Twitter

Social Media Guidelines

Twitter is a micro-blogging service that allows users to post short messages. Posts show up in the Twitter feeds of the people who choose to follow your account.

Twitter posts should be posted frequently. Take a moment to consider if Twitter is the best way to reach your intended audience. Also consider the time and department resources needed to maintain a Twitter account.

Below are Twitter account guidelines for official units, programs, departments, research facilities or schools.

Twitter Account Setup and Guidelines

• Make sure there isn't already an account for your department or group.
• Departments, units, programs and organization sites are to be set up by the department head or with department head permission.
• Contact the Office of Marketing and Communications to apply for an official UT Tyler Twitter account.
• When setting up your Twitter account, use ONLY an official UT Tyler group email address that several members of your department or program can check. Using a UT Tyler personal email or another personal account is not allowed.
• Set up your account using acceptable names such as "UTTylerBiology" or other names related to the department. (Please refrain from using "UTT" or "UT T," instead spell out the official name. For example: "UTTyleryourname."
• Setting up social media accounts using any official university name is prohibited. (i.e. "UT Tyler," The University of Texas at Tyler," "UT Patriots," Patriots Tyler, etc.)
• Once your account is approved and set up, share login credentials with the UT Tyler social media team
  • The UT Tyler social media team is not responsible for updating department/organization sites, but will offer support and ensure continuity throughout any turnover in university personnel.
• To obtain UT Tyler images and logo, email web@uttyler.edu.
• If the password is changed, please update the information with the UT Tyler social media team.

The UT Tyler social media policy and all other related university policies must be followed at all times.

• Twitter Terms of Service Policy
• UT Tyler Copyright Policy
• UT Tyler Logo and Trademark Trademark Policy
• UT Tyler Image Policy
• UT Tyler Social Media Guidelines and Standards

Start Tweeting!

• Include a brief description about your department or program, and link to your website.
• Stay under the 140 character restriction. It is best to leave up to 10 extra characters to allow for re-tweets from other users.
• Use a URL shortener such as bit.ly or TinyURL to limit URL length.
• Tweet regularly to build a following. Keep tweets representative of your department or organization.
• Use hashtags to group content and create a following. Hashtags consist of using the # symbol followed by subject words such as #uttyler or #talonsup.
• Tweet (re-tweet) the content posted by another twitter user that is relevant to your organization or department.
• Incorporate other Twitter accounts. Using the @ sign allows other Twitter accounts to be included in your tweet, such as @uttyler.
• "Favorite" tweets coming through your feed that are relevant to your department or organization.
• Who should you follow? Don't follow out of obligation, follow who is relevant to your page.

Questions? Contact the UT Tyler social media team.

Account backup requirement: After creating your login credentials, share that information with the UT Tyler web team.