, and it is determined that such action is appropriate. This will be done on a case-by-case basis.A document entitled Guidelines for Responding to Social Media Comments has been compiled (Appendix A) to guide the responses (or lack thereof) to comments made on social media sites about Griffith.

The role of External Relations and Information Services

As the main marketing unit of the University, External Relations (ER) maintains the official social media sites of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+. This role also incorporates monitoring social media sites (the University site and others) to identify any comments about Griffith and to respond appropriately. A range of programs are currently used for this purpose, including Tweetdeck and HootSuite, and Cloud Monitoring using the University’s RightNow CRM system is also being implemented. As the key technology and information support arm of the University, Information Services (INS) provides a range of services and technology to support the implementation of social media. Both ER and the INS Web Services team are able to assist other elements within the University to develop their own strategies for using social media. Many other elements within the University have established context-specific social media strategies. These include areas such as Information

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Services, Griffith International, Development and Alumni and the Griffith Business School. For example, as well as using social media to deliver information about their services, Information Services (INS) raise awareness and provide advice on the application of social media tools to Griffith’s established learning, teaching, research and other communities (see Other Resources on page XX for a link to the INS Social Media Strategy Service).

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Examples of social media use at Griffith

Griffith International (GI) has developed a five-stage process, as per Figure 1 below:Figure 1 – Social media as part of Griffith InternationalStrategy Current

activityOutcome

Learning to Listen

Market research

Ongoing monitoring of word of mouth rather than just focus groups or surveys that give a snapshot in time

Talking Marketing Starting and taking part in two--‐way conversations with prospective students about the benefits of studying at Griffith. Spreading this word of mouth through advocates

Engagement

Recruitment Enabling advocates to sell to others – energizing select current students and alumni to assist students through the enquiry and application process

Support Student services

Enabling current students to support each other and carrying on the recruitment relationship into O Week, through to Alumni networks

Crowd Sourcing

Product development

Assisting students to work with each other to develop ideas to improve courses and services

GI’s Student Linx program also utilises social media to engage with international students and provide them with opportunities to interact with other students and staff to enhance their university experience.The Development and Alumni Office (D&A) currently engage with their Alumni network through LinkedIn. LinkedIn is actively used to promote events and engage Alumni in discussions on topics relevant to the higher education sector, research and post grad study. There is currently over 2000 members in the (LinkedIn) Griffith Alumni Group. The 2012 Alumni Strategy is dedicated to implementing a social media campaign that will continue to use LinkedIn and also incorporate Facebook and Twitter. Griffith alumni are able to establish official Griffith alumni social media sites and should be encourage to contact D&A if they wish to do so.Academic Groups are at different stages in their levels of engagement with social media. For example, Griffith Business School has a well-developed strategy for using social media to maintain contacts with their

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alumni, current students and the wider community. The Business School official sites are:

http://www.facebook.com/griffithbusinessschool http://www.twitter.com/griffithbiz http://www.facebook.com/gbsalumni http://www.twitter.com/gbsalumni

These sites are fed and monitored by the GBS communications team. GBS also uses the Griffith University YouTube Channel and iTunes as well as the Griffith Alumni LinkedIn site as mediums through which to communicate their messages and to encourage greater interaction and engagement with their target market.

Getting started

Use of social media should be always considered as part of a deliberate strategy. Social media as an engagement tool will be context-dependent and may not be suitable for many situations. The effort and resources required to maintain engagement through social media can be considerable and can sometimes be of little benefit.Elements and individuals who do wish to utilise social media technologies are encouraged to consider the following questions when developing their strategies and considering their social media goals:

Why do I/we want to participate in social media? How can social media improve our business/teaching/research

etc? How will social media be incorporated into our overall customer

experience? How do we keep track of emerging technologies and determine

which to use? Who will monitor and feed the pages/sites? A Continuity Plan may

be needed. How much time can be devoted to social media? It is better for

engagement to be ongoing and consistent rather than sporadic. Who is our target audience? Different mediums and different

posting methodologies are appropriate for different audiences. How are we going to mitigate the risks inherent in social media

use? How do we encourage participation? How do we measure success? Specific goals with achievable

targets and measurable outcomes are important elements of any social media strategy.

As outlined above, there are a number of elements within the University who are able to provide advice on how to establish and effectively utilise social media. Elements are encouraged to make contact with the relevant areas for advice.

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Guidelines for using social media

Griffith University’s online social networking sites provide a convenient place for current and prospective students, staff and alumni to connect with each other, and the University encourages such participation and engagement in the spirit of a shared Griffith community of trust and fairness. Interaction in social networking spaces is dependent on members agreeing to follow common rules and guidelines. To this end, the University encourages awareness of staff and student responsibilities as outlined in the Griffith University Code of Conduct (for staff) or Student Charter (for students). In addition, there is a need to become familiar with each social media platform’s Terms of Use Agreement and associated policies.

