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Creating a Page From Scratch
- Create a page, not a profile
- Make sure to fill in the @ tag
- When you choose the type of page, choose Company, Organization or Institution, then either education or government organization.
Creating a Twitter Account
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UF/IFAS Account Registration Process
Create your account first, but don’t post any content. Next, submit a request in Workfront with a link to the social media account asking for approval.
All accounts should follow the policies and standards below.
Images
- Your banner image should be one from photos.ifas.ufl.edu. You can also use a UF/IFAS video if preferred.
- Avatar templates for circle images can be found here. Download the template and put your entity’s name in the circle. If you need help, please submit a graphics request in Workfront. When you put in the request, give them the dimensions below:
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Facebook: 180 x 180 pixels (Displays 170 x 170 pixels on Desktop)
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Twitter: 400 x 400 pixels (Displays 200 x 200 pixels)
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Instagram: 110 x 110 pixels
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YouTube: Recommended 800 x 800 pixels. Displays as 98 x 98 pixels.
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Account naming
Facebook/YouTube -
*Note* YouTube might not recognize the "/" mark. If this is the case, you can use a space instead of a symbol.
- Departments:
[UF/IFAS] [Department Name]
EXAMPLE: UF/IFAS Department of Animal Sciences
NOTE; Once you set a username on Facebook, it can only be changed a limited amount of times. - Extension:
[UF/IFAS Extension] [County Name]
EXAMPLE: UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County - Research Centers
[UF/IFAS] [Center Name]
EXAMPLE: UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center
Twitter/Instagram
UF/IFAS must be in the name or Twiter handle
Facebook Pages
- Please make sure to include a phone number or @ufl.edu email address
- Include ifasl.ufl.edu website address
- Location
- Disclaimer:
The University of Florida [description of unit if applicable] intends to educate, inform and provide updated information on [unit’s or UF’s] activities [or specify a narrower focus] and to support and promote the [unit’s or UF’s] objectives for these activities through its social media site. All [unit or UF] comments are made by [unit or UF] designees. This site is not a public forum. Social media users may share ideas through commentary that is consistent with and furthers the objectives of a [unit or UF] post and the University of Florida [unit if applicable] reserves the right to remove any comments that do not fall within this purpose.
By posting a comment on this social media site, users agree to follow the terms of use of the site, Florida and federal laws and University of Florida regulations and policies, including but not limited to the University’s Acceptable Use of Computing Resources Policy. The [unit or UF] reserves the right to remove from the site any comments that violate these requirements.”
Create a Social Media strategy
- Fill out the Social Media Strategy doc (submit a copy when you submit your page for review.)
Checklist for IFAS Approval
- Is your account name correct?
- Profile Picture correct?
- Did you include a phone number or email address on Facebook?
- Did you include your .ifas.ufl.edu web address?
- Did you include a location
- Did you mention your affiliation with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) in your description?
- Do you include the disclaimer in your description?
- Did you put together a plan for managing the account that includes a description of the account with your overall goals as well as how much time you plan to spend with the account each day and how often you plan to post?
- Submit your plan in Workfront.
UF Social Media Resources
- Your banner image should be one from photos.ifas.ufl.edu. You can also use a UF/IFAS video if preferred.
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Online Accessibility Guidance
- Please take time to read and review the Online Accessibility Guidance
- How to add Alt Text to an image on Facebook
- How to add Alt Text to an image on Twitter
- How to add Alt Text to an image on Instagram
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Policies and Standards
UF Policies and Standards
All sites with UF content are required to be in compliance with UF social media policies. Here is the UF Human Resources policy for social media.
Gator Logo
UF athletic logo, trademark, mascot and name are only authorized for athletic sites with prior approval from the UAA licensing department.
Stay on the right side of Copyright law
U.S. copyright laws protect literary works, musical or sound recordings, and pictorial or graphical designs. Prior to using any creative works that do not belong to the University of Florida, please make sure you have the proper license and/or permission from the owner of those works.
