Office of Public Relations
Social Media Guidelines
The Office of Public Relations听understands the importance of digital communications via social media, and we encourage any departments interested in听utilizing听this tool to听create and听maintain听social media accounts to communicate with students,听alumni听and stakeholders. All social media accounts听representing听official 性视界传媒 offices, departments or clubs are听subject to 性视界传媒鈥檚 brand standards and policies.听Please familiarize yourself with these social media guidelines to help听you create content that听maintains听a strong and consistent brand across departments and platforms.
The Office of Public Relations听monitors听all听university听social media accounts and may issue notices to remove听content听not compliant with 性视界传媒鈥檚 brand.
Below you will find instructions for creating accounts on Instagram, Facebook, X/Twitter听and LinkedIn. If you wish to create an account on a platform not listed, please contact the Office of Public Relations at lupublicrelations@langston.edu for guidance. Please note that听in accordance with听state听, university听offices and departments are not听permitted听to create听or听maintain听TikTok accounts.听
Step 1: Create a service account听
The first step to creating any university social media page is to ensure you have access to a service email account for your department that is not tied to any individual employee. Users are not permitted to use personal emails (such Gmail accounts) or emails assigned to individual employees (ex. john.smith@langston.edu)听to create听social media听accounts听representing听性视界传媒.听Services accounts must be used to sustain continuity of accounts.听
If your department does not have a service account, please contact听ITS听to inquire about setting one up.听听听
Step 2: Choose your platform听
Facebook/Instagram听
To create new accounts with Meta, it is easiest to start with an Instagram account.听
- Go to听听(app or browser) and听select 鈥淐reate New Account鈥听
- Create a username听and click听鈥淣ext鈥听
- If you are logged in on other accounts, it will ask you to use that Accounts Center to create the page.听DO NOT听do this. Select “Use mobile number or email”听
- Create a password听
- Enter听a date in the 鈥淏irthday鈥 space. If you cannot think of a date, use March 12, 1997听(centennial anniversary of Dear Langston)听
- Next,听it will ask you to听sign up with a phone number.听DO NOT听do this. Instead,听choose “Sign up with email” and enter听your department鈥檚听service account email.听
- It will send an email to verify the account. Follow the听instructions听within the email听to verify the account.听
- Once your Instagram account is set up, follow these directions to create a听听
X/Twitter听
- Go to听听and select 鈥淐reate Account鈥听
- Create a username听
- When it asks to input your phone number, select 鈥淯se email instead鈥听
- Enter your department鈥檚 service account email听
- Enter a date in the 鈥淏irthday鈥 space. If you cannot think of a date, use March 12, 1997 (centennial anniversary of Dear Langston)听
- Click 鈥淣ext鈥听
- It will send an email to verify the account. Follow the听instructions听within the email听to verify the account.听
LinkedIn听
- Go to the听听
- Enter your department鈥檚 service account email and create a password, then click 鈥淎gree & Join鈥听
- Enter your office or department name and click 鈥淣ext鈥听
- Fill out any听additional听information when prompted听
Step 3: Notify Public Relations听
When you have successfully created your account, send an email to the Office of Public Relations at听lupublicrelations@langston.edu to听notify them听of听your new social media account.听Please include your username or a link to your page so that Public Relations can follow your new account from the听main听性视界传媒 account.
All content created for social media must adhere to 性视界传媒鈥檚 Brand Guidelines. This includes proper use of logos, colors,听fonts,听campus听imagery听and AI.听
性视界传媒 faculty and staff have access to听AdobeExpress听to听edit photos and create graphics and videos for social media. To access听AdobeExpress听
- Go to
- The sign-in page will appear and ask you to sign in with your email or to continue with Google, Facebook or Apple. Below that, click where it says 鈥淢ore sign-in options.鈥听
- Select 鈥淐ontinue with Microsoft鈥
- Sign in using yourLionKey
Once you have successfully signed in, you can reach out to the Office of Public Relations at lupublicrelations@langston.edu for a link to 性视界传媒鈥檚 AdobeExpress Brand Kit for access to logos, color palettes and pre-approved templates.听
Please review Best Practices for Accessibility and Proper Use of Social Media before you post any content on your university social media account.