Staff and students engaging in social media practices must be aware that University policies noted above apply both when they are using social media in an official capacity on behalf of the University and when using University resources for personal activity (as outlined in the Use of University Information Technology Resources Code of Practice ) . Staff and students are advised to remember that information posted on social media sites is generally publicly and permanently accessible, and that activity (even if conducted in personal time and using personal resources) may be subject to University policies.

An evaluation of institutional best practice indicates that organisations that engage actively and well with social media generally provide guidelines in two areas:

General recommendations on using social media sites within the institution or organisation, and

Nominated staff who utilise social media on behalf of the organisation.

The Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) limits its guidelines to four common sense requirements that cover both areas: 1

Do not mix the personal and the professional in ways likely to bring the (ABC) into disrepute;

Do not undermine your effectiveness at work; Do not imply (ABC) endorsement of your personal views; Do not disclose confidential information obtained through work.

1 Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) guidelines: http://www.abc.net.au/corp/pubs/documents/useOfSocialMedia.pdf (accessed 10 October 2011)

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The following guidelines are consistent with institutional best practice and are modified from the ABC guidelines above, Kodak Social Media Tips2 and other similar publications.

Express ideas and opinions in a respectful manner: Be sensitive about linking to content (it implies endorsement) and don’t denigrate or insult others, including your competitors;

Be yourself and be transparent: Even when talking as an individual, people may perceive you to be talking on behalf of Griffith. Be upfront, explain you work for Griffith, however if you are not an official spokesperson add a disclaimer to the effect- The opinions and positions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of Griffith University;

Protect confidential information and relationships: Online postings and conversations are not private. Realise that the information you post will be around for a long time and could be shared by others. Further, ensure you obtain permission before posting pictures of others or before posting copyrighted information;

Speak truthfully: If you are in a discussion that relates to Griffith University, do not make unsubstantiated claims. If you need to respond or make a comment on something specific, verify details to ensure they are accurate and current;

Keep your cool: One of the aims of social media is to create dialogue. However, consensus won’t always be reached within the online community. When confronted with a difference of opinion, stay cool. Quickly and publicly correct mistakes when appropriate;

Stay timely: Part of the appeal of social media is that the conversation occurs almost in real time. If you are going to actively participate, make sure you are willing to take the time to refresh and update content, respond to questions and correct information - in short, add value.

In addition to the ABC and Kodak guidelines, ER at Griffith advise: Be careful with personal information: Be very aware of the

information you are making available about yourself online. Is your date of birth listed on your Facebook page? Do you supply your work email address? Phone number? Astute users may use the information you make available about yourself for identity theft or other potential compromises.

In online social networks, the lines between public and private, personal and professional are blurred. Ensure that your content is consistent with the University’s values and professional standards.

2 Kodak’s Social Media Tips: http://www.kodak.com/US/images/en/corp/aboutKodak/onlineToday/Kodak_SocialMediaTips_Aug14.pdf (accessed 10 October 2011)

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Showcase your expertise—provide unique, individual perspectives.

Be conversational. Talk to your readers like you would to people in professional situations, but avoid an overly composed tone or language. Bring in your own personality and consider content that is open-ended and invites responses. Broaden the conversation by citing others who are commenting about the same topic and allow your content to be shared with others.

Be smart about protecting yourself, your privacy and confidential information. What you publish is widely accessible and will be around for a long time, so consider the content carefully. It is almost impossible to fully retract content published in social media.

Be the first to admit and respond to your own mistakes—if you’ve made an error, be up front about your mistake and correct it quickly. In a blog, if you choose to modify an earlier post, make it clear you have done so

Some social media formats such as Facebook and Twitter may include comments which cause you concern as a moderator or responsible party. The basic best practice rules of social media engagement allow the good and the bad but not the ugly. So if the user content is positive or negative and in context to the conversation, the content should be allowed to remain. After all you have the opportunity to respond to criticism and turn it into a positive. However, if the content is clearly ugly, offensive, denigrating, illegal or completely out of context, then it should be rejected and removed.

Maintain what you establish. If you decide to use social media to represent or further the University’s work, it is important that you keep information up-to-date and relevant, and that you participate in the conversations generated. It is counter-productive to invite engagement with people and then ignore their enquiries.