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Maintaining a Social Media Account
UF/IFAS Resources:
- Social Media Security
- Navigating negative comments on social media
- Video captioning for social media
- When to use a photo/video release form
- Videos and Blogs.IFAS
- UF/IFAS Hashtags
- Social Media templates
Direct Messages:
Don't have time to answer Facebook messages? Don't miss an inquiry - follow these stepsQ: How often should I post?
A: Daily
Q: What are the best times to post?
A: This will be different for every audience. Here is a more global look.
Q: What's the ideal character length for a post?
A: Keep it short! Here is a global look. -
FAQs
How long/short should a post be?
How to deal with unfavorable/hostile postings since we are a public institution?
Things to know about posting pictures mainly for volunteers posting their own phots as the page.
Can I find stock video footage somewhere?
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLKPGdUcCzXTMFTwq_uQmhvmE-uX5Yw20
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Additional Facebook Resources
How do I schedule a post on Facebook?
- When you go to create a new post on Facebook, you’ll see a blue bar at the bottom of the post allowing you to schedule posts in creator studio.
- If you click creator studio, you’ll be directed to creator studio wherein the top left corner you’ll see “create a post.”
- After you draft our post, on the bottom hit the arrow on the “share now” option and select schedule.
- *Note: this will only work for a page, Facebook won’t let you schedule posts for a profile*
Adding captions to a Facebook video
- This is a good resource
- If you have a video that is already on Facebook and you'd like to turn on the captions, make the video full size, then click the gear button.
Facebook polls
- This tutorial might be helpful in creating the poll. This tutorial will help you download the app.
- If you’d like to try first without going through an app, this tutorial shows you how to create a poll right in your news feed, although it might be a little limiting
Getting access to a Facebook location page
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You have to claim it first, then delete it. But Facebook takes 72 hours to get back with you.
Merging Facebook pages
- This source has a good tutorial on how to merge pages. Look for the second light-blue bar.
Converting a Facebook profile to a page
Claiming an old Facebook page
- What to do if someone has access, but it isn’t you and you are trying to gain access:
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One option is to have the person who would like to take over the account directly message the page you are trying to gain access to and explain you’d like to take over the page and could they please give you access. If they do give you access, make sure to add one more person. When you gain page access, navigate over to settings at the top, then page roles on the left-hand side. This page will show you who has what permissions.
- Other options - If you follow this link, you'll see in step one there are several options. Your best option is probably the second to last and last options. These options are to either try and claim the page as your own, or report it so it can be taken down.
I’d first try to claim the page and if that doesn’t work try to go through the reporting route. When I followed the reporting route prompt it looked like there was a space to explain what the issue you are facing is, so that might be a good way for Facebook to review your individual case.
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Facebook Business Manager
Uncomfortable about attaching your business Facebook page to your personal profile? Try setting up Facebook business manager.
The latest on the Facebook algorithm
This link will bring you up to speed for 2020. For future updates, make sure to monitor This Week in UF/IFAS Communications emails that are sent to the IFAS-Announce listserv weekly.Storytime Live Planning Guide
Story-time Live Planning Guide
Creating an engaging video for Facebook
- Additional Twitter Resources
- Additional Instagram Resources
- Additional Youtube Resources
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Hashtags
We recommend using hashtags for Twitter and Instagram, not Facebook.
- Hashtag 101
- Hashtags for every day of the week - also relevant for Twitter
- UF/IFAS Hashtags
- Content Ideas
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Social Media Training
We offer training for UF/IFAS units on setting up a social media account, effective use of social media, and best practices. If you have questions or to set up a training session, please submit a request in Workfront.
- Tips for Increasing Social Media Followers
- Refining Your Social Media Use
- Maintaining Professionalism in a Social World
- Video Production for Social Media Webinar
Twitter
Facebook
Professional Development
- UF employees have free access to LinkedIn Learning
- Social Media Analytics
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4H
Should 4H clubs use Facebook pages or groups to communicate?
It is highly recommended that clubs use private groups with the county having administrative access. The private group limits personal information as related to minors' full name and other sensitive location.
How do photo releases play into these groups?
Youth with no photo release, image, and likeliness should not be shared in private groups and club leaders who will share information in the group must be aware of these limitations.
