Recently our school library launched its Facebook and Twitter sites as a means of improving connections with our school community and raising awareness of how we support teaching and learning. The exercise brings to mind what needs to be a priority when launching a school social media presence.
5 key points to consider when developing a social networking policy for staff & students…
- Clearly Articulate the Key ‘Social Media Philosophy’
The school body needs to know the underlying rationale behind the use of social media in an educational context. This idea needs to be aligned with the school’s overall mission statement.
- Review Existing Social Media Policies & the Culture of the School
It’s important to understand firstly if any staff/student social media policies exist within the institution. If a policy does exist, is it relevant? If so, how might it be used as an umbrella document for the library’s social media policy? Research more widely to review other social media policies outside the institution. Use these as a starting point.
The prevailing culture of the school community with regard to the use of social networking sites (SNS) also needs to be established. What are the attitudes of students and staff to social networking? What SNS are used by staff and students? Discuss how concerns and SN user patterns might be addressed in the policy.
- Define ‘Social Media’ and the responsibilities that go with its use.
It’s important for students and parents to have a clear understanding of what social networking means and the responsibilities it brings with it. Students need to understand that any Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, blogs, wikis or future technologies that they participate in are subject to the same guidelines and ethical standards as the school’s overarching Internet acceptable use policy (AUP).
Note: The importance of confidentiality, privacy, transparency & intellectual property need to be central to the social media policy (Anderson, 2012). Students need to be shown how to use Social Media tools in an ethical and respectful way. Education around the use of these tools will assist them in creating an online identity that they can be proud of (Pierce, 2015).
- Centralise Social Media Management
Decide on who will be managing social media output – scheduling posts, responding to comments and coordinating the overall social media presence of the library. An ideal scenario would be to have one person manage each platform (Malczewski, 2013). This centralized management committee would also be responsible for the implementation of the library’s social networking strategy.
- Feedback & Review
After composing a draft document, feedback from the school community should be sought. Once implemented, further annual reviews of the policy need to be made to determine what is working well and what needs adjusting.
References
Anderson, S. (2012, April 11). Social Media Guidelines [Blog]. Edutopia. Retrieved January 17, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/social-media-guidelines-steven-anderson
Fischer, B. and Fimiani, J. (2010). Social Media Policy for School Districts. [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved Jan 18, 2016 from http://www.slideshare.net/oxiem/social-media-policy-for-school-districts
Malczewski, B. (2013, May 1). Why Social Media Isn’t Working For Your Library. Public Libraries Online. Retrieved January 18,2016 from http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2013/05/why-social-media-isnt-working-for-your-library/
Pierce, D. (2015, September 15). Teaching digital citizenship across the whole curriculum [Blog]. eSchool News . Retrieved Jan 18, 2016 fromhttp://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/09/15/digital-citizenship-curriculum-226/
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