Social media is one of the tools you can use to celebrate your community, share information and points of #DePaulPride, and highlight the many facets of academic and student life at DePaul University.
DePaul’s flagship social media channels are managed by the content team within University Branding & Marketing. The UBM content team also handles scheduling for the IAmDePaul Instagram student takeover account.
We use social media to:
- increase brand awareness and recognition
- drive familiarity and consideration for prospective students and families
- foster community among our audiences
Follow DePaul University
Follow and tag DePaul on your favorite social platforms:
DePaul on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/depaulu
DePaul on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/DePaulUniversity
DePaul on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/school/depaul-university
DePaul on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@depaulu
DePaul on Twitter
https://x.com/depaulu
DePaul on Threads
https://www.threads.com/@depaulu
DePaul on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/c/depauluniversity1898
General Recommendations
If you plan to use social media on behalf of DePaul, please contact the
University Branding & Marketing Content Team and ask to be added to DePaul’s Social Media Working Group. You’ll be added to the email distribution list of social media managers across the university and have access to the group’s resources.
Success on social media depends on several factors:
- Understanding that social channels are conversations, not bullhorns or bulletin boards
- Being civil, honest, ethical and responsive
- Remembering that nothing is private on the Web
Best Practices
Listen. Spend time listening before you start posting. What issues are on the minds of the people you want to reach? How do they feel about your department or unit? The better you understand your audience, the more likely you are to post content that they will want to comment on or share.
Tailor your messages. Each social platform has a different audience and culture. For example, what works on TikTok would not find the same success on LinkedIn. Adapt your visuals, post copy and tone to your primary audience on each platform.
Join the conversation. Social media is unique because it’s the interaction—comments, likes, retweets, shares, saves—that makes the content valuable. Be conversational, ask questions, thank people, comment on posts by other DePaul-affiliated accounts or posts where you have been tagged.
Be accurate. Make sure that you have all the facts before you post. It's better to verify information with a source first than to have to post a correction later. If you see a question or complaint online, it’s fine to say that you’re getting more information and will reply shortly. Cite and link to your sources whenever possible; after all, that's how you build community.
If you make an error, correct it quickly and visibly. This will earn you respect in the online community.
Be aware of your impact. Social media often span traditional boundaries between professional and personal relationships. If you’ve ever identified yourself as part of the DePaul community online, readers will associate you with the university, even if you are posting from your own account. Use privacy settings to restrict personal information on otherwise public sites. Choose profile photos and avatars carefully. Be thoughtful about the type of photos you upload.
Be calm. If you feel angry or passionate about a subject, don’t post until you calm down. Even if your settings are “private,” posts and comments can be found, screenshot and forwarded. Archival systems save information even if you delete a post. If you wouldn’t say it publicly, don’t say it online.
Community Management
Consider adding a link to our community’s
Social Media Standards in your bio or about section.
Monitor public comments and replies to your posts. Like and or respond to comments.
If a commenter has specific question where you can provide assistance, comment publicly that you will contact them and then DM to ask for more information and direct them to the relevant resource or office at DePaul.
Delete and report spam through the platform’s reporting process.
Healthy, respectful debate is OK. Avoid accusations of censorship by letting criticisms (even harsh ones) stand.
Not all comments require responses. Do not engage in a public debate with trolls.
Safe Practices
Be yourself. Be honest about your identity. If you’re authorized by your supervisor to represent DePaul, say so. Never hide your identity or create a false identity for the purpose of promoting DePaul. It's both unethical and prohibited by the Acceptable Use Policy.
If you post about DePaul on your personal time, identify yourself as a DePaul faculty or staff member. Say that you’re sharing your views as a member of the higher education community, not as a formal representative of the university. Use a disclaimer on your site or profile similar to this: "The views expressed here are mine and do not necessarily reflect the views of DePaul University."
If you blog or write online reviews, the Federal Trade Commission requires you to reveal if you have been compensated in any way—monetarily or in kind, such as a free copy of a book, dinner, or a complimentary admission—or have a relationship to a company, product or service you review.
Be respectful. You are more likely to achieve your goals or sway others to your beliefs if you are constructive and respectful while discussing a bad experience or disagreeing with a concept or person. It’s Vincentian.
And, of course, the Acceptable Use Policy prohibits threats or harassment by using DePaul's computing resources to "transmit material or data that causes or encourages physical or intellectual abuse or that causes or encourages harassment, explicit or implied."
Maintain confidentiality. Don’t post confidential or proprietary information about DePaul, its students, its alumni or your fellow employees. Use good ethical judgment and follow university policies and federal requirements, such as FERPA, HIPPA and Health Information Security and Privacy. For a list of topics you should not discuss in any medium, refer to the
Progressive Discipline Policy.
If you discuss a situation involving individuals on a social media site, be sure that they cannot be identified. As a guideline, don't post anything that you would not present at a conference.
Respect university time and property. As stated in the Acceptable Use Policy/Network Security, university computers and your work time are to be used for university-related educational and business purposes. It's appropriate to post at work if your comments are directly related to accomplishing work goals, such as seeking sources for information or working with others to resolve a problem. Limited personal use of computing resources is acceptable as long as it doesn't violate any policies, but for the most part, you should maintain your personal sites on your own time using non-DePaul computers.
Be aware of liability. You’re legally liable for what you post on your own site and on the sites of others. Individual bloggers have been held liable for commentary deemed to be proprietary, copyrighted, defamatory, libelous or obscene (as defined by the courts). Employers are increasingly conducting Web searches on job candidates before extending offers. Be sure that what you post today will not come back to haunt you.
Using university computing resources to threaten or harass anyone is a violation of the Acceptable Use and the Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy, which "forbids any unlawful harassment which includes any behavior (verbal, written, or physical) that abuses, assails, intimidates, demeans or victimizes or has the effect of creating a hostile environment for any person based on protected characteristics (i.e. race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, parental status, family relationship status, physical or mental disability, military status)." Violating any university policy while using social media can trigger consequences under the Progressive Discipline Policy.
Follow a code of ethics. There are numerous codes of ethics for bloggers and other active participants in social media, all of which will help you participate responsibly in online communities. If you have your own social media site, you may wish to post your own code of ethics.