Monitoring social media and risk mitigation

As indicated above, ER monitors social media sites for references to Griffith University and the document Guidelines for Responding to Social Media Comments has been compiled (Appendix A) to guide responses to social media comments when necessary. However, elements and individuals who have established social media sites also have a responsibility to moderate their own sites.Staff and students who use social media need to be aware of and abide by the terms and conditions of use of the relevant platform/s they are utilising. Users should also be aware of and abide by the relevant Griffith policies (listed below under Related Policies). Remember that nothing is private and anything you say or do, could potentially be seen by anyone; now and in the future.

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Griffith’s existing misconduct policies have been reviewed and are considered to be adequate to deal with the risks involved in utilising social media platforms. If in doubt about appropriate use, staff and students are urged to contact their supervisor/lecturer or ER to discuss. A mature and meaningful use of social media will provide the opportunity for Griffith University to co-opt its own community to generate value by sharing conversations, content and social networks to create a richer learning and communicative experience. Social media, however, is fast moving and constantly evolving. The broader challenge remains one of how to strike a balance between community autonomy and institutional monitoring in the social media landscape.

Related Policies

Griffith University Code of Conduct (for staff)Student Charter (for students)Use of University Information and Technology Resources - Code of PracticeRelease of Information About Staff and Students of the UniversityGriffith University Privacy PlanIntellectual Property Policy

Other Resources

http://www.kodak.com/US/images/en/corp/aboutKodak/onlineToday/Kodak_SocialMediaTips_Aug14.pdf

https://intranet.secure.griffith.edu.au/computing/web-publishing/social-media-best-practice/strategy-service

https://intranet.secure.griffith.edu.au/computing/web-publishing/social-media-best-practice

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Appendix A

Guidelines for Responding to Social Media CommentsSocial media offers the opportunity for the University to respond quickly to comments on social media sites. Responding effectively to both positive and negative posts can be a powerful tool to show we care about our ‘customer’s’ experience. ER monitors social media sites on behalf of the University and responds accordingly. When University elements and individuals are considering how to respond to comments, they should consider the following points:Principles of Engagement

Clearly identify and disclose your connection to Griffith University.

State your reason for being there. Listen. Play nice with others. HELP, but don’t SELL.

Dealing with positive feedback Thank the individual for their comments/suggestions. If appropriate, forward the comment to relevant staff for

action/noting as appropriate. Dealing with Detractors

Acknowledge their right to complain. Apologise (if warranted). Assert (if warranted). Assess what will help them feel better. Act accordingly (if possible). Abdicate (sometimes a troll is a troll).

Evaluating whether to respond to a detractor and at what levelAssess the sphere of influence of the blog or site. Does it have high traffic, credibility and/or is it likely to be cited or forwarded far and wide? For example, a story in Crikey may warrant more attention than a post on an obscure or niche blog.Assess the tone of the content and the likely intent of the commentator. Are they humorous, frivolous or light-hearted? Are they aggressive, hurt or angry? Are they seeking assistance or just ranting? There is not much point trying to engage with someone who doesn’t want your help. However, someone could complain legitimately about something and appreciate your assistance. Or someone could be mistaken about something and appreciate your efforts to fix the facts.Assess the possible consequences of this content staying discoverable, or escalating. If the content is negative but balanced, you should let it stand (but you may decide to respond publicly or privately to fix facts). If the content is clearly hurtful or illegal, you should try to remove it (Griffith can remove such content from its own social media channels, or

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can ask an external site administrator to take action). Assess who is the most appropriate person to help. Enter a request for assistance in the University’s Customer Relationship Management system, or contact the relevant ER Manager.

Spotting Types of DetractorSource: adapted from Online Community Best Practices by Jeremiah Owyan Forrester Research, March 2008.

Type of Detractor

Why they make trouble

How to recognise

How should you respond

Legitimate complainer or unhappy customer

Needs help with products or services or wants to warn others

Raises legitimate issue; may use strong language but seems open to reason

Solve problems or explain policies, publicly if possible

Competitor or spammer

Wants to promote competing or unrelated products/services

Continues to mention other brands/unis; parrots their marketing messages

Ignore or engage rationally and respectfully with Griffith’s perspective

Engaged critic Thinks they can make things better

Makes suggestions, not just complaints; responds intelligently to others’ criticisms

Create forum to encourage discussion; recognise good ideas publicly

Flamer or rager Likes to argue with other members

Tends to participate in ‘flame wars’ and they may target specific other members

Refocus discussion on higher goals of community. Don’t engage individually here.

Troublemaker or troll

Has a grudge against the Uni, hopes to create problems

Complains continuously and cannot be satisfied; uses incendiary language

Try to address individually and privately; if complaints continue in face of attempts to resolve, remove

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from community

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Response Assessment Flowchart3

3 Source: adapted from United States Airforce Public Agency – Air force Web Posting Response Assessment V.2

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