Appendix 3 - Best Practices for Social Media

If you are aware of an emergency situation on campus, contact the YSU Police first (330-941-3527), and then the Marketing and Communications office (330-941-2159).

Do not post about the situation on social media until official messaging is released from the university.

During an emergency situation on campus, official posts regarding the crisis will come from two accounts:

1. Youngstown State University Facebook page
2. Youngstown State University Instagram account

If you control an official social media page of the university, look for these posts and update your own page(s) by directing your followers to any of these four accounts. Do not try to craft your own message or retype the message on your own.

In addition, during an emergency on campus, be sure to:

• Check to make sure that no content is scheduled to be posted on your YSU social media accounts until the end of the emergency. If content is scheduled, cancel it.
• Refrain from posting to your YSU social media sites after directing people to the official messaging/posts.
• Refrain from engaging with followers during this time so that timelines do not get cluttered. This gives important updates more of a chance of being seen.
• If you receive private messages on your YSU accounts, reply by referring the individual to the main university accounts or the university website for information.