CMU Social Media Commenting and Engagement Guidelines

Purpose of this document: The following contains the UCM social media team’s philosophy behind commenting and engaging with others on social media. It’s important to note that while we strongly recommend these as guidelines, we understand we all face different circumstances and challenges that may require an alternative approach.

Please note that these guidelines are focused on comments and do not specifically cover engagement or channel strategy. For more information on those topics, as well as for assistance with anything mentioned or not mentioned in this document, please contact Social Media Manager John Thrasher at johnthra@andrew.cmu.edu.

The ‘Golden Rule’ of Social Media: Remember that social media is a living, breathing, active creature! What may apply today may not apply tomorrow. There are an infinite number of internal and external variables that could be considered on any given day. Ultimately, the managers of the channels need to make the call about whether it’s appropriate to respond from official accounts while being mindful of the optics of every single word used in the response.

No response is probably the best response. Our approach has been that unless there is something that needs to be very explicitly communicated, not responding to comments is the best practice. In general, negative comments typically are just people sounding off and wanting to vent, and in some cases hoping to spark some sort of engagement from the account. While it’s enticing to want to respond, it’s really not required.

So when do we respond?
There are times where a response is warranted. Below are some scenarios in which you should feel comfortable responding. Please note that these guidelines apply to comments on posts and private messages sent to social media inboxes (i.e. Messenger on Facebook/Instagram, direct messages on X/LinkedIn, etc.)

Positive engagement

• Praise and recognition: Acknowledge and celebrate achievements of students, faculty, and staff.
  • Example: "Congratulations to our students for their amazing performance in the state championships!"
• Answering questions: Provide accurate and helpful responses to queries about university programs, events, and services.
  • Example: "Yes, the application deadline for the fall semester is April 1st. You can find more details on our website."
• Community building: Participate in discussions that foster a sense of community and support.
  • Example: "We're so proud of our alumni!”
  • Example: Responding with a heart symbol or #TartanProud
• Clarifying questions: If someone is asking for clarity because of a misunderstanding in the original post, it may be appropriate to respond with brevity to clarify.
• Constructive feedback from followers: Maybe you misspelled something in your copy. A quick, “Thank you for that!” would be appropriate and risk free.
• Supportive feedback from followers: If a commenter is cheering on the content with positive sentiment, engaging is appropriate.
• Goodwill among relevant brands/institutions/notable alumni: If Pitt comments about being a neighbor, a short and sweet reply would be appropriate. If Joe Manganiello posts about us on Instagram, a Like and emoji reaction would be appropriate. All written comments should be discussed and decided upon internally among all members of the social team for risk assessment.

Corrections and timely information

• Correcting misinformation: Address and correct false information that could harm the university's reputation.
  • Example: "We want to clarify that the university is not closing. Classes will continue as scheduled."
• Providing updates: Share important updates during emergencies or significant events.
  • Example: "Due to severe weather, all classes are canceled today. Stay safe and check our website for further updates."

When Not To Respond

Controversial topics

• Political discussions: Avoid engaging in political debates or taking sides on political issues.
  • Example: Do not comment on posts about political candidates or policies. There may be exceptions to this if candidates/politicians visit CMU or something associated.
• Sensitive social issues: Steer clear of commenting on divisive social issues unless it directly relates to the university's stance or policy.
  • Example: Do not engage in debates about social justice movements unless providing an official university statement.
• Negative interactions
  • Trolls and provocateurs: Do not respond to comments that are clearly intended to provoke or harass. (i.e. Report comments that are abusive).

• Unresolved complaints: Avoid addressing unresolved complaints in public forums.
  • Example: Request moving conversation to direct/private message to continue/resolve conversation

When to Delete/Hide/Report

Hiding comments

Consider hiding comments when:

• Comment contains mild profanity or inappropriate language.
• Comment includes spam or promotional content unrelated to CMU.
• Comment contains personal attacks that don't rise to the level of harassment.

Rationale: Hiding comments allows us to maintain a positive environment without completely silencing users or escalating the situation.

Deleting comments

Consider deleting comments when:

• Comment contains hate speech, severe profanity, or extremely offensive language that the platforms don’t already auto-hide with proprietary technology.
• Comment shares confidential information.
• Comment is part of a coordinated spam attack or bot activity.
• Comment contains explicit sexual content or graphic violence.
• User repeatedly violates community guidelines after warnings.

Rationale: Deletion is appropriate for content that significantly violates CMU community standards and could harm our audience or brand reputation.

When NOT to Delete/Hide/Report

Here’s when not to take such steps:

• Disagreeing with a commenter’s point of view is not enough of a reason to hide or delete a comment
• Negative reactions are a part of social media and are to be expected, even when those feelings are aired in a public forum
• Hiding or deleting comments can make us appear secretive or dishonest. Keeping comments visible, even negative ones, helps to highlight transparency and builds trust
• We can use the feedback to learn where we’re falling short and provide a better experience next time. And it shows our dedication to accountability
• Keeping comments in public view prevents escalation. If someone finds out their comments are removed, it could cause them to take action and call us out on other social media channels, making it a much bigger deal than when it started

Rationale: There are going to be times where negative comments need to live along side the ones that make us look good, but this doesn’t mean we can’t benefit from their existence

Escalating to UCM

Reporting concerning posts or comments

• Reputational/brand vulnerabilities
• Misinformation or disinformation that could be harmful to CMU brand
• Posts about CMU that aren’t threatening, but raise concern (i.e. interpersonal conflicts amongst students/staff/faculty, student life issues)
• Content includes credible threats of violence or terrorism.
• Content includes evidence of child exploitation or human trafficking.
• Post contains information about planned criminal activities.
• Content involves doxxing (sharing private or identifying information about an individual without their consent).
• Post illustrates clear evidence of cyberbullying or harassment.

Rationale: Relaying to central allows for proper assessment and next steps