Part 1: Standards and Practices

  1. This policy covers external communications via all modalities. 
  2. This policy covers anyone acting in an official capacity for UMFK, including faculty, staff, student workers, and volunteers.
  3. All external communications must be consistent with the UMFK Mission and Vision.
  4. The UMFK web site (www.umfk.edu) is to be used exclusively for external marketing purposes. Online internal communications and resources are to be placed in the Portal (my.umfk.edu).
  5. The Director of Marketing & Communication will make all final decisions regarding the look and feel, aesthetic consistency, and marketing message of all external communications.
  6. The Media Services department will offer creation of and support for multimedia and web applications and web site, social media, and database content, as well as support for and maintenance of applicable technical frameworks.
  7. The Director of Marketing & Communication will make all final decisions regarding the marketability of news, external communications, and creative content.
  8. UMFK will not host or link to unaffiliated web sites or sites with commercial intent.
  9. Student and faculty online content hosted by UMFK must not contain advertisements, pornography, external copyrighted material, or present a security risk.
  10. Student and faculty online content hosted by UMFK must contain a disclaimer stating that any opinions expressed in said content are those of the creator alone, and do not represent the official opinions of UMFK.
  11. The University Relations department will manage the home page of the UMFK web site (www.umfk.edu), and all campus social media channels. Other departments will be given access and posting privileges at the discretion of the Director of Marketing & Communication.
  12. Under the management of University Relations, social media accounts should be combined and centralized whenever possible.
  13. The Director of Marketing & Communication has the authority to approve or deny all requests for new social media accounts, and to take down existing social media accounts.
  14. Departments are responsible, pending University Relations approval, for creation, accuracy, and maintenance of their own text for academic web pages on the UMFK site.
  15. The Director of Marketing & Communication reserves the right to modify all public facing text and other marketing materials created by other departments in the interest of unified voice and marketability.
  16. The University Relations department reserves the right to remove or alter any social media post.
  17. Departments must review all external facing content at least once per semester.
  18. All interactions with the press must be vetted by University Relations in advance of distribution.
  19. Only the formally approved logo may be used in external UMFK communications.
  20. The University Relations office will manage the approval of proposed logos and deprecation of old logos.
  21. There will be no unapproved use of UMFK intellectual property in any modality. The University Relations department will serve as the approving authority. This does not include instructor-created course materials (i.e. syllabi).
  22. Proper spelling and grammar will be used at all times in all UMFK external communications.
  23. No profanity, personal attacks or threats, or language that impugns the integrity and/or damages the reputation of UMFK is allowed in any external communications.
  24. All external communications must adhere to community standards.
  25. Representatives of UMFK will not respond to personal attacks or attacks directed at UMFK via official communications channels, including social media accounts.

Part 2: Technical Considerations:

  1. The UMFK Web site includes all public facing content at www.umfk.edu and all affiliated subdomains.
  2. UMFK web applications are public facing online tools accessible through the UMFK web site.
  3. UMFK social media accounts or channels are public facing content created by UMFK representatives, but hosted by external entities. Examples include Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.
  4. The UMFK Portal is a private, authenticated repository of internal UMFK online tools and content located at my.umfk.edu.
  5. This policy covers the use of UMFK bandwidth as well as all external communications.
  6. Students must sign an FTP contract for server access.
  7. All UMFK social media accounts must adhere to UMS:IT guidelines for secure usernames and passwords.
  8. All social media account usernames and passwords must be shared with the University Relations and Media Services departments.
  9. Any electronic device with Admin rights to any UMFK social media account must be locked when the user steps away.
  10. The University Relations department must be an administrator on all UMFK social media accounts.
  11. The Media Services and University Relations departments will choose the tools made available to campus for content creation.
  12. All external communications must comply with University of Maine System accessibility standards.

Part 3: External Content Path

  1. External facing content is created by an employee.
  2. This content is vetted and approved by the employee’s supervisor. Deans will serve as approvers for Academic programs.
  3. After supervisory approval, all content is vetted by the Provost.
  4. The Director of Marketing & Communication may approve the material for publication directly, alter the material so it conforms to marketability or policy standards before publishing, request that changes be made by the creator, or deny publication.
  5. After any applicable changes are made by either the Provost, the Director of Marketing & Communication, the original creator, or their program, the Director of Marketing & Communication will articulate approval for the content to be circulated. 

Content Path Notes:

  1. Blanket approval may be given by the Director of Marketing & Communication to interact with current or prospective students, answer questions, and promote campus events via social media.
  2. Supervisors may delegate approval authority as long as the content reaches the Director of Marketing & Communication before publication.