性视界传媒 values inclusiveness and strives to make our digital content accessible.听All听social media accounts听representing听official 性视界传媒 offices, departments or clubs should follow the guidelines below to ensure our content听remains听accessible.听
Please also familiarize yourself with the updated federal听. Oklahoma ABLE Tech also offers听听you can听utilize.听
Captions, Links & Hashtags听
Captions should be written in clear, straightforward language that is easy to understand for a broad audience.听Complex terminology should be avoided when possible.听Captions should use proper grammar,听punctuation听and spelling. For digital and web content, 性视界传媒 follows听听
Emojis should only be used at the end of sentences.听Avoid repetitive emoji use. Avoid听special character听fonts or platform bold听formatting,听for听screen readers may skip or misread those elements entirely. Do not use emojis to replace certain letters or words in your captions.听
If your caption includes a link, make sure the text preceding it is descriptive about the听link鈥檚听destination. For example:听
- Bad
馃師锔:听URL - Good
Buy tickets:听URL - Better
Buy tickets for the President鈥檚 Scholarship Gala:听URL听
Additionally,听links should not be excessively long.听If the page you are linking to has a long听URL, you can use听a听free听URL听shortener such as听听or听.听
DO NOT include links in Instagram captions. Instead, you can add a link in your profile鈥檚 page information and include 鈥渓ink in my bio鈥 in the caption.听
When using hashtags, make sure to use听camel听case.听Camel听case is when you capitalize听the first letter in each word of a hashtag. For example, use #WeRoar instead of #weroar.听听
Photos & Graphics听
When posting photos and graphics, always听include听alt text descriptions of what the image or graphic depicts.听
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Alt text descriptions should give a clear, meaningful description of what an image depicts, including relevant context or humor that adds to听the听post’s听message.听Keep the description simple and听focus on the most听important elements听first.听Do not use flowery language.听
- Bad听example:
A听hard-working听student studies on a bench while enjoying a sunny day on campus.
- Good听example:
A student sitting on a bench while reading.听
Ideally,听alt text听descriptions should be under 100 characters or about 25 words.听You do not need听to听include听the words 鈥渋mage of,鈥 鈥減icture of鈥 or 鈥済raphic of鈥 as screen readers will already include that when reading alt text.听
When听possible, avoid embedding text directly into images. When text must be included in a graphic, include the information听in your听post鈥檚听caption, too. Additionally, add the text to the alt text description.听
Text in graphics must follow the university鈥檚 brand guidelines听regarding听fonts听and colors.听Text color combinations must provide sufficient color contrast to ensure legibility.听
You should always run your graphics through an accessibility checker before posting.听Consider adding听听to your听AdobeExpress听account听or using an online visual accessibility听checker like听听
Videos听
You must include closed captions on all videos. Your captions should follow along accurately with any speaking parts,听identify听the speaker, and include descriptions of meaningful sounds such as music听or cheering.听
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All posts made on social media by accounts听representing听性视界传媒鈥搕o include photos, graphics, videos,听captions听and comments鈥揳re subject听to . Additionally, content created for university social media accounts or posted on behalf of the university is the property of 性视界传媒.
All representatives of the university are asked to use proper public decorum when interacting on social media on behalf of the university. 性视界传媒 reserves the right to remove content and/or comments including threats, harassment, spam, knowingly false statements, and any content misrepresenting the institutional brand made by non-institutional accounts on official university posts.
To ensure the proper representation of 性视界传媒’s brand online, please familiarize yourself with these guidelines for proper use of social media.
- In your capacity at LU or when posting on behalf of the university, you are prohibited from posting copyrighted materials.
- All university, college or department-level social media accounts must be managed by an official LU service email account. Services accounts are used to sustain continuity of accounts.
- Official university social media accounts are monitored by the Office of Public Relations. When you create a social media account for your office or department, you must notify the Office of Public Relations. You must grant administrative access to the Office of Public Relations if requested by a member of the Public Relations team.
- All paid placement marketing advertisements placed on social media sites must be developed or approved by LU鈥檚 Office of Public Relations prior to implementation.
- Content must be current, reliable, accurate and grammatically correct. Content may utilize email addresses, social media accounts (@), quick urls and other generally recognized methods of online communication.
- If your account remains dormant (no activity or posts) for three months, the account will be deleted.
- The university has the authority to edit social media content produced on behalf of the university if such content is contrary to the best interests of LU.
- 性视界传媒 has the authority to discipline an employee who uses LU social media outlets to disclose confidential student information, to impair working relationships at the university, or interfere with the regular working operations of the university. University grievance procedures will apply to such disciplinary action.
- Social Media training is available if needed. Please contact the Office of Public Relations at听lupublicrelations@langston.edu听to schedule training.
The Office of Public听Relations听will issue notices to remove any content violating these听guidelines.听Accounts听may听be suspended or听terminated听if violations persist.
