1.1 A-CONNECT must adhere to laws and regulations, and University policies. Only public information may be posted on Official University Social Media Sites. Official University Social Media Sites (A CONNECT) must not contain sensitive personal information, photograph (adult), adult comedy etc. or other confidential information as defined by The Information Technology Act And Media Law (Article 417,Govt.of India) , as applicable. Any sensitive personal information or other confidential information posted on an Official University Social Media Site must be removed by the site administrator as soon as practically possible upon discovery and will take disciplinary action against the user.
1.2 The University is committed to fostering an educational environment that allows for freedoms of speech and expression in accordance with the (Article 19(1) of the Constitution of India guarantees freedom of speech, although this right is not absolute and comes with some reasonable restrictions outlined under Article 19(2).). However, the University will not tolerate any activity or posting on an Official University Social Media Site that loses First Amendment protection such as any unlawful, defamatory, or obscene (as defined by Indian Constitution) activity or posting. The University reserves the right to remove any such posting without notice. The University also reserves the right to refer social media activity to the applicable social media platform and/or appropriate authorities for appropriate action.
1.3 All Official University Social Media Sites must respect intellectual property rights, Copyright law and University policies.
1.4 Employee Use – When using social media as a part of their official duties, and/or when presenting oneself in social media settings as a university representative, employees must comply with applicable University policies governing employee behavior and acceptable use of electronic and information resources.
1.5 Primary administrative rights for Official University Social Media Sites will be assigned only to University employees. Official University Social Media Sites will have a minimum of two administrators to ensure that the site is consistently managed. Should one administrator be unavailable, the second assigned administrator will manage the site. At least one of the two administrators should be a permanent University employee.
1.6 All content on Official University Social Media Sites must comply to ensure that the information is accessible and usable by people with the widest range of capabilities possible. Accessibility requirements apply to the content on the social media tool, not the features of the tool. Therefore, if the Official University Social Media Site does not use an inaccessible feature, it is not in violation of accessibility requirements. It is the responsibility of the Official University Social Media Site administrator to ensure social media content is fully accessible.
1.7 All University Social media sites must comply with any approved applicable University branding standards.
2.1 Social Media: A software system or service provided via the Internet used to communicate and share information between people through interactions with video, audio, text or multimedia. Examples include, but are not limited to: Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Flickr, Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, Linkedin, YouTube, and Wordpress and other similar services.
2.2 Copyright: A form of intellectual property law protecting original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works. A copyright does not protect facts, ideas, systems or methods of operation – only the way these objects may be expressed.
3.1 Branding for University Social Media – For any Official University Social Media Site, the social media icon and/or profile image must comply with any applicable University branding standards. The social media icon and/or profile image can be a photograph related to the administrator’s entity, an approved logo for that entity, or another appropriately branded image.
3.2 Content for University Social Media
3.2.1 Administrators of the site, when in need to request authorization to hide or delete any material in violation of this policy, or to block a user from a site, should contact the University’s social media manager or webmaster, who will consult with the Office of the General Counsel.
3.2.2 Administrators of an Official University Social Media Site should not engage in personal activity under the guise of any Official University Social Media Site.
3.2.3 Only public information may be posted on Official University Social Media Sites. Official University Social Media Sites should not be used for the communication of business transactions, including credit card or payment information, educational records protected by AdtU, or any other confidential information.
3.2.4 Social media content on an Official University Social Media Site may sometimes include photographs, audio or video. Site administrators are responsible for ensuring that social media content posted on the site is not infringing on the intellectual property rights of others. Intellectual property rights of content shared by the public will be governed by GOI copyright law, the terms of service of the social media provider, and/or University policies.
3.2.5 Administrators are encouraged to link to source material whenever possible. This activity will reduce the spread of misinformation and drive traffic.
3.2.6 Administrators of University Social Media Sites should adhere to the policies for the social media platforms in which they are participating. These policies are constantly changing, and it is the administrator’s duty to stay up to date.
3.3 Photos for University Social Media
3.3.1 If the administrator intends to publish a student photo on the site, in which the student can be recognized, then a signed photo release form from the student is needed.
3.3.2 Administrators will not share any restricted-use photos.
Best Practices
The information provided below is intended to highlight additional social media policy information and best practices.
What is Social Media?
Social media is a general term used to reference websites and applications that enable users to create and share content, and virtually connect with others users. The list of popular social media sites grows every day.
The Assam down town University endeavors to "AdtU Privacy Policy." With that in mind, we encourage our students, faculty and staff to embrace social media as a convenient, engaging and impactful communication tool.
The guidance provided here references important legal information, along with supplementary social media best practices.
Advised
You are encouraged to link to your source material ANY TIME you are able. This will help reduce the possibility of misinformation and it will also drive traffic.
Protect your own privacy online by adjusting your privacy settings and publishing your updates only to the audiences with whom you wish to share your status.
If you manage a forum that allows users access to comment and post (i.e. Facebook wall, LinkedIn Group, etc.), you must adhere to the specific social media platform's terms of service and the AdtU Social Media Policy.
Think twice about the content you are about to post and double check EVERYTHING, with special attention to accuracy, spelling, and grammar. Think twice about the value of the content and consider whether or not it may potentially malign or polarize any person or group.
Be respectful. If an audience member posts a comment to your site that upsets you, give yourself some time to cool down before responding. Display good sportsmanship; do not malign your rivals. Treat others as you would like to be treated.
Photos: As mentioned above in the privacy section, you should also be respectful of AdtU employees by requesting written permission to release their image. This can be done via written note, email, or the standard photo release form.
Respect copyright law and the rights of others. "Copyright, a form of intellectual property law, protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. Copyright does not protect facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed. Also see copyright policy information of Govt.of.India.
It is an express violation to infringe on someone else’s rights of publicity, privacy, copyright, trademark, or other intellectual-property right. What does this mean? You may not reproduce, screen-shot, modify or redistribute content (text and images) that does not belong to you, and in no circumstance should you remove, alter or conceal any watermark or other copyright identifier incorporated in the content of others.
It is recommended that you regularly review your site's metrics. This will help you understand how you can improve your communications and provide your audience with desirable